Fast forward a couple of generations. The newspaper is extinct. People are immune to the wiles of mass media advertising, and it’s the end of a lengthy transition in which consumers' shopping habits changed drastically, and goods and services purveyors struggled to catch up.
The reason for the upheaval was a little innovation people called "the internet."
For Americans and even more so the British, the activity of shopping is about information. Getting answers is what the internet is exquisitely suited for. Buying a widget?
Pre-internet, a consumer had to clamber aboard his primary means of transportation, visit a store in person, talk to a salesperson, make the purchase and transport the item back home. Sometimes the telephone was used to make comparisons and narrow down the possibilities, and a subscription to Consumer Reports met the needs of the hard core bargain-hounds.
The internet has introduced a completely new way to buy and sell using search engine optimization. Now, the "mall" concept of positioning a large number of stores close together has transmuted into a virtual space where every store on earth with a website can present its wares. With a few exceptions like groceries or gasoline, the heyday of traveling from store to store, comparing, gathering information, buying and lugging the items home is rapidly becoming a distant memory.
Consumers long ago learned how to shop online. Searching for the right product? Just ask Google to compare prices on widgets in your price range, and voila! Thousands of possible options. Comparison? Products, prices, means of exchange, variations, used or new, images, demonstrations… from a living room sofa, a shopper can compare products for hours. Then proceed directly to the product reviews. The crafty consumer has figured out how to analyze the information in public reviews, synthesizing it with other sources to get a reliable picture of what they are buying.
Many prognosticators say that the reign of brick and mortar (BAM) retail is at an end. With the decline of classic BAM stores like J.C. Penney, Circuit City, Sears / Kmart and yes, even Wal-Mart, it's difficult to argue with that assessment. No one can argue that internet commerce has had an impact on traditional retail and service sales approaches.
Do you see it as a threat or an opportunity?
Showrooming
Do shoppers bring their phones into your store with them? Of course they do. Accept this as the new reality- people WILL comparison shop from inside your store. The term "showrooming" refers to shoppers who peruse the items in a store (possibly taking pictures), try the item out for fit, design, material, etc. Then through the information gathering power of the internet, they end up buying the item from Amazon for a lower price and free shipping.
Information-based shopping
Shipping
An odd paradox in the era of instant gratification is the idea that you can get a fair deal on a product, but you have to wait a few days to get it. We can shop and complete a sale in a matter of seconds, but the buyer's gratification is definitely delayed. On the plus side, the item is delivered to your front door (it is fun to get a package in the mail, after all), and online businesses are always working on this as a drawback to their model. See the news about drone delivery to understand how badly online retailers want to gain ground on the BAM retailer’s big advantage by shortening the gap between purchase and delivery.
What's a retailer to do?
You service providers out there worry about some different issues than retail, especially if you are a B2B operation. You think about your competitors, your reputation, how to get better word-of-mouth and accessibility to current and future customers.
The internet has affected your bottom line too! How are you leveraging it as a marketing tool?
Customer reviews have moved center stage in your marketing efforts. Getting customers to review your business can be difficult- it seems like the only ones interested in reviewing are the ones who like to complain.
Some ideas:
Incentivize reviews. Give people a free cup of coffee, or movie ticket to fill out a three-sentence blurb with permission to post on various review sites. Steer them toward the most visible and effective places like Google Maps. After using Google to search for and find you, searchers will visit your website, so be sure to include even more reviews on your home page.
Yelp has established itself as a mostly reliable place for unsolicited reviews. Definitely direct your reviewers there. Be prepared for negative reviews by monitoring Yelp closely and responding to complaints when appropriate.
Social Media is the new Word of Mouth. Join in conversations about your business, respond to complaints, show your human side. Use Facebook and Twitter to keep your story going with regular posts and tweets, with photos and offers.
Lists like Angie's like shouldn't be neglected either. All these strategies together can work as a virtual, never-sleeping marketing team to keep you a step ahead.
Take a look at your customer service as a form of marketing. Automate forms, order history, account information, educational or training material and whatever makes sense to you and your customers. Chat windows are a great way to add a personal touch for people who are comfortable interacting through a keyboard, and it removes the personal pressure a live salesperson might add to a transaction. The customer needs to feel comfortable and in control as much as possible!
Your bottom line can’t afford to ignore the trend lines. United Webworks Internet Marketing Savannah, GA is busy watching all the indicators and they reveal a steadily growing move toward a robust combination of the physical storefront and online presence / commerce. Get a head start on your plan for the next ten years by asking the experts! Whip out that smartphone and call us: 912-231-0016, or click United WebWorks Internet Marketing Savannah GA