image via pixabay
It seems no matter how you look at it, online sales are continuing to gain over traditional retail sales. So as retailers should we just roll over and admit defeat? We say NO!
But how do we get out of this cycle? We believe that it should not be a fight of online sales vs offline (retail store) sales but rather a synergistic combination of the both. It would not make sense for any retailer to be without an online sales component but here are some ideas that retailers can use to tie in their online and offline (in-store) retail platforms together.
image via freeimages.com
1. Turn your store into an pick up point for your online sales
Sometimes your customers just can’t wait for something to be shipped to them which to be honest can take anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days! Thus, consider turning your store into a pickup point for online purchases. This is a great concept for customers who need their goods urgently or those who live in dorms or work all day, etc where it would not be convenient to sit around waiting for their packages to arrive.
You never know, customers coming to the store to pick up their packages could browse the store and decide they want something else.
2. Enhance their in-store experience
In essence this means give them a reason to step into your store. Mind you, this does not mean just giving them good service but in fact means giving them exceptional service by demonstrating exceptional knowledge of your product and showing genuine concern for your customer. Enable your sales team to be as knowledgeable about their products as well as the competitors products and how it compares to your own products.
image via morguefile.com
3. Price matching and discounting
If margins allow, another method would be to do a price matching of your products with those prices which are online. A lot of retailers have used this particular method to drive sales into their stores particularly during holiday seasons but it is not without its risks as online stores do not have to pay for a lot of offline store overheads (i.e. rent, staff costs, etc) which are prevalent when running an offline store. As such caution is recommended when considering this technique
4. Offer something exclusive for your social media or online followers
This could be a free gift or even a small discount but exclusive to followers of your social media / online presence. Of course, this offer would only be effective or redeemable if they came into the store to make their purchases. This could be a more effective technique than right out price matching.
To conclude, these ideas are not exhaustive and are just some methods which you can use to tie in your offline and online shopping experience.
The goal is to ultimately bring in more customers into your store.
——————–
At Visata Creative, we work together with our clients to Design Profitable Spaces. We work strategically as partners to our clients to ensure that they are equipped with the with the necessary insights and guidance for their businesses based on our years of experience in the retail industry through our interior design, graphic design & strategic marketing services.
To us, bigger space is not always better, what matters most in retail is the profitability of the space. We believe in winning the award that really matters in our industry – Helping our clients achieve the highest profitability possible within their retail business.
View our case studies to see how we have helped our clients achieve their goals and helped improve their businesses.
If you have any inquiries, email us at tim@viscreative.com and we will get in touch with you very soon!