Suppose the retailers have been paying attention to business headlines. In that case, they might have heard that traditional retailing of brick and mortar vanishes. In the past couple of years, a heap of retailers witnessed the closing down of stores across many regions. The evolution of online retail shopping seems to have finally put the in-store retail facility out of business.
According to the data released by the National Retail Foundation, several physical retail stores in the US have grown at a rate of 3.2 new stores per store that previously closed. Also, online retail sales out of total sales have evolved over the last couple of years, increasing from 4.6% in 2014 to 7.4% in the third quarter of 2016, according to the Census Bureau report.
Suppose the online shopping is the relentless wave of the future. Why are several online retailers like Amazon, Rent, and Runway and others conducive to open brick and mortar stores? Transformations in retail shopping have been a witness before.
There are two main types of shopping, i.e., chore and cherish. The former is shopping for essential items. For instance, each household has a tariff on things to buy every month. Customers are willing to get chore shopping as quickly as possible. Thus, many of them have turned towards online retail shopping that is both hassle-free and quality-driven. Online retailers offer quick and easy options for recurring purchases. Online services like same-day delivery service or voice-assisted ordering facility for buying grocery, electronic, bookkeeping, or other products make the online process more convenient for customers. This convenience is especially so for those who are reluctant to leave their homes and cross miles to buy a handful of items.
Besides, another type of shopping, namely ‘cherish,’ takes place when customers spend time looking for high-quality products and cherishing the process of browsing through online platforms to buy goods. Consumers do not necessarily need those items but still content with buying, such as stylish furniture or designer clothing, leading to cherish shopping. These experiences in shopping are difficult to replicate online. Even buying clothes through online retail websites are a skeptical process. Consumers do not feel sure about the color, size, or quality of the product they buy online. Consumers cannot handle the fabric or compare two clothing items when shopping online. E-commerce stores have appeared to fall short on delivering cherish shopping experiences. Here the brick and mortar stores perform most reliably.
Every aspect of in-store shopping cannot be replaced by online shopping, at least not to the date. Market observers have recommended that small retail stores need to put their focus on offering affordable cherish shopping experience to remain at the forefront of market competition.
Physical Stores Play a Role of Brand Ambassadors
Just like movies use a trailer to attract movie-goers towards the cinemas, retail stores attract customers with their aesthetic structure and ability to establish a sensorial experience. Remember that display always makes products look more desirable to purchase.
Despite the enhancement of more online retail shopping, the human touch still appears to be good for the business. Pepperfry, one of the Indian online furniture retailers, reported that almost 25% of online purchases came from customer experience with the offline store. The key benefit of such a store is that buying products can be curated.
A Unique Experience
Several retail stores are innovating to transform themselves into go-to-destinations, in an assiduity to draw consumers into the store. Personalization continues to be a wild goose chase in retail-consumers expect highly personalized experiences. Automating personalized experience for in-store benefits retailers as well as consumers.
For those consumers who are unable to handle the monumental burden of entering a store and buying a product despite being reluctant, Amazon and other online retail websites have covered consumers with their new pickups. However, such online retail sites sometimes become compelled to resort to the physical presence of the store, keeping in view the growing susceptibility in customers. One of China’s largest online retailers, Alibaba, bought two physical retail shops in 2017. On the other hand, Walmart, located in China, has invested in JD.com to profit its products. Such a change in retailers’ mindset makes the fact evident that the physical presence of a retail store is indispensable to sustain the credibility of long-lasting customers.
Therefore, the future of shopping will remain to be at both ends, online and in person. However, the latter will remain a credible and perpetual platform for purchasing goods, owing to its more acceptability.
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-hosted desktop where their entire team and tax accountant may access the QuickBooks™️ file, critical financial documents, and back-office tools in an efficient and secure 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.
