The ideal shopping experience is becoming more critical, considering the transformations that came along during the pandemic and the different consumer behaviors and needs. What does an ideal shopping experience really mean today, and which are the innovative steps that retailers should take to face this substantial challenge?
The confinement that shoppers confronted during the pandemic and the changing behaviors that came up introduce a controversial tendency that finds consumers shopping more online when at the same time they crave the in-store shopping experience. As convenient as online shopping is, the value of the in-store experience is enormous. Certainly, shop associates humanize the shopping journey in ways that online chatbots never could. So, although stores shift more online, digital commerce is still far behind in revenue volumes compared to physical stores.
Retailers should be aware that the human edge remains their competitive advantage. In fact, most consumers are looking forward to shopping in-store again, citing the need to “touch, feel, or smell” products before their purchases. They also spend more online when they have the ability of a personalized visual shopping path or after interacting with an in-store associate.
““Consumers are embracing hybrid shopping experiences that take place online across digital channels and in-store, and they expect these worlds to connect seamlessly to one another”, says Deanna Traa, Chief Marketing Officer, Bold Commerce.
Thus, it’s crucial to create and maintain strong relationships with customers across all digital channels to transform the shopping experience into the ideal one. Brands should upgrade the online experience and establish an omnichannel experience, putting the factor of personalization into their primer priorities. In a recovering-from-pandemic world in which consumers become more and more comfortable in the digital space, delivering a personalized consumer experience is more important than ever because that impacts the whole marketplace, digital merchants, and physical stores. It’s finally the time for all retailers to marry relevance with convenience and bridge the gap between online and offline, creating a high level of customer engagement.
Below, a seamless combination of online and offline experience:
In INTELIQUA, through Eliqua.CX, we enable brands to identify their consumers, analyze their behavior and connect with them in real-time. By collecting data from in-store and online, INTELIQUA builds unified customer profiles and bridges the gap between online and the physical store.
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