Trust: Your Store’s Competetive Adavantage
So Many Stores, Just One You
When you break it down, making a purchase is an intensive process. What product will fill your needs? What are the products you need to look at? How well do those products perform? How do the front runners perform side-by-side?
And that’s just making the decision to purchase!
When a shopper has decided on which product they want, they have to take the next step--choosing where to purchase it. In the age of the internet, this decision is practically overwhelming. And there you are with your store hoping to catch the attention of that shopper. It turns out that a local retailer has more advantages that make purchasing from them more desirable.
Who Can You Trust?
The obvious first choice in deciding where to purchase is an online retailer. But which one? This is a question shoppers will ask their friends and look up experiences of other customers from front-running sites. Even with their own purchase experience and the input of others, online shopping suffers from several problems. Online shoppers cite the following as concerns of an online shopping experience:
- Incorrect or misleading product description
- Expensive and/or complicated return process
- Inability to verify authenticity
- Internet security concerns
- Unknown vendors
These disadvantages become natural advantages to you. Nearly a quarter of shoppers said that they consider their purchases too valuable to buy online, but regardless of the purchase price, a shopper’s ability to see a product in the store helps them to overcome the above concerns.
Get Their Attention. Earn Their Trust
With the customer in your store, ready to make a purchase, your store has a new opportunity to earn business. You’ve already overcome the detractions of an online purchase, but now drive home the trust factor to create a loyal shopper.
Chances are the shopper has read online product reviews about the purchase they are making. These reviews give insight into the product itself but your sales team can talk over the purchase with the customer to find out what makes them interested in the product, how they plan to use it, and then use that information to help personalize the sale. Pair this information with your employee’s knowledge of other products, and you can verify that the item being considered is the right one for them or recommend something that better suits their needs. If a customer comes in looking for an espresso machine and you learn they barely drink weak coffee, showing them a coffee maker with brew strength options will be appreciated--and is not something that can be done with search and click online shopping.
Another advantage is that the customer is able to leave with their purchase in hand. Recouped delivery charges and trust in your retail ability contribute to a customer not thinking twice about any increase in price over an online retailer. Even better, if the customer decides to return the item, they know where to find you--no repackaging, shipping, and waiting for a refund.
Advantage Brick and Mortar
Online shopping is a noble competitor for your brick and mortar store, however the ability to provide a hands-on, personalized shopping experience where the customer leaves with the product ready to use gives you the advantage. eCommerce sites may not be the head-to-head competition they are made out to be. With shoppers questioning the vendors, products, and policies of the plethora of online shopping sites, you have the chance to show why in-person shopping is still king.
Let Sellr help you establish an omnichannel marketing strategy that is right for your store. Visit getsellr.com or email info@getsellr.com.
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.
