How Brick and Mortars can Win

The face of retail is an everchanging look. Shopping “back in the day” is nearly unrecognizable to the digital, social, and forward-thinking ways in which goods are exchanged in today’s society. Where the retailer once stood as king of the castle, now the customer and more specifically the customer experience, now reign supreme. Mom-and-pop shops, as well as larger department stores, have all felt the effects of the digital age. But the shift in perspective hasn’t been necessarily all bad. What does this new environment look like?

While profits will forever be the main driving force behind any commerce operation, the ways in which those profits are received have changed. Long term plans for securing customer loyalty and repeat sales rather than instant gratification on the retailer’s end are much more of a focus than previously. To ensure customers return and spend more dollars over a period of time, a relationship has to be cultivated. A certain level of trust has to be built. That is exactly what the experiential shopping experience at The Shops @Rockvale in Lancaster PA is all about.

The Experience

Although a retail store is an establishment where items are purchased, it is quickly becoming more about the experience that occurs before hitting the register. Customers are looking for personalized service that is customized to their needs and wants. They want their needs met, their voice heard, and their bond with the brand recognized. The experience needs to feel like a relationship rather than a financial interaction.

Brand Advocates, Not Salespeople

There’s nothing worse than a pushy salesperson that forces products on customers with nothing but commission dollar signs in their eyes. Conversely, no customer likes being ignored when they have legitimate questions. A brand advocate is someone who is eager to celebrate the brand, uphold its values, and truly embody all positive elements of the brand. They can be a key feature in ensuring customers feel welcomed and accommodated while in-store.

Seamless and Interactive

One of the major reasons a brick and mortar location still stands even though the world is quickly becoming a digital playground is due to the interactive nature of walking into a physical store. Customers want to touch, play with, and experience products before they commit to a purchase. From TVs to skincare and everything in between, customers seek the feeling of having the product in their hand – something that cannot be found online. Rather than the traditional shopping scenario of shelves and cash registers, this is more about interacting with the product like in real life.

With that comes the next level of interactivity that is quickly gaining traction. The seamless interaction, or “frictionless experience” as it is more commonly being known, is a new type of shopping sweeping across retailers in every country and every industry. Focused more on hospitality rather than the sale, this new technique is about making the customer feel comfortable and at home. Increasing comfort lowers the anxiety of handing over cash so customers are more willing to make the purchase.

Some retailers are doing away with registers altogether and opting for store-wide, digital scanning that connects directly to the customer’s account. This then eliminates the hold up with cashiers, receipts, and obstacles that check out can lead to all in the name of creating a seamless exchange.