The Next Wave of E-CommerceBlueport.com

Adweek points out "a growing inclination by consumers to spend on purchases they've deferred during the economy's downturn" including furniture, appliances and carpeting. 

A return to the good old days for big-ticket retailers?  Not so fast.

ATG just released a report noting that in the last year, more people browsed for products online (92%) than in stores (84%), with mobile making a strong showing at 27%.

Consumers are coming back into the big ticket market - but how you reach them is radically different than it was in the last boom. 

The next wave is coming - online.  Ready to catch it? 

Blueport Commerce Reaction:   Been there, done that… (since 2001).

In March, Google announced its plans to move into yet another new area – local inventory search. Through a new deal with Best Buy, Sears, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn and the Vitamin Shoppe, Google will begin experimenting with localized search for inventory at brick and mortar retailers. Using the system, a consumer could search for a specific item and in theory find the store closest to their location with the item in stock. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of Google’s strategy is that rather than waiting for retailers to have their own online local inventory strategy in place and then making it searchable, (a more typical model, where a search engine helps consumers find data) the company is developing its own system in conjunction with these retailers (in effect, trying to create data).

This new ground for search is causing some growing pains for Google, as their retailers have not uploaded full inventory lists, making the system inaccurate.  According to StoreFront BackTalk’s Evan Schuman, Google’s inventory search also forces users to select specific models, rather than allowing searches for broader product categories. Customers may know model numbers for some products, but for many categories, consumers may not have a clue as to the model number they are looking for (home furnishings?  flooring?).  And finally, let’s face it – so far, few retailers keep track of their local inventory online, making it extremely difficult to provide accurate local search results.

It’s clear that a system like this has tremendous potential.  And, Google’s interest reinforces to a key fact - when it comes to big-ticket retail online, localization is crucial.  Most cross-channel shopping is for big ticket items.   To sell these items, you need a great local online presence, seamlessly linking your website, local inventory, and stores.

In time, Google will likely work out the kinks.  In the meantime, Blueport Commerce already provides its customers with websites with that provide fast, accurate, local inventory search as part of the company’s core localization strategy.   We’ll continue to look to Google to help consumers find our customers’ great, localized shopping experiences, but we’ll take care of building them ourselves.

E-commerce 1.0 = All Store, No Stuff:   E-commerce efforts often focus on technology, particularly in selling e-commerce 1.0 categories.   Decisions on what text or button goes where or removing a field from a checkout form (the “online store”) can make a difference in convincing someone to purchase a simple, well-understood, impulse item.   In selling big ticket categories online, however, obsessing over these areas while ignoring basic online retailing is perilous.

Big Ticket E-commerce = Content, Content, Content:   Start with the big questions:  Do you have the right products? Richly and accurately merchandised? At the right price?  Are you solving a customer’s problem (an installed floor in a week, a sofa in two days, removal of an old refrigerator)?  Like you do in your stores, focus on your offering (the stuff) first, then optimize your e-commerce store around your offering.  In big ticket e-commerce categories, if you get the “stuff” right, customers will work with you on the store.


Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce


 

E-commerce 1.0 = World Wide Web (only):  Typical e-commerce does not accurately reflect how multi-channel chain retailing is done in-store.  Just as “all politics is local,” all big ticket chain store retail is local, too.  Through local selection, local prices and local promotions, stores battle local competitors for local customers.  Most e-commerce solutions aren’t built for localization – one site offers the same thing to every visitor, regardless of where a customer resides.   Retailers who adopt this approach for big ticket e-commerce hamper both their online efforts and their stores.

Big Ticket E-commerce = Localize!  Remember that e-commerce supports your overall multichannel retail strategy and your websites should be as localized as your stores.   Some big ticket retailers have hundreds of localized, micro-branded sites with content that resonates with local consumers.   Others use IP mapping to localize prices, offers and product selection, directing customers to local stores with products on display.  All have checkout processes that reflect that delivery times may be 48 hours in one area, two weeks in another.  Make sure your e-commerce platform embraces the complexity of local e-commerce – when done correctly it’s a powerful sales tool online and in your stores.


Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce

E-commerce 1.0 = E-commerce Rules!:  Inhabitants of E-commerce Island often focus solely on one metric - online sales - to the point of becoming competitive with the “rest” of the multichannel retail operation.   Internal competition may work for first wave markets where multichannel upside is limited, but this strategy hamstrings big ticket ecommerce efforts.

Big Ticket E-commerce = Multichannel Impact:  Take a more holistic view of the potential the e-commerce channel has for your retail chain.  Set multichannel key performance indicators (KPIs) and track interactions across every channel.  It’s every bit as big a win for your big ticket e-commerce efforts when a customer sees your TV ad, goes to your website and is convinced to buy in your bricks and mortar store as when someone clicks “Place Order” online.   It takes additional coordination to drive multi channel results, but in big ticket categories they represent the majority of your upside.  Recognize this, and measure and reward a holistic set of metrics.
 

