Not that many years ago the words retail and shopping would tend to conjure up images of crowded high streets, busy shops stuffed full of shoppers frantically squeezing past each other towards the sale items at the back, long queues at the checkout and weary staff trying to keep a smile on their faces. Towards Christmas this happy and carefree image could deteriorate into something more like a cattle market when the barbecue has just been uncovered.
Today, retailers are turning to the web and to internet technology more and more, and as those in the retail sector turn increasingly to the internet, so do shoppers and consumers. It’s been a hard journey for some shops and companies, whilst others have embraced the online world of shopping. It’s a similar story for consumers, with an increasing number turning to websites for their shopping needs rather than the high street.
There are a number of obvious benefits in terms of online shopping, both for the customer and for the retailer; some of these are obvious, but others are less so. Perhaps the most obvious advantage from the point of view of both customers and retailers is that there are no crowds. As a customer I much prefer being able to sit in a comfy chair with a cup of tea, browsing at my leisure. It allows me to compare products easily, without having to rush up and down the high street darting in to half a dozen shops just to compare prices and offers. It also allows me to save and bookmark items or products conveniently, so that I can come back to them a little later, at my complete convenience.
But the world of online shopping isn’t as simple as just taking a high street shop, and building a website which closely resembles the business image with which customers are familiar. Those retailers who have taken the simplistic approach are not only likely to be missing out on a significant portion of sales, but are missing a number of tricks.
Take the idea of music, for example. Thankfully retailers haven’t seen the need to stream background music through our speakers whilst we browse their website, whereas we are often forced to tolerate such music when in the shops. Most of us are aware that this piped music is designed to make us feel good, to relax us, and to make us want to hang around a little more, possibly buying a little more.
But when it comes to online retailing, this isn’t as necessary. Generally consumers are comfortable, and relaxed, perhaps with a drink, or a snack with them. They’ll have logged on at a time that is convenient to them, and so as a retailer you have at least a temporarily captive audience. They’re already within your domain, and relaxed, so what do you do about that next?
In a high street outlet you’re more likely to try to entice customers with the geographical layout of your shop. These are old tricks of course, but ones which invariably still work. Have the sale sign on the front window, but the actual sale items at the back of the shop, encouraging people in, but presenting full price, latest fashion items all the way there and back. This is a tried and tested way of enticing customers in to your shop, and getting them deeply involved, right to the back, at which point your impressive displays, helpful staff and relaxing music will all help.
But what about your website? Online retail needs to employ tricks as well. It simply isn’t a virtual catalogue, and those companies who do present nothing less than a version of their catalogue in digital form are missing out on many opportunities. So, you’ve worked hard optimizing your website for the search engines, and promoting the address through offline and online advertising, but what will you do to encourage your customers to explore more deeply into your website – to metaphorically dig all the way to the back?
There’s no single right answer to this, but there are plenty of ways in which it can be achieved. Having large banners on the front page advertising sale items, but linking to pages which contain both sale items and full price items is just one, rather basic way in which this can be achieved. Depending on the nature of your business, you’ll need to think carefully about what tactics you can use to encourage visitors right to the back of your virtual store. But please, don’t start streaming piped music.
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