How to turn physical retail features into digital ones
Over the last 20 or 30 years or so, the internet has made a massive difference to the way people shop.
And, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns left people indoors and needing, in many cases, to rely on online-based delivery services to get both groceries and luxuries, it has become more important than ever for online retailers to stand out and for digital businesses to understand how traditional retail-style thinking can help them.
For instance, many gamblers in Britain who find themselves far away from a casino might well go online to discover non-UK casino alternatives. When they do, they are more likely to choose sites that have the feel of a real-world gambling venue, with a smart design and appropriate sound choices. The same is true when it comes to everyday shopping, too. Here are some of the ways that online businesses can adapt retail thinking to digital needs.
Your Homepage Is Your Storefront
One of the most obvious ways to give customers a more traditional retail experience in an online environment is to think about how your website’s homepage can be a digital shopfront. For example, if your site loads quickly, that is like the shop’s doors being open to business. Similarly, a clean design is like a well-arranged window display, and, whether or not you are operating in the physical or digital world, strong branding helps potential customers know what it is they are dealing with. At the same time, your website’s navigation is going to be like an ideal shop’s layout, with menus serving the same purpose as signs to departments and predictive search the equivalent of asking a shop assistant where to find something in-store.
Getting Help
Subscribe to TRBIf you go to a traditional retail store, then shop assistants are going to be a critical part of your experience. You might want help in finding where certain items are, or if people have any recommendations, or if they have certain clothes in particular sizes. When you set up an online shop, then you can have virtual shop assistants. AI chatbots are all the rage right now, with a report by SellersCommerce suggesting that 80 per cent of eCommerce merchants either have chatbots or plan to use them in the near future. These widgets can perform the task of an in-person store assistant, giving customers advice and recommendations and, in some cases, pointing them towards things they didn’t even know they wanted. Similarly, personalised recommendations, based on what people have bought and browsed for, can also work like an assistant, helping people to discover new things, much like a guided in-store browsing experience.
Make Finding Things Easy
Customers all want different things, but what unites them is that they want the specific thing that they want. Nothing frustrates shoppers more than being unable to find a particular item. If you are running a traditional, bricks and mortar shop, then you will need to make sure that you know what you have in stock, where customers can find it, and, if necessary, how long it will take you to order it in if you haven’t got it. When it comes to running an online shop, you will need to make sure that it’s clear that you’ve got an item and, if supplies are running low, you let the customer know that and when the item is likely to be replenished. Being able to get onto a waiting list – so long as it’s clear how long people will have to wait for – is also a good idea, while presales are, for a very good reason, very popular in and of themselves.
Inventory Management
In terms of general inventory management, any retail experience should make it clear where things actually are in the store. Items should be put together in a sensible, logical way, so people can find things by going to a general area, rather than a specific part of a specific shelf. Online, this translates into putting things into different category trees that feel intuitive, allowing people to use filters to search for things like size or price options, and even the possibility of having an autocomplete function to save customers time. Likewise, the physical experience of picking up an item to check it out could find a parallel in detailed descriptions and 360-degree images, so potential buyers can examine something in detail.
Create And Reward Loyalty
In the wider world of business, customer loyalty is something that can really make a difference. A report by Statista found that, worldwide, seven out of 10 shoppers considered themselves loyal to particular brands, and that is something any retailer would do well to keep in mind. If a member of staff remembers a customer’s name and what they like, then that can stand them in good stead. And online, there are similar things that can generate brand loyalty. For example, subtle and unobtrusive emails to recommend products based on customer data can whip up a surprisingly decent amount of business, while transparency and loyalty programs do a lot to let people know that it is worth shopping with you.
Check Out Easily
Once people have got what they wanted from a shop, they need to be able to pay in a way that is both quick and easy. If, however, people have to face long and slow queues, then they might decide they haven’t got the time, patience, or energy, go somewhere else, and lose you a purchase. Similarly, online checkouts need to be easy affairs. Multiple payment options, quick processing speeds, one-click payments, and guest checkouts can make a massive difference to whether or not someone spends their money on your site. Of course, you need to reassure them that their payments are going to be secure and that the site is optimised for mobile and shipments are easily trackable.
Some things in retail are specific to online, and others to in-person shopping. But, as you have seen, there are going to be some things that are universal. Features such as help and advice when shopping, clear and easy navigation, and moves that get people from occasional shoppers to loyal, repeat, customers apply to both internet and physical retail.