E-commerce 1.0 = Duplication:  Stranded on E-commerce Island, e-commerce teams often build redundant staff, processes and infrastructure.   Perhaps through lack of understanding of a chain’s existing processes or thinking they have a better way, they create new e-commerce processes and strategies for critical multichannel retail operations.   For first wave categories, this may not be so bad – the processes are simple and the risk of customers seeing multichannel inconsistencies minimal.  Capturing the potential of big ticket e-commerce, on the other hand, requires an integrated rather than duplicative approach.

Big Ticket E-commerce = Integration:  Leverage existing people and their retail expertise wherever possible for your big ticket e-commerce strategy.  Use the same data and processes as the rest of the retail chain, simplifying coordination.  Once you’ve identified existing assets, then (and only then) evaluate and augment these assets, adding resources only as needed to fill e-commerce-specific gaps.

Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce
 

The rules for big ticket e-commerce differ from first wave, ecommerce 1.0 practices.   More often than not, big-ticket ecommerce problems occur when retailers apply first wave e-commerce solutions to second wave challenges.

E-commerce 1.0 = E-commerce Island:  A common mistake occurs at the outset of many big ticket e-commerce efforts – big ticket retailers organize their e-commerce business as an ‘island’, isolated within a department or wholly outsourced.  A departmentalized approach, isolated from a company’s overall retail operations, is typical of (and may work for) simple ”first wave” e-commerce categories, but the local, multichannel complexity of big ticket e-commerce makes this structure at best ineffective, and more likely detrimental to the chain.

Big Ticket E-commerce = Embedded E-commerce Strategy:  Launch your e-commerce operation as a coordinated, multichannel commerce effort, ideally with the head of e-commerce having a seat at the management table.  This structure allows e-commerce to become what it should be in big ticket categories– a force multiplier for chain-wide initiatives – and optimizes e-commerce results.

Copyright 2010, Official Blog of Blueport Commerce

The term ROBO (Research Online, Buy Offline) was coined by Yahoo! to describe the growing number of consumers who research online, but buy offline.  Online ‘pre-shopping’ has become a common activity prior to a variety of purchases.  According to Forrester, online research will influence $1 trillion in offline sales by 2012, making it imperative that retailers understand the full impact that their online presence—as well as those of their competitors—may have on consumer in-store behavior.

Understanding Research Online, Buy Offline (ROBO) behavior is particularly important when selling ‘big-ticket’ items - online or in-store.  Big-ticket purchases require more research and consideration due to higher price points and their high degree of personalization.  Furniture, mattresses, appliances, flooring and home décor are all examples of products that consumers are spending a significant amount of time researching online prior to purchase.

What should multichannel retailers be doing to better understand and meet the needs of ROBOs while they are in this ‘pre-shopping’ mindset?  Whether the ultimate purchase is made at ecommerce store or at a local store, a multichannel retailer needs to take the necessary steps to ensure they are providing a seamless cross channel customer experience that ultimately makes a sale.  When executed well – and with ROBOs in mind – ecommerce sites can become a critical tool to help stores compete both locally and chain-wide.

By understanding how the ROBO shops, and synchronizing your online presence with your local stores, retailers can provide the seamless cross-channel experience these shoppers seek and capture their business - through whichever channel they ultimately choose to buy.

Put focus on these key areas:

1. Localize online merchandising to match local stores
2. Build credibility through rich, synchronized information
3. Provide accurate, local delivery information
4. Integrate local in-store and online offers and promotions

There’s no shortage of e-commerce conventional wisdom - sweeping pronouncements that online is growing at a certain rate. That one tactic works, another doesn’t.   That a multi-channel strategy is increasingly important. 

I love such analysis and opinion – back in the day, as a consultant at McKinsey, I performed and provided my fair share.    However, I will point out the need to dig deeper. What is loosely called “e-commerce” is dramatically different in its application depending on what you are selling. 

A few things to keep in mind as you digest the latest e-commerce wisdom or evaluate a vendor:
 

E-commerce expertise correlates with where money has been made to date, not where it will be made.

Well known e-commerce experts, agencies and technology companies become so because they’ve been doing it for a while and have been well paid for their work. As such, their experience tends to be in those categories that went online early and successfully, yielding enthusiastic clients and customers who could pay.

There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you are also in those categories. If not, think about whether what you are being told makes sense for your business.

One example: It’s been said that 65% of e-commerce keyword searches include a manufacture name and/or model number. Most online agencies build keyword strategies around that fact. And, it works well in those categories that have dominated e-commerce in the past.

But, say you’re a furniture retailer. 

Most of your prospective customers have no idea who manufactured the sofa they already own, much less the one they are thinking about buying.   Model number? Forget it. Conventional wisdom is out the window - how will your agency react to not being able to rely a favorite approach?
 

Beware sweeping pronouncements and general statistics. Dig for what’s happening in your market.

I’m an e-com stat addict. There are outstanding analysts out there providing the pulse of e-commerce on a regular and accurate basis. That said, it’s important to pull apart e-commerce statistics and trends to find those that apply to what you do. 

