The death of bricks & mortar?
The music is soft but festive.
The lights are bright but not offensive. The decor is cheery but not gaudy.
The whole shopping experience is …happy. At least that’s the appearance and experience they are selling.
The bricks and mortar experience (AKA Offline shopping)
Holidays and special occasions necessitate the need for shopping. Some people love it, and some people loathe it. I am the latter.
Finding parking, as well as the store itself, can be an adventure when looking for that special birthday present at the mall. Then we have the plethora of stores. If it’s a big mall — you have your pick — small, then you’re lucky to have 1 or 2 stores that feature the product you’re looking for. If its a shopping hot spot — then finding something you like and fits is entirely possible.
I have given up on the whole rack rustling & foraging for my size…My success rate is below 10%. That’s fine for a click-thru rate, but not for finding a pair of jeans.
So you just happen to find your items, try on a couple, pick 1 or 2, and go and pay. Easy enough.
Time spent : anywhere from 30 mins to several hours
In Person (Offline) Shopping Experience (SWOT Analysis)
Strengths -End to end experience; Try on for fit ; Feel & touch merchandise; Instant Pay; Instant ownership
Weaknesses -Time consuming; Effort heavy; Not always successful; Largely dependent on store inventory and selection
Opportunities -Try on to ensure proper fit; Check material quality; Touch and feel product and compare side by side similar products; Check manufacturing details; stitching, etc.; Impulse purchases
Threats -Inventory maintenance; High overhead; Keeping shelves fully stocked; Knowledgeable & competent staff; Lack of product information
Contrast the following Case in point -THE AVOIDER & THE HUNTER
Subject A — HATES the lines, walking, miles of racks, that look of despair on the face of the associate pretending to help find the right size, trying on clothes, rejecting items back over the door, and maybe leaving with 1 item….with
Subject B — Happily scouring racks, sipping a latte, relaxed, carefree, humming a tune, a pile of 42 items of clothing to try on, 2 kids running around, and the ability to spend 4 hours at a Banana Republic.
Very different shoppers with different expectations.
An effortless, seamless and simple digital or physical experience…isn’t that what shopping should be?
The point is that shopping has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. Bricks and mortar retailers are struggling to keep up with the slick online shop that does not have anywhere near the overhead.
The Online Shopping Experience
My perception of online shopping is that there is an infinite supply of the product, as the producers, manufacturers and retailers are all interconnected (by magical robots) from coast to coast, and there is an endless supply of the desired item, at a specific size… at an amazing deal.
Sadly this isn’t always the case where retailers can tap into one mega-computer system, that finds your size (wherever it may be), and ships it right to you for free and on the next business day!
Where are all the robots and drones?
Didn’t Amazon already build the drones? Let’s go, I’m ready. Take my money!
Depending on who you ask however, there is still a preference of about 2–1, for in person to online shopping. You then need to consider the demographics for your product. Younger customers are more likely to shop online — while older customers are more likely to shop in store.
Online Shopping Experience (SWOT Analysis)
Strengths- Open 24–7; Endless options; Ease of ordering; Ease of viewing stock; Ease of viewing options; Product information availability; No sales staff required
Weaknesses- Can’t touch; Can’t check fit; Can’t talk to someone in person; Can’t ask questions; Forces user to read about the information and seek it out; rather than have someone tell them about it (ie a virtual salesman); Up front setup costs
Opportunities-Bundle and up sell; Dynamically show other options; Best price(likely because of the little overhead)
Threats-Easy to leave; Customer attention span; Competition; Shipping time; Shipping cost; International duties
Comparison Shopping : Online vs In person
Metric: Shopping method that has the advantage (Online or In person)
Selection: Online
Stock : Online
Ordering : Online
Speed: Online
Prod Info: In person (given a knowledgeable associate)
Tactile and product appreciation : In person
Comparison shopping: Online
Price match/guarantee: In person
Brand Loyalty: In person
Immediate Gratification: In person
Final result is 5:5 on the metrics above. The only thing that is clear here, is that there are distinct advantages to having both channels for customers.
If technology and User Experience professionals continue to help improve the online experience — that preference ratio (2 to 1), will continue to shrink.