It is no longer unusual for retailers to sell online as well as in physical stores. Having a presence in both marketplaces makes a lot of sense. It ensures that as many consumers as possible are aware of you and what you have to offer.
Plus, of course, people like the convenience of being able to choose how they shop. Sometimes a consumer will not have time to go in-store, so will want to order online. But that same shopper may also want to touch, feel, and try on a big purchase such as a winter coat before they feel confident enough to buy. Something that can only really be done in a physical retail outlet.
There are many benefits for retailers that run an e-commerce store alongside their physical store. But it is also a lot of hard work, so as much as possible you want to set things up so one business feeds and supports the other. Here are several ways you can do that by tweaking your marketing approach.
Use online media to create images for use on in-store digital displays
As much as possible, create advertising and marketing campaigns that can be rolled out in tandem, both on and off-line. Doing this saves a huge amount of money and time. When you do this, effectively, instead of paying for the creation of two marketing campaigns, you will be paying for just one.
Your aim should be to be able to use any images and videos both on and offline. Most digital signage companies set things up so that their clients can be in total control of what is displayed on their in-store display screens. So, potentially you can take the .jpg that was used to create a store poster, change the sizing a bit and add it to the slideshow that your in-store display signs are using. That same image can then be resized again and turned into a banner ad for your website. Even a meme for use in a blog post or on social media. You may then want to take that same image, repurpose it and have it printed onto a t-shirt or other item that you can give away or maybe sell.
Use in-store displays to encourage people to buy online
When people buy online, they usually give you an email address. Most will agree to your sending them promotions and product updates. That is gold dust. It means that any time you want you can reach out to them, share an offer and potentially make a sale. So, capturing their contact details is worth doing. Many stores have had success with using digital displays to invite customers to sign up for their online newsletter by leaving their email details at the sales desk. This works especially well if the screen is set up where the customer pays. The time they spend queuing gives them the chance to read the invitation and accept it in their minds as being a good idea. Potentially, the store clerk can take their payment and offer them the form needed to sign up for the newsletter. Provided all they need to do is to add their email address to a form and tick the terms and conditions box, most people will do it.
You can also try offering a voucher to those that sign up. Again, the details of the offer can be shared using the digital display screen near the checkout.
Using online promotions to boost in-store sales
At certain times of the year, most retailers experience a downturn in sales. For example, when everyone is at the beach or just before key sale seasons such as Black Friday or the New Year sales. This is not usually good for a business. Regardless of how busy they are they still have to pay their staff, the rent and keep the lights on. So, during quiet times a profitable store can start to cost more than it makes. Turning it into a cash drain. For that reason, as much as possible retailers try to keep customers buying in-store, year-round.
There are several ways you can use your online business to drive in-store sales. One of the most effective approaches is sharing discount codes on your website that can only be used when someone visits a physical store. Providing customers with a voucher to experience one of your in-store services for free, or at a discount also works. For example, the chance to have an item they buy in-store adjusted to fit better. Or, perhaps, allowing them to spend an hour in-store with your personal shopping agent.
Digital display screens are not that expensive. So, if you are not yet using them in-store now is as good a time as any to give them a try. Regardless of what you decide it is worth learning more about boosting your sales both on and offline. You can learn how to do it in-store here, and online by clicking here.
Infographic Created by Dogtown Media, Tenured Fintech App Developer Team