Last week TIME’s Brad Tuttle posted an article, “What's Wrong with Online Shopping” which expanded upon a recent interview with Paco Underhill (environmental psychologist and author of the book Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping), that can be found on the WSJ’s Digits blog. Both posts are worth reading for anyone doing multichannel commerce because they focus on the disconnect between online and brick-and-mortar versions of the same stores.
It’s a fact that the majority of consumers shop across channels, often researching online and closing the sale in store. Yet, as Underhill points out, many retailers are still treating their online and offline channels as separate entities - something that often leads to customer confusion and eventual loss of sales.
Some of the biggest disconnects are ones that Blueport overcomes with ease for our customers:
Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce
It’s a fact that the majority of consumers shop across channels, often researching online and closing the sale in store. Yet, as Underhill points out, many retailers are still treating their online and offline channels as separate entities - something that often leads to customer confusion and eventual loss of sales.
Some of the biggest disconnects are ones that Blueport overcomes with ease for our customers:
- Price Inconsistency – Inconsistency in pricing between in-store and online very quickly leads to customer frustration and more often than not, leads potential customers right into the competition’s arms. Blueport’s Price Sync feature ensures that pricing is consistent not just online and in-store, but based on each customer’s location as well - automatically.
- Inventory Inconsistency –Underhill’s interview describes a scenario that most of us know all too well: making a trip to the store to purchase a product you have been researching online, only to discover it’s not actually available in your local store. Getting a clear, real-time view of inventory levels across all stores is a challenge for most retailers, but it’s truly one of our sweet spots at Blueport. We automatically update inventory levels based on a customer’s location, so whether your customer is shopping in-store or online, they will always have an accurate view of what’s in stock.
- Delayed Shipping Cost Info – This is often a make or break issue for big-ticket items – customers need to know all of the information involved in their purchase and unexpected shipping costs or delays can easily be a deal breaker. Expertise in shipping and delivery is one of Blueport’s core strengths. This includes clearly marked pricing, timing and logistics based on the items purchased and the customer’s location.
Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce
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