Catch up to the fast changing Retail landscape in India

It’s not physical or digital; it’s physical with digital.

Let’s kick things off by getting one thing out of the way first: Brick- and-mortar retail is alive and well. Don’t believe the headlines proclaiming its death, and pay no attention to the slideshows of deserted malls perpetuated in the blogosphere. Brick-and-mortar shopping isn’t dead — it’s evolving.

According A.T. Kearney’s Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study, 90% of all retail sales are transacted in stores and 95% of all retail sales are captured by retailers with a brick-and-mortar presence. These stats tell us that many consumers are still big fans of brick- and-mortar retail. That being said though, it doesn’t mean that merchants should focus on this channel alone. See, while offline stores are still very much a part of people’s shopping journey, other channels and devices are also playing important roles in how customers are discovering, researching, and purchasing products.

Brick-and-mortar stores that don’t have an online presence and aren’t doing anything to bridge the gap between offline and digital channels have every reason to be threatened by the web. Make no mistake, most consumers spend a lot of time on the Internet. They use it to search for products, read reviews, and nd stores, so if you aren’t online, you’re essentially invisible.

Smart retailers are aware of this. They know that brick-and-mortar is an essential part of the shopping journey and it gives merchants unparalleled opportunities to connect with consumers. That’s why an increasing number of e-commerce merchants are setting up shop offline. Amazon for example, is investing in pop-up stores while Myntra is opening up physical Guideshops for customers who want to try on their clothes. And that’s just the beginning. As shoppers seek more omnichannel experiences, expect more e-commerce businesses to adopt the bricks-and-clicks route in the near future.

Bottom Line: Enhance brick-and-mortar while increasing your presence in other channels

In other words, you should be there for your customers no matter where they are or what device they’re using, and you should provide an excellent experience as your shoppers switch from one channel to the next.

Action steps:

1. Evaluate your online, offline, and mobile strategies. Have you established an online and mobile presence? Are you enabling customers to research, shop, and pay for items across various channels? Do you have an online store, and if so, does it integrate with your offline shop?

You should be there for your customers no matter where they are or what device they’re using, and you should provide an excellent experience as your shoppers switch from one channel to the next.

2. Brainstorm ways on how you can be an omnichannel retailer. Maybe you should get your online and offline stores “talking” to each other. Or, perhaps you can start offering online-to-offline services.

So Interested?

At Litifer.com, we are leading the charge in helping Retailers to develop and make the most of Omni channel presence. We offer expert advice and end-to-end delivery of Technology and Installations. We also provide stylish, branded apps to go with them.

To find out more, visit our website Litifer or reach us out at contact@litifer.com