What are brick and mortar?
Consumers need a method to distinguish between retailers who work physically and those who work online. Amazon is an “online” business, whereas a physical store is one that you may visit in person. Hence the term “brick and mortar” is more often used in the digital age.
Brick-and-mortar shops, like any other store, provide an exceptional customer experience and increase sales. Physical retailers, unlike internet retailers, may create a closer relationship with their customers in person. These shops may also provide online purchasing options, but they keep their physical stores open for personal interaction.
Customers who shop at a physical store can engage with the products they are interested in and speak with sales representatives. Consider Walmart: you can shop online, but shopping in person is a different experience.
Although internet businesses might save money on overhead costs compared to brick-and-mortar retailers, having a physical site has perks. If you have an actual store, you can show your customers what your products look like firsthand.
While the demand for online storefronts is increasing and physical store traffic is decreasing, there are still plenty of options to have a physical presence, provided you follow the appropriate business plan. For example, grocery stores that provide customers immediate access to what they need are an excellent option for brick-and-mortar stores.
How this business model is still relevant to the market and how mobile is powering brick-and-mortar stores
Invest in your mobile web: According to a study by mobile software company SOTI, 92 percent of buyers would shop at a physical store if it offered an online mobile buying experience.
The notion is that if you can provide a positive experience for them while they are on the go, they will be more likely to visit your store if it is nearby.
Customers expect a solid mobile experience to be mirrored in-store if you provide one online. According to the same SOTI survey, 94% of respondents requested more mobile-enabled solutions like interactive kiosks and barcode readers. Another approach is to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to customers while they are in your store.
Examine the use of location-based advertising: It’s no surprise that investing in local advertising will help you improve sales in your physical store. The days of placing an ad in the local newspaper or making fliers are long gone. This is primarily because these options are both time-consuming and costly.
Here is a list of local advertising tactics that you can attempt right now:
Location-Based Targeting in Google Adwords is fantastic for targeting people who are important to you locally, which we cover in more detail below. According to expanded ramblings, 82% of people who visit Yelp intend to make a purchase, making it an excellent resource for local businesses.
Cuatrosquare: Cuatrosquare enables you to target audiences based on essential characteristics such as taste preferences, demographics, and previous visitor behavior. It allows you to reach 150 million unique users through your mobile app and web.
Groupon is an American corporation that does an excellent job of connecting members with local businesses. Nearly 50 million people have signed up for the service.
Living Social: Similar to Groupon but less well-known, Living Social serves a similar purpose by providing local offers. This can occur in various items and is frequently misunderstood as simply providing services.
Use paid search – When it comes to brick-and-mortar, paid search is vastly underutilized. It’s a terrific way to get the word out about your store. What else can you add:
- Phone number and hours of operation
- The store’s distance (on mobile)
- You may even have users set a reminder for when they are near your store so that you can initiate a step.
- This can have a significant influence on your physical store if done right. The benefit of using location-based AdWords is that you only pay for clicks in your immediate area, lowering costs. Begin by using Google Adwords.
- Turn your store into a showroom. – Shopify published an article about showrooming on their website in June last year. What exactly is the showroom, you might wonder? So, here’s what it is:
- This is known as showrooming, when a buyer visits your store to look at your product but then purchases it online from the comfort of their home.
- This occurs when customers want to see and feel the product and possibly speak with a live person. However, they purchase online because many things are listed at a lower price.
- Your physical store effectively becomes a display for your internet store.
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