As discussed in our previous blog, “Driving online traffic through brick-and-mortar experience”, providing a seamless omnichannel shopping experience can drive sales, both in-store and online.
Whilst the rise of eCommerce has been rapid and immense, providing consumers with a chance to touch and feel products and a sense of immediate gratification as they are able to take their purchases home immediately can not be understated. Converting eCommerce customers to in-store shoppers is more difficult than the contrary but remains an important piece of the omnichannel puzzle. Below you’ll find the three key pieces that your brand may be missing.
Click and Collect
One of the most effective ways to drive foot traffic to physical stores through eCommerce experiences is by offering a click-and-collect option. Assuming you’ve integrated your eCommece platform with your store’s inventory management system, stock levels on the website can accurately reflect whether an item would be available to pay for online and pick up in-store. This provides customers with the convenience of online shopping, while also driving them to the physical store to pick up their purchases.
Retailers can use this opportunity to upsell and cross-sell additional products to the customer when they come to pick the item(s) up. For example, an in-store sales associate can suggest additional items such as a matching pair of pants or accessories that would complement the shirt. The customer may be more inclined to purchase these additional items while in-store because they are already there and can see and touch the items.
In-Store Returns and Exchanges
Similarly, offering in-store returns and exchanges is another effective way to drive foot traffic to physical stores. The average ecommerce return rates hovers around 20-30% so imagine if you could redirect a third of your online shoppers towards a physical store…
Once in store, retailers would typically prefer that a customer exchanges an item rather than simply returning it due to inventory management, assured revenue and reduced chance of fraud. By encouraging consumers to come into a store, a sales associate can help the consumer to find something more suited rather than having to go through the lengthy and inconvenient process of returning an item via the post.
Utilising Social Media
As mentioned in our previous blog, retailers can drive in-store traffic by creating engaging content about in-store activities. Rather than focusing on going viral and generating more online traffic, this also achieves the aforementioned goals of driving footfall and creating sales opportunities for staff. New product demonstrations, for example,2 have a much higher correlation with sales than in-store installations though so it is important for the brand to consider their goals in this process. Other alternatives that are likely to see an increase in Brick & Mortar sales include promotions, discounts or exclusive launches for loyal customers which can be featured and highlighted through social media and website channels.
