How to Grow Your business Online? Tips For Stationary Retailers
Trade — Local vs. Online
Digitization makes it possible: whether it’s classic in business or on the go from your smartphone, nowadays shopping is almost always and everywhere possible. 70% of German internet users already shop online at least once a month. Around a quarter even use the digital shopping cart at least once a week. If you want to survive in retail, you have to reorient yourself in the age of online shopping. You can read in our article which trends companies will have to adjust to in the future and which opportunities exist for stationary retail.
What trends can retailers expect?
Growing online competition, increasing expectations and ongoing automation are just some of the many challenges that retailers are already facing today. Companies that continue to do everything “as always” and rigidly adhere to traditions will no longer be able to keep up in the future.
Companies that do everything “as always” will no longer be able to keep up in the future #trade
The insight is there: 77% of retailers see themselves as laggards when it comes to digitization. But what trends do retailers expect and what options do retailers have to keep up?
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1. Personalization is gaining in importance
In comparison to impersonal online shopping, the chance of stationary retail lies in the feeling of being something special. Customized products can also be bought online, but the retail options go even further:
With technological innovations such as 3D printers that sporting goods manufacturers are already experimenting with, in the not too distant future the customer may simply be able to go to a store, have their foot scanned and then take home the shoe that has been designed to their individual needs without long waiting times.
2. Simple customer journey
Online shops, if they are well implemented, have a big advantage over stationary shops: they are user-friendly and lead the customer quickly to their destination. The user can quickly find the right selection via a product search and, in the best case, can also complete the ordering process quickly. In the shop, however, the visitor usually has to search for it himself. But in combination with digital tools, retail can also score points. Apps, personalization options and digital screens that can be used to deliver the order to your home are just a few examples.
3. Omni-channel shopping
The current study “The future of shopping” by Comarch and Kantar: Almost 90 percent of consumers expect digital offers from retailers in the future. But it is not either or, but both and. The boundaries between online and offline purchases are becoming increasingly blurred. Every third person uses their smartphone for research while they are in the shop and every second person would like to receive further information by scanning QR and barcodes (see Ipsos Connect ). Linking the various channels will be of crucial importance for retail in the future. But: around a third of stationary retailers do not yet have a website!
4. Mobile optimization
Not really a new trend, but there is still a lot of need for optimization here: Consumers also want to be addressed on the move. Since 2015, Google has received more search queries from mobile devices than from stationary desktop computers. With the smartphone as a constant companion, brick-and-mortar retailers have the opportunity to address customers at exactly the right moment and at the right time — if your shop is mobile-optimized . According a mobile-optimized website is a simple way of picking up the customer exactly where it is most uncomplicated for him:
“Search engine presence is important for all companies, even if you don’t sell online. The better and more comprehensive information is made available online, the more likely it is that the customer will go to the store or that the customer will click on the homepage and the online shop “
5. Shopping as an experience
When customers enter a store, you want to “experience” the products, you want to touch them and try them out. And you want good advice. 57 percent of Internet users prefer to do business locally because personal advice is primarily important to them. According to current studies, 61 percent of retailers see the stationary store as a kind of showroom “in which products can be tested and then ordered in the retailer’s online shop”.
Not online or offline: 57% of Internet users prefer to do business locally.
The prerequisites for this, such as free WiFi or in-store tablets, are often not yet in place. Virtual Reality — after all, 53% of retailers think that goods will be able to be experienced in stationary retail by 2030 — offers numerous options for making shopping an experience. First attempts, here using Nike as an example , show that it is possible to seamlessly combine the consumer journey of online shopping, mobile applications and the experience in the store.
Online vs offline trading
Top ten websites where you can set your online retail shops right away
2. Ebay
8. Google express
Tips for stationary retailers around the globe
Exist online!
If you want to assert yourself against the competition, you have to be online these days. Having your own website or online shop is a must, blog and social media channels are a must. All of this makes sense for your relevance, because only those who exist online can also be found by search engines.
Offer added value!
By collecting and analyzing customer data, you can tailor your products even more precisely to your target groups. Individual support and advice can result from this, as can sending newsletters or writing a blog.
Stay up to date!
Of course, retailers in particular shouldn’t follow every trend that digitization brings with it. But to be able to keep up with the competition, it is important to know your way around. This also applies to your employees. The use of mobile devices in the store can be useful, for example, because the online offer is often larger than that in the store. Smartphones and tablets are a useful addition to give your salespeople direct access to further information during customer meetings.
Be unique!
How can you set yourself apart from the (online) competition with your business? It’s simple: develop a distinctive brand. This also includes a uniform external image, a “corporate identity”. This includes — as simple as it sounds — the shop design and the shop window, because that is the best business card in itself. And of course a suitable online presence should also be included.
Retain your customers long-term!
There are several different approaches for so-called customer loyalty systems, which have been multiplied by digitization. Take advantage of the link between online and offline business and offer, for example
· A discount for newsletter subscribers for the next purchase in the store.
· A gift when the online order is picked up in the store.
· A special offer for users of your app.
Conclusion
The future of retail is not necessarily just digital. Rather, it can be said that digital services can strengthen stationary retail. The opportunities lie in the networking of the various purchasing channels, the analysis of customer data and the personalization of the customer journey. In view of digitization, online retail and retail stores must continue to grow together so that the distances to the customer become shorter. Do you already have a digital strategy, an app or an online shop?
