For many years, brick-and-mortar retail stores have been creating online shops to keep up with an ever more digital world. Now, retailers that were born online are beginning to move into the physical world, looking for more opportunities to interact with consumers and spread brand awareness.
Here’s why online retailers are opening up storefronts and how they’re doing it:
Bigger opportunities
According to a study of consumer habits conducted by TimeTrade, 70 percent of respondents would rather shop at a physical Amazon store than do their shopping online with the same retailer. That data is backed up by a YCharts analysis of Q3 2016 retail trends, which found that e-commerce sales made up only 8.40 percent of all retail sales in the U.S.
This indicates that the average shopper would rather go to a real-world location to look at and feel the products before buying them. Talking with a salesperson face-to-face is another aspect of physical shops that benefits both retailers and consumers. Time Trade reported that 90 percent of shoppers surveyed were more likely to make a purchase after speaking to a knowledgeable salesperson.
A leg up over the competition
When learning how to start a retail business, most entrepreneurs are starting from a very thin foundation. Even people who have gone to business school still have a lot to learn, not to mention the fact that getting a brand off the ground is time-consuming work. Those with successful online stores may already have a recognizable brand as well as an established supply chain.
One of the biggest challenges, then, is learning the ins and outs of retail display. Digital aesthetics are easy to change and manipulate. A few lines of code is all it takes to completely rearrange a digital storefront. Because this is far from the case in the real world, store owners need to be more forward-thinking when it comes to store design and layout.
One key way to create consistency between digital and analog experiences is to maintain the color palette. Using our C3 custom color mannequins, you can transfer your brand’s signature color scheme to the real world.
Determining how much shelving you’ll need may seem like a gamble, but with the help of our retail experts, it doesn’t have to be. Take down the measurements of your new shop, count your inventory, and our helpful associates can calculate exactly what kind of shelving you’ll need to display your merchandise.
Online stores are a great way to build a brand and develop a following. Bringing that hard work offline has a big potential for growing your business even faster.
