How consumers discover and experience brands has evolved throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and none more so than the act of window shopping.
A smile when you walk into the shop, the smell of new products and a curated playlist of songs to keep people shopping for longer. The whole experience is designed to invite the consumer in and feel so comfortable in-store that they could browse for hours and leave anticipating their next visit.
When the pandemic struck amidst the innovations of uniting in-store and eCommerce experiences, brands were put under immediate pressure to fast-track a new digital backbone into their operations.
Cart abandonment rates rose from 85.1% (an already too-high number for retailers with acute margins) to 94.4% from 2019 to 2020. And from 13,000 global consumers surveyed by Criteo in May 2020, 39% had discovered one or more online stores at the height of the pandemic, while 85% intended to spend future money at an online store that was previously unknown to them.
So how are retailers merging brick-and-mortar and online browsing experiences, and what can retailers expect consumers will want moving forward?
Click to view Part one
Nowadays, consumers expect an omnichannel experience from retailers. They’re engaging with brands across multiple channels, making purchases through social media with next-day delivery and expecting to get a refund in-store should they decide to return it while they’re in the area.
We’ve put together a two-part report series to explore the world of windows shopping with current examples of retailers in a wide range of industries, from fashion to food and furniture, and how they’re amplifying their omnichannel presence.
Click to download your copy of Part one: The new world of windows shopping, and learn:
- How the impact of COVID-19 has redefined the consumer purchasing journey
- Why omnichannel customers are more valuable – but only when you’re consistent
- Eight questions to ask your team and kickstart your omnichannel retail experience
Register your interest in Part two
Register your interest in Part two: The innovations in omnichannel, where we explore how windows have come alive during lockdown, what it takes to fall in love with a brand today, and why you haven’t mastered the unified experience yet if you’re thinking payments are the end of the shopping journey.
By registering, you’ll be the first to read Part two when it launches, where we dive deeper into the benefits of omnichannel retail strategies with current examples from global retailers to identify:
- Why brand resonance has never been more feasible – or easier to lose
- How virtual, augmented, and mixed realities lost their wow-factor and became the effortless norm
- How repurposing brick-and-mortar windows could support your ‘unified’ retail strategy
- Why payments is the first step, not the last, in your new customer journey
Are you looking to create or enhance your omnichannel strategy? Submit your details to get in touch and one of our payments experts will tell you how to bridge the gap between online and brick-and-mortar experiences.