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Amazon triggered the modern ecommerce era in early 2000 with Amazon Prime membership online shopping. Prime got worldwide attention in 2005, offering fast and free deliveries in many locations. Eventually, online shopping sites became very popular, with many traditional businesses opening shops on the world wide web.
It was clear that you needed to be seen online to get more attention, grow your customer base, and improve your revenue. Your traditional business must have an official website.
Ecommerce Businesses Having Physical Stores
But lately, the wheels have turned. Many popular online shopping sites are setting up physical stores. Amazon now has Amazon Go with many locations across the U.S. and abroad.
It seems that ecommerce shops are reaching out to more customers by opening brick-and-mortar stores. Pranjal Bora of Digital Authority Partners recalled that people thought it was the end of physical businesses with the rise of online shops.
But it seems that online retailers are launching physical stores. Aside from Amazon, stores such as Casper, BuddyLove, and Sierra Trading Post are joining the trend. Why is this so?
Reasons Ecommerce Shops Are Starting Physical Stores
Here are reasons ecommerce shops are setting up physical locations. If you have an online business, you should consider the following benefits of brick-and-mortar stores:
Customers Can See What They Are Buying
Buying products online can be a challenge for many consumers. You often need to rely on product dimensions, features, and benefits to see if you’re purchasing the product that fits your needs. Even something as simple as ordering running shoes can result in costly errors if you don’t carefully consider your feet size, shoe design, shoe material, and other factors.
With a physical store, your customers can easily shop for your products. They can check out your footwear line and fit and test the running shoes before purchase. Customers can also browse your extensive running shoes line. This means that they can even buy additional items.
If you’re selling food products, having a physical store allows you to give out free samples, offer other products, and find out more about your customers because of their personal choices. Through an online store, determining your customer’s shopping behavior is not easy. It may need several orders to finally understand what they need.
Physical Stores Can Enhance Customers’ Buying Experience
Connecting with customers behind your ecommerce site is hard. It can take time to learn about their online shopping experience and preferences and understand their online shopping behaviors. With a brick-and-mortar site, it’s easier to connect with your clients, discover their choices, and know their thoughts about your products or services.
Once you know what your customers prefer and what they think about your services, you can better offer tailor-made products and services. Eventually, you can enhance your customers’ buying experience, thanks to this information.
Customers Get to Know Your Business Better
Your customers will have a clearer idea of your brand, what products you offer, and what services you provide when they visit your store. Online, your clothing brand may seem like any other apparel company. Your customers will learn more about your fabrics, manufacturing process, and designs from your physical store.
Customers can learn more about your business goals and appreciate your brand when they visit your store. They can get to know your staff better and how good you are as an employer. If you have a job opening available, you can ask applicants to visit your local shop to process their applications.
Customers Get to Know the Face of Your Brand
Most online shops use chatbots to provide customer service. Bots can be very efficient but do not appeal to all consumers. But at a physical shop, your staff sells your products and, at the same time, is the face of your brand.
Having kind, helpful, and accommodating staff will improve customer experience. Workers and shopkeepers that provide excellent service will surely enhance your brand’s popularity and help you improve your reach locally and beyond.
Physical Stores Can Handle Returns, Repairs, Warranties, Etc.
Online shopping is practical and convenient until the consumer experiences an issue with your product. Sometimes they need to return their purchase or take it out for service. The most convenient way to do all these is to take it to a physical store.
Ecommerce businesses decide to open an actual shop to cater to customers who have these concerns. They do not need to mail the products to a physical store for returns and warranties. Also, some transactions are better off made from a physical store.
Customers can just go to a physical location and ask questions about their purchases or the products they intend to buy. In short, having a local store or a physical shop instills customer trust in your business.
Strategies for a Successful Online and Brick-and-mortar Store
Having an online store and a physical store is an advantage over other companies that only have an online shop or an actual store. But it would be best if you made your online and offline stores efficient and complement one another.
- Ensure that your offerings are consistent with your online and offline sites.
- Ensure that all information is the same on both platforms, especially the product or service prices.
- Display the correct contact details on both platforms. Ensure that these are consistent, updated, and reachable.
- Display your social media links on your ecommerce site. Add your social media links to your physical store signage, brochures, flyers, and storefront.
- Indicate separation of services or products. Which services do you exclusively offer at your actual store? Which offers are available only online?
- Mention important announcements in your online and offline shops. These are just a few things that your customers will appreciate knowing in advance: your physical store’s new opening and closing times, any new health protocols observed at your shop, and new store locations.
Final Words
More ecommerce shops are considering a physical store because they want to provide better customer satisfaction. With improved customer satisfaction, you can look forward to a better site, higher foot traffic, improved engagement, and, eventually, better revenue. Take note of these benefits to grow your online store brand.
