Multichannel Interaction – Offering more in store
Elaborate window displays, great offers, fantastic visual merchandising and human interaction; just some of the reason`s consumers are still attracted to good old fashioned in store shopping.
But, the question remains…how do you inspire the savvy high street shopper to interact with your brand through other channels - notably, your online store?
For those shoppers feeling a little uneasy about entering the vast world of e-commerce, a helpful nudge in the web direction within a familiar store environment could be all the encouragement they need to go on and realise a whole new digital retail world.
It’s your store, but not as they know it
So, how do you get your in store shoppers to engage with you online? Previously, interactive store kiosks have been large, clunky and unattractive, but new tablet based kiosks are sleek, attractive and a cost effective option for retailers.
With engaging competitions, online purchasing, web offers and product reviews all accessible in store, clever placement of an ipad kiosk could motivate and inspire consumers to venture online; bridging the gap between in store/online and connecting customers with retailers through another channel. In turn, ipad stations can assist retailers in customer data collection and information gathering.
So what does this look like in a practical sense?
- Ipad kiosk installed at POS/till queuing areas – presents the opportunity for customer to sign up there and then for a percentage discount code for use online
- Can’t find what they’re looking for in store? Provides a facility to shop online and collect in store or purchase for home delivery
- Feedback – Ask your customers for opinions on new lines, next seasons colours, product ideas
- Brand based media – season collection photo gallery, youtube channel/promotional video content, events calendar, notice/message boards, product reviews, interactive competitions
Engaging with customers in store is vital to any retailer wanting to maximise their multi-channel revenue.
Consumers want to interact – they just need to know how, where and why.
This week saw the launch of the first national daily newspaper for almost 25 years, a brave move in today’s digital age when many choose to access the news online. i went on sale Tuesday with the aim of targeting lapsed readers of quality newspapers. The idea is to serve the time poor by summarising the day’s news from around the globe in short concise articles. The paper also comes at a much lower price than its parent paper, The Independent, at just 20p. 
For retailers in general, a new and returning customer ratio of 1:1 is ideal. Based on our experience, this represents a strong but steady growth consolidated by repeated visits. However, this might change depending on the lead time of your average customer: longer lead times are best balanced by strong stream of new visitors; the opposite is true for companies with shorter lead times. 