by: Ilya Vedrashko
A couple of years ago, I posted a small blurb on Fast Company's blog about how customer expectations of offline retail are being shaped by their online shopping experiences. Last month, Business Week published an article pretty much to the same effect:
A couple of years ago, I posted a small blurb on Fast Company's blog about how customer expectations of offline retail are being shaped by their online shopping experiences. Last month, Business Week published an article pretty much to the same effect:
"The Internet hasn't destroyed brick-and-mortar retailing, as many once feared. But has it ever changed consumer behavior. Across the U.S., stores are playing catch-up with shoppers habituated not only to the speed and convenience of purchasing online but also to the control it gives them."
Here's my in-store experience wish list:
1. Cross-selling of relevant and complementary products (if you like this, you will also like that and that)
2. Customer reviews. Somewhat counterintuitively, many product categories will benefit from negative reviews just as well as from the positive ones. Negative reviews help buyers overcome the "paradox of choice" and make up their mind faster instead of abandoning the purchase altogether. Plus, less post-purchase remorse and fewer returns. I would especially love a way to check GameSpot reviews before plunking another $50 for a game.
3. Online ordering + in-store pick-up.
4. Full product info look-up, including the manuals.
5. Bookmarking / "save for later" functionality.
Retailers gotta act quick if they want to have some control over the converging experiences. In a few years, people will be carrying web browsers in their pockets and won't be needing all this retail innovation. Then they would go to Barnes & Noble to browse books and order the ones they like on Amazon right from the store.
On a related note, I really like the idea behind Target Lists.
Original Post: http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2008/01/bridging-gap-between-online-and-offline.html
Ilya, you're absolutely right -- cross-channel convergence is here to stay, as is that association between a retailer's online experience and the perception of its offline stores. The "user experience" is recognized as being "the brand" -- and increasingly, the online experience is become the dominant way consumers are experiencing that brand.
On a related note, my company has been delivering positive experiences for multi-lingual shoppers by translating retailers' websites (including a Fortune 100 retailer) into Spanish and other languages. Companies hungry to connect with new markets are finding that this phenomenon you mentioned -- the online/offline brand association -- is creating new customers, generating killer WOM, and enhancing the shopping experience.
Thanks again for the terrific post!
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