Recent times have not been very favorable for retail stores. There’s a consistency in the kind of news we get from such stores these days, like Sears, expressing uncertainty about their future. Toys R Us, Ralph Lauren, and The Limited are shutting down their stores. While JC Penney has also announced the particular stores it will be closing.
With such news, it does seem that retail stores are dying. Shopping malls might not remain as they are today in a few years. Brick-and-mortar retail isn’t what people are particularly looking for. These days, people prefer to relax at home, ordering the products they need online.
In today’s busy schedules, we can relate that shopping online is considered a much better option than walking around in a mall and getting tired of going from store to store.
This also poses a problem for the owners and stakeholders of brick-and-mortar stores. Can they survive? If so, then how will they survive these changes? Below, we have some tips on how you can save your brick-and-mortar store from having your customers snatched by online sellers.
Become an Expert
You need to know the specifics of what you are dealing with – everything related to your product, from the perks offered to advice regarding the precautions necessary while using it. It would help if you ensured that customers know your answers to their questions and queries. Providing knowledgeable support to your customers at your store is a great way to showcase yourself as a business offering something not offered by competitors. One of the essential doubts a customer has when purchasing products online is the product details other than those mentioned on the webpage. In such a situation, consumers prefer to head to a brick-and-mortar store to get hands-on experience with the product they are interested in. They come with questions; if you can answer them clearly and accurately, customers will surely buy from your retail store instead of an online counterpart.
Build an In-Store Experience
Unlike in the past, when retail stores could sell enough just by displaying their products for sale, you need to define an experience that sets your brick-and-mortar store apart from something that customers can find online.
You must provide a unique experience relevant to your brand in the store. This might be interactively displaying your products, including details about your products that would otherwise not be found online. Try to increase the interactions that your store staff has with customers. As emphasized above, this should not be any interaction and should offer knowledge. Another innovative idea is to engage a customer’s five human senses (smell, touch, sight, sound, and taste) while interacting with a product. Of course, you can’t engage all senses simultaneously, but any engagement gives you an upper hand over online shopping. For example, bakeries can offer taste samples to their customers, and a mobile phone brick-and-mortar store could provide live interaction with different smartphones. You should do your best to increase tactile interaction, which online shopping lacks, to help your retail business survive.
Going Online
It is commonly said if you can’t beat them, join them. Similarly, it is an excellent decision to transition your brick-and-mortar store into a hybrid between regular retail and online selling. After all, online selling has multitudes of benefits. Make setting up an e-commerce unit within your brand one of your priorities. Creating a fantastic experience at your store and offering a quick, convenient online option will get you the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
You must be aware of your customer’s needs and quickly address them. In the current world of innovations, your brick-and-mortar business must adapt to different changes to retain and get new customers, sustaining its existence.
About Complete Controller® – America’s Bookkeeping Experts Complete Controller is the Nation’s Leader in virtual bookkeeping, providing service to businesses and households alike. Utilizing Complete Controller’s technology, clients gain access to a cloud platform where their QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools are hosted in an efficient SSO environment. Complete Controller’s team of certified US-based accounting professionals provide bookkeeping, record storage, performance reporting, and controller services including training, cash-flow management, budgeting and forecasting, process and controls advisement, and bill-pay. With flat-rate service plans, Complete Controller is the most cost-effective expert accounting solution for business, family-office, trusts, and households of any size or complexity.
