Is hybrid shopping the new normal?
“Consumers no longer see online and offline shopping as distinct experiences — they expect everything to be connected all the time”.
The consumer study by IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), in association with the National Retail Federation (NRF)
We tried to find out more about what this new trend in online commerce is, what might have influenced its inception, and what an online store should do now to keep up with it.
What is hybrid shopping?
It is a way of blending the online and offline approaches to your retail.
Why has hybrid shopping become so popular?
Offering different possibilities, providing your customers with extra options, and pandemic fatigue made hybrid shopping extremely popular in 2022.
#1. Consumer demands are evolving too fast
In some cases shoppers expect a seamless experience provided by online stores, in others — they are ready to spend hours window shopping and chatting with assistants, which is best achieved offline.
#2. The digital-first world changed our attitude towards offline stores
Blending your business’s physical and online resources is now a must-have rather than a should be. If you have a brick-and-mortar shop and no digital presence, be sure to lose all your shoppers one day. This is especially true for consumers aged 10–25. 36% of the segment prefers a blended shopping experience.
#3. Pandemic fatigue increased the thirst for offline
Remember, we used to die of thirst while staying offline longer than expected. Now we seeing a much different trend. More and more people choose to go shopping offline simply because they haven’t experienced this for years.
#4. Sustainability and agility to new technologies
Today customers want to shop more sustainably. Before 2019, we were speaking about luxury niche brands that started aligning with shoppers’ values and lifestyles (or at least marketed their products this way), to create and maintain a favorable business image through operating with social responsibility.
Today we can see that this requirement has been extended to businesses of all sizes. What does this have to do with hybrid shopping? By shifting some of the business aspects online, you help to save natural resources.
How do you keep up with this new normal?
If you have only brick-and-mortar stores — you can’t put it off any longer, it’s time to go online. When you are digital-only, think over the offline possibilities — take-and-go shops, pickup points, offline events — you can offer to the clients. If you have both online and offline presence, you are the most proactive entrepreneur and know exactly what today’s customer is waiting for — keep up the good work.
Bonus: ⚡superfast checklist on how to blend offline and online retail?
- Ensure your customers find your offline stores, for this, you can embed Google Map into your website.
- Let customers see the full selection of store locations nearest to them.
- Give your customers the flexibility to pick up their items in-store.
- Offer omnichannel gift card program.
