Brick and mortar businesses think that their online counterparts own some magic wand to make more sales and profits. Online shops on the other hand try hardest to match up with the level of in-store customer experience. In fact they try hard to figure out how small business owners earn customer trust and loyalty. I too pondered on the question for a long time, and came to the conclusion that both sail in the same boat and the answers to their problems are too somewhat similar.
The point is that if you want product sales and customer loyalty, then, it doesn’t matter if you are online or offline. Both the worlds have same rules. I tried to pen down most of them; have a brief look below.
People have all sort of reasons to not want something they earlier couldn’t imagine their life without. And it’s completely normal. What’s not normal in today’s brutal market is not having a good returns policy. A good returns policy will make customers favor you over others and also improve your mind recall.
Planning to launch an online store? This is something you cannot compromise with. In fact, highlight the same on homepage itself in BIG BOLD LETTERS.
What do you do when the gadget you recently purchased is not working? You make a call to the guy who sold it to you. There may be nothing wrong with your product but people like to have someone they can speak to when something troubles or displeases them.
Buyers can’t be happy if you are not providing them with this ever ready person who is accessible 24X7 to discuss their concerns about your products; they may never deal with you again. This holds true for online as well as offline retail business too.
Why would anyone pick your online or offline store over some other? There can be many reasons but if you are active in an industry where style and fashion play a crucial role, then, ‘Latest’ is the selling mantra for you. Be it clothing or furniture store, shoppers are attracted towards sellers that have the newest design and collections in the market. Again, whether you are selling online or offline doesn’t matter.
Hosting the biggest sale of the year? That’s great but don’t you dare compromise on the quality. Customers expect value for the spent amount and if it is not delivered by the product, they have strong tendency to turn hostile and never look back. That’s why maintaining the promised quality standards is of utmost importance.
Customers have the advantage of physical presence while shopping from offline stores and when they shop online they can count on images and reviews online. So, there is no getting away from this. Deliver nothing but quality.
Yelp and hundred other review sites are growing because people like to talk. They will talk when your sales guy will give them great service.
They will share a review when you will deliver a product before stated deadline.
In short, positive word of mouth is a sales and growth driver in the real as well as virtual world.
Word of mouth can be negative too. So, watch out for them and take timely action if you run an online store. Check out this post to learn how to bring down negative reviews.
Why do you think people favor big ecommerce brands like Amazon over small ones? Of course discount is the biggest reason but the second is variety. It has millions of products under different categories and thus rarely disappoints a shopper looking for a particular item.
Competing with such an ecommerce giant is obviously something that only few can accomplish. But you can build on your appeal by expanding your stocks and offerings. This will work whether you are online or offline.
We may have moved ahead in time and technology but we still care about the little things. While shopping, we like it when attendant is quick at handling queries and checkout is fast. We like shopping experiences that are unique, whether that’s because of personal service or technological assistance.
The same goes for online shopping. People prefer shopping from online stores that give them what they want while enhancing the whole experience. Borrow online store engagement tips from top brands.
Someone came to your store, made a purchase, and left. Maybe she will come back, maybe she will not. As a business, your job is to make sure that she does. Offline and online businesses are doing it by:
Even if you don’t want to attract discount seekers, it would be worth it to connect with your customers through email or social media. This way, you will have valuable data at hand for future marketing strategies.
The advantage of ‘the only grocery store in the neighborhood’ disappeared long ago. Now, there is the supermarket and retail giants like Wal-Mart. Don’t forget the ones who make the delivery direct to your home. In such a scenario, thinking you can do well with irregular marketing investment can cost you big sales.
If marketing push is greatly needed offline, it is enormous online. So, what’s the point of thinking otherwise? Check out these 69 tips to improve your online presence and store.
This is kind of obvious and that’s why we saved it for the last. Big online businesses seem more aggressive on this front but the truth is that the difference in pricing is not that great. Offline businesses have trimmed down their margins to become more competitive and this has paid off.
Pro tip – Never compromise on product quality to bring down price.
The line between offline and online shopping is thinning as offline brands are embracing technology to enhance shopping experience. Even if we brush aside the whole technology talk, above listed rules of products sales and customer loyalty will remain the same for many years to come.
P.S – Do you think we missed a point? Be kind enough to share it in the comments section and we will include it!
We create future-focused content to help you stay updated. Follow us on Twitter to get notified about latest tips, trends and product updates.
Disclaimer: The Blog has been created with consideration and care. We strive to ensure that all information is as complete, correct, comprehensible, accurate and up-to-date as possible. Despite our continuing efforts, we cannot guarantee that the information made available is complete, correct, accurate or up-to-date. We advise - the readers should not take decisions completely based on the information and views shared by FATbit on its blog, readers should do their own research to further assure themselves before taking any commercial decision. The 3rd party trademarks, logos and screenshots of the websites and mobile applications are property of their respective owners, we are not directly associated with most of them.
Shalini is the artistic genius of FATbit and her nameplate reads ‘Content Lead’. She helps our team in presenting boring web development and marketing concepts in interesting blog posts. Shalini decided to make a career in conveying ideas through words after doing Post Graduation in Journalism and Mass Communication. If she is not at her system working on detailed blog posts, you will find her brainstorming with team members or fixing a cup of green tea. Shalini can tell you exactly what type of content can get you the eyeballs on social media and how to pitch products to millennial shoppers. In case you are hungry, her bag has an unending supply of cookies. Her superpower is weaving magic with words. You can connect with her over Twitter @ShaliniREAL
