How ‘click & mortar’ retailers are excelling at customer experience

Customer expectations are driving the development

The retail landscape is changing faster than ever. What defined a excellent shopping experience ten years ago is different from now, and it’ll be transformed again over the next ten years. But giving your clients the best shopping experience now means figuring out just what they need.

Consumer buying behavior is driving the requirement for retailers to provide real time product visibility and accessibility. We’re seeing the growth of a new breed of shopper: somebody we call the’Instagrat’ consumer. ‘Instagrat’ consumers represent an increasing proportion of contemporary shoppers who need convenience and use digital research to discover the best possible solution for their requirements.

Their priorities are:

• Hassle-free buys
• Immediate stock availability
• Aggressive prices

Retailers are made to evolve new practices that satisfy these needs and desires. And that’s where”Instant Stock in Store” and”Click & Collect” has come to be a game changer.

“Instant Stock in Store” combined with “Click & Collect” means:

1. Shoppers can see precisely what inventory you have in all of your stores.
2. Availability is updated in real time.
3. Shoppers can pick up available things immediately.

The client’s purchasing journey is omni-channel

The huge majority of today’s shoppers begin their purchasing journeys online. It’s the quickest way to find reliable information on which products and providers can best meet their needs at the perfect price.

However, there is a misconception that because shoppers study online, they always finish their buy online. The prevailing wisdom is that this provides pure e-commerce businesses a benefit those with bricks and mortar stores–and that is not quite perfect.

When it comes to completing purchases online, There’s frequently perceived friction against the shopper:

• “I can not touch or feel the item. What if it appears different in real life?”
• “I do not need to wait around for delivery. And what should they come while I am out?”
• “It is such a hassle to return items I do not like.”

So naturally they are now demanding the best of both worlds: buyers want to investigate and find available products on the internet (Live Stock at Store) but see local physical stores to inspect the products before taking them home (Click & Collect).

This is the new gold standard for Instagrat shoppers.

“Instagrat” customer experience — the new gold standard

Using Live Stock in Store exhibited on the site, you will experience a higher proportion of in-store visitors with severe purchase intent, and fewer drifting’pedestrians’. Each one of these visits also gives a cross-sell chance to increase basket size.

Concerning long-term client value, in-store visits are fantastic for nurturing stronger customer loyalty and relationships. And on top of that, we are seeing shoppers favour retailers that offer both services–even when it is not the cheapest alternative.

And that makes sense. However, a well-managed Live Stock in shop and Click & Collect expertise also delivers something unexpected: better conversion speeds for online traffic .

How can that work?

Look at it this way: if all you exhibit online is stock especially reserved e-commerce, and you run from a desired item, you definitely lose that sale. The visitor is gone. With time, these lost opportunities will be costly.

But in the event you’re able to say,”Hey, this thing is in stock in a shop near your home , and you may pick it up right now,” then you are nailing at least that sale. Possibly more with your in-store selling.

This approach enables you to leverage all the inventory from all your shops, provides more purchase options to clients, and maximises your probability of a successful purchase.

Powered by authentic”live data”

Providing this level of customer expertise makes intuitive sense and we have seen how powerful it’s in practice. But we have also seen how it can fail without the perfect infrastructure. When we state Instant Stock in Store, we imply true to the second. When we say real time Click & Collect, we mean clients can collect their things now–not tomorrow, not this day, but right now.

And needless to say, your site should automatically display the closest locations for these two services.

Failing to present real-time stock levels across all store locations means you can not deliver this gold standard support. And trust us: your clients will always find another merchant that does.

So what is next for you?

Perfecting your Instant Stock in Store and real time Click & Collect expertise will put you on the road to greater market share and earnings. You will experience heavier in-store foot traffic which leads to healthier margins and a higher average basket price. You will even build more loyalty with your shoppers.

But only if you’re able to provide this service with immediate and real time data across all of your stores and inventory locations.

References

1. https://www.connectpos.com/pos-review-connectpos-versus-hike-pos/
2. https://www.connectpos.com/offline-pos-machine-you-will-need/
3. https://www.connectpos.com/benefits-of-pos-system-for-brick-and-mortar-stores/
4. https://www.connectpos.com/8-tips-boost-online-presence-for-fashion-brands/
5. https://www.connectpos.com/pos-transformation-in-physical-store-workflow/