Your Store is the Answer to Online Commerce Objections
It's Time for In-Store Shopping
For most online retailers, the time to shop for the holidays with guaranteed arrival before Christmas has passed. This leaves customers looking to your brick and mortar business for their last minute gifts. We’ve told you that the news for stores like yours is not as bleak as some would lead you to believe. 64% of Americans budgets are spent in-store, offline. While $400 billion is spent on online sales, brick and mortar purchases total $3,375 billion.
Why Are People Still Shopping Online?
To ignore the advantages of online shopping is a fatal error on the part of any store owner. We’d even bet that you have an Amazon Prime account. Studies show that people prefer to shop online for the following reasons:
- Ability to shop 24/7
- Ability to compare prices
- Able to find sales
- Saving time
What isn’t to like about that? We’re all busy. Time and money are our most valuable resources. Online shopping gives us the chance to press a few keys and have a package at our doorstep in a matter of days. But, it’s not the juggernaut the industry would have you believe.
Overcoming These Objections
We’ve been writing about the benefits of in-store purchases. The ability to see, touch, and try on items are the primary reasons people shop in-store. The additional benefit is that they can leave with their purchase, not have to wait for delivery and risk delivery problems such as the package being held at the shipment office, delivered to the wrong address, or being stolen. Your ability to meet the challenge and step up to the advantages of online shopping is the key to modern retail success.
24/7 shopping:
While no one expects you to stay open around the clock and calendar, they do want to be able to learn more on their own schedule. Keeping your website, your online storefront, current, will give shoppers the ability to do this. Additionally, when they ask about products on social media, they are going to get answers. You can be there to answer these questions by having your own social media accounts where they can leave messages and get answers on the platforms they are already using.
Price comparison and sales:
Offer discounts on your website and/or social media to meet online sales offers.
Make it a habit to research product cost. If you can’t come close to the online price, play to your strengths; invite customers to come try the product, offer unique ways of using the product such as recipes, and remind them that they will be able to have the product in a matter of minutes.
Time and money savings:
Do not forget the loss of both time and money that comes with online shopping. Shipping charges can add significant cost to the purchase price and customers who need an item in-hand do not have the time to wait for delivery. Once the item is in hand, there is a chance it will need to be returned. This is one major objection online shoppers have--confusing and complicated return processes. Keeping your return policy simple and displayed prominently lets shoppers know what they can expect if something does go wrong with the purchase.
The Truth About Marketing for 2018
It is foolish to think that your customers live in a disconnected bubble where the internet does not inform their purchase decisions. The answer to overcoming objections between online shopping and purchasing in your store is acknowledging that they have these options and being ready to be where they are in the research process. Publishing the same messaging on your website, social media, email, and in-store signage is called omnichannel marketing. Omnichannel helps you be found when shoppers are doing online research. It also gives customers the chance to see a new product in your store and go online to learn more about it. When you are in the marketing channel they are using, you are on the front line to overcome objections between a purchase with you and some faceless online retailer, and there is no better time than these days before Christmas to prove your advantages.
The Sellr Team wishes you and your team a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year.
Renee Clare-Kovacs is the Content Marketing Strategist at Sellr. She is passionate about creating digital marketing strategies that help business owners develop successful relationships with customers and vendors.
