The store of the future is just around the corner!
There’s no way around it: Today’s brick and mortar retailer needs creative new tools to better compete in the intensifying shopping world with a savvy consumer who is browsing, searching and shopping across multiple channels. What does that mean? Stores need to become more like websites, because today’s shopper isn’t willing to compromise the personal touch found in brick and mortar or the convenience of their mobile devices.
What if the shopping experience could be like this?
Tiffany wakes up Saturday ready to spend a day with some friends. She checks Facebook where a clutch that is available at a nearby store pops up in her newsfeed. She loves it and she decides to reserve it for pick up later. She heads out to meet her friends at brunch, while they drink mimosas, they notice a woman wearing a pair of black pumps that they all find really stylish.
Thinking they’d look nice with the clutch she has on reserve down the block, Tiffany browses the page for her local store and filters by “black pumps.” They have a few different options in stock, so she picks the pair she like best to reserve with her previously ordered clutch.
Meanwhile, at the store, a store associate puts aside the clutch and pumps for Tiffany and also puts aside a dress and a pair of earrings to build an outfit. Tiffany comes in and is delighted to try on the items she reserved and the new ones that the associate picked for her. The shoes aren’t the right size for Tiffany, but because she’s at the brick and mortar store, the associate simply grabs another a pair that fits.
“Some things, you’ve just got to try on!” Tiffany exclaims.
When she walks out of the store, she’s not only elated with her experience, but she’s purchase the clutch, the pumps, the dress, and the earrings!
In this case, customer expectations have been met and the retailer has enjoyed the value of an online and in store experience. However, this experience can only happen when the physical store has a truly seamless presence so that consumers enjoy the convenience of a digital shopping experience combined with the personal touch of the store. This will be how we will all shop in the not too distant future!
-Sandeep
@sbhanote
Originally published at www.linkedin.com.
