It's not unusual for shoppers to visit brick-and-mortar outlets, get the feel for a new product, and then go online to purchase the same item for less money. This technique, known as ‘showrooming’, can sometimes even be performed when the consumer is still in the physical store.
The internet has changed how we shop for pricey items that we love to have. We’re able to obtain so much information that it’s not uncommon for customers to be more knowledgeable on products they’re looking for than the retailers selling them. This has transformed how retailers operate, since they’re no longer the stronger party in the sales process. Therefore, they need to think of new and innovative ways to encourage consumers to spend in-store.
Ways to do this include offering better customer service and giving the consumer something that isn’t available online, such as engaging in authentic, face-to-face conversations. Teaching staff to ask open questions, which encourage the customer to converse with them, will help merchants to add a personal touch to consumer experiences. Doing this, as well as setting up a Mobile Point of Sale (mPoS) payment device, makes it easier to complete the sale there and then.
MPoS solutions offer further opportunities to connect with customers. If the item being sold is sizeable – i.e. a fridge or washer, introducing this and linking it with the store’s Electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) system allows the retailer to offer home delivery.
This also helps to form shorter queues, ensuring a seamless in-store shopping journey.
Another way to personalise the experience of your customers is through offering them the chance to connect to your Wi-Fi. Along with providing the opportunity to purchase your product online, should they wish to, an additional benefit for the shopper is that they’re able to save money on future purchases by gaining loyalty points – thanks to tokenisation. For the retailers, this therefore leads to more repeat customers and therefore higher revenue and an enhanced reputation in the long run.
So, in short, how can your retail brand address ‘showrooming’? The most important step is striving to eliminate the barriers differing online and offline. Retailers need to provide a complete Onmi-channel offering so customers can seamlessly shop online and in-store, while removing all the pain points that put customers off going to a bricks and mortar store, such as long queues, not having the correct size in stock and limited stock holding.
By offering home delivery on in-store purchases, you also give customers a reason to come to your brick-and-mortar outlet. Why? Because not only can they order in the same way they would online, but they also get to try and feel the product before purchasing. Through offering a variety of payment choices, delivery options and improving personalisation, you give shoppers a reason to purchase your stock and not seek deals from competitors.
emerchantpay offers multiple MPoS terminals, plus other services to make shopping journeys easier. To find out more, please reach out