How to find the balance between digital and in-store services to maximise sales

Today’s shoppers desire flexibility, convenience and personalisation at every stage of their purchasing journeys. With shoppers increasingly mixing online and in-store shopping experiences, now is the time for merchants to step back and ensure services convert more sales by driving customer value.

This includes simplifying your e-commerce model to best support this hybrid retail model to give customers the best shopping experience possible. Whether it’s improving mobile search functionalities or implementing new features to balance both in-store and online purchases, here are three ways to get you started.

Invest in click & collect shopping options to drive convenience for customers

In line with the changing conditions due to the pandemic, retail stores are now back open and shoppers are embracing in-store shopping trips once again. However, as we’ve evolved to become an increasingly digital-first world, customers haven’t shied away from online shopping — they’ve just veered toward blending it and the expectations of immediacy comes with it.

In fact, Australia Post found the proportion of click & collect services, also known as Buy Online, Pay In Store (BOPIS), has grown 13.6%. BOPIS has created a new level of immediacy with online purchases, while also providing a safer and faster way to shop by minimising customer time spent in-store. For example, grocery stores now offer direct-to-boot services where customers don’t have to leave the car to receive their order.

It’s important for merchants to do their research and pinpoint how they can make these BOPIS shopping experiences convenient and tailored to the needs of their core customers.

Finding the perfect balance between online and in-store services to create a consistent hybrid shopping experience can drive more consumers to the point of purchase by letting them choose their own adventure.

Ensure mobile storefronts are clear and easy to use

Optimising ecommerce platforms for mobile is a critical element in supporting hybrid shopping experiences.

The convenience of shopping with a smartphone from the living room or the commuter train has become a newfound expectation from consumers.

As shoppers increase in-store shopping trips, the ease of mobile shopping remains part of the fabric blending the online purchase and picking up the product in-store, for instance. With the BigCommerce 2022 State of Ecommerce report finding shoppers will leave a website if it is too slow, optimising this user experience on platforms like mobile is crucial.

Above all else, merchants must keep in mind that mobile phones only offer a limited amount of screen real estate. Most customers aren’t keen to be greeted with massive walls of text, popup ads, and click-throughs to multiple storefront as they navigate pages to discover products to purchase. They’d rather get to where they need to be with a click of a button or swipe of a page.

It’s also crucial for merchants to use the most important pieces of information to anchor a site’s mobile navigation. This includes highlighting key information such as primary product details and price, while clearly outlining how shoppers can purchase and receive their product.

Implement simple features to support hybrid shopping

It’s clear that there has been a shift in the consumer mindset. Shoppers are well-versed in digital and now tend to shop with a predetermined outcome in mind. They’re more purpose-driven than ever before and expect a seamless and personalised shopping experience without frivolous glitches, lags or complex navigations.

By adding even the simplest features, merchants can enhance the level of confidence for customers as they shop. Take the search tool for example. Giving the customer real-time visibility into available or unavailable products, immediately sets expectations. Go a step further and vow for that brand loyalty and influence a possible returning customer by including details whether a product is available or not, and provide a timeframe of when it will be. Giving customers the insight and control to simply check product stock can literally be the difference between winning a new customer or quickly losing one.

Text messages and push notifications are more customer service features customers have come to embrace. These avenues allow merchants to be more personal when keeping customers informed on a delivery status, store promotion or when a product is ready for pickup or even delayed.

While it’s no secret the pandemic influenced the consumer shift to digital shopping and the convenience it brings, physical stores still remain an important part of the shopping mix for consumers. Consumer shopping habits have evolved to having the desire to have the freedom to use whichever shopping method is most convenient and with hybrid shopping moving to be the norm, retailers must adapt or risk falling behind.