Some recent examples:

E-Commerce Growth Statistics

Pundits seem to be in general agreement that in 2009, e-commerce grew or shrank by single digit percentage points. In the face of brick and mortar declines, this is touted as strength – ecommerce holding its own despite significant economic headwinds.

All true – but there’s more to the story. Big ticket online took off in 2009. 

Big ticket (think things that cost more and can’t ship via UPS…consumer durables like furniture, appliances, flooring) is 45% of the US Retail Economy, $550B in annual retail sales.  It’s never done much online – until now.

Consumers are online and big ticket retailers are now meeting them there. Forrester reports customers feeling comfortable buying furniture and appliances online just in the last 18 months. Big ticket players Blueport works with are seeing monstrous comp increases for online sales and even bigger benefits in stores. 

If you happen to be in big ticket markets, this is an opportunity you can’t miss…but easily could, if you just look at broader online growth stats.

E-Commerce by Channel Statistics

Similarly, stats show roughly 45% of e-commerce transacted by Web-only players and catalogers (i.e. pure plays), 15% by manufacturers, and 40% by retailers.

Beneath this stat is a dramatic big ticket vs. small ticket schism in who is winning in e-commerce. 

For traditional (small ticket) e-commerce, pure plays have tremendous cost advantages. With no store costs, they can price low. Their products are well known, approaching commodity status, and the shipping is fast, cheap and risk free. In categories from books to shoes, pure plays are cleaning up.

Not so in big ticket. Here, consumers know less about the product. They want to touch and feel in a store. They look for trusted brands – not only for the product, but for the retailer who can deliver and service it. And, they are highly focused on delivery times and costs. Here, retail chains, with trusted brands, local stores and fast, cheap local delivery have the upper hand. 

Combine these advantages with the growth noted above, and it’s a good time to be going online if you’re a big ticker player. And, if you’re a retailer in these categories, there’s certainly more than 40% of the online marketplace available to you.

The Importance of Cross-Channel Commerce

There’s significant recent buzz about “multi-channel” or “cross-channel” commerce as the next big thing. We couldn’t agree more – with emphasis on the “big”.

For small ticket items, I don’t think cross channel is that important. Anyone think that opening Zappos bricks and mortar stores is on any of the whiteboards at Amazon?

Conversely, in big ticket, cross channel is critical. The key differentiating factors in big ticket online are store based. Big ticket online and offline channels must be synchronized, as consumers move between them constantly. 

This is why we’ve architected our platform to be localized. Big ticket commerce comes down to the local relationship between a consumer, a store, and the inventory in her area. If you’re in big ticket and you’re not reflecting this reality online, you’re missing the point.
 

Balance online conventional wisdom against what you know about your customers. 

Ultimately, e-commerce comes down to a combination of persuading and enabling consumers to buy, using the internet.

Here again, how your consumers do this may not be the same as in “traditional” e-commerce categories.

To grossly over simplify traditional e-commerce shopping, it comes down to finding a product and deciding you like it. After that, the assumption is that UPS takes it from there - you will have your product cheaply, quickly, and some nice brown-shirted gentleman will take it back if things go awry.

As such, most e-commerce wisdom is focused on search and merchandising, helping consumers to find and buy (maybe getting a deal).

These areas are critical (and unique) in big ticket as well, but there’s more to the story – specifically, the part of the story that UPS takes care of in traditional, small ticket e-commerce.

With a sofa or a fridge, more goes into the shopping process than features and price. Customers want to touch and feel in a store. They may want to speak to an expert. They want to know how fast they can get something, and that delivery is as cheap as it can be. They may want financing options. They want to be sure the product can be serviced, and that, worst case it can be returned.

If these are questions your consumer is likely to ask, be sure to push beyond UPS-based ecom conventional wisdom. If you’re a retailer, you’ve got some of the best possible answers to these questions – be sure your online presence takes full advantage (see localization above).

*             *             *

As consumers look to buy more products online, and e-commerce pushes beyond the simple, UPSable products that were the first wave of e-commerce, the importance of disaggregating e-commerce increases. The opportunities online have changed. E-commerce conventional wisdom soon will too.

• 80 percent of online consumers indicated they will likely research their next kitchen appliance online, and 30 percent said they will likely make their purchase online as well
• 77 percent of online consumers will likely research online their next laundry home appliance and 26 percent will likely purchase that appliance online
• Overall, 65 percent of consumers will research big-ticket home furniture purchases online as well

In big-ticket retail, purchase decisions take longer for a variety of reasons: products tend to have higher price tags, customization is part of the process, and often the input of another party is sought before making a final decision.

Retailers in this space need ecommerce CRM and email marketing tools to help them actively persuade customers during the decision-making process, by finding the combination of personalized content and offers that drive a customer to buy. These same tools assist retailers in making sure a first-time customer becomes a customer for life.

With a robust ecommerce CRM database solution retailers can capture customers' online shopping behaviors, account information and satisfaction scores. Store information can be cross-referenced for a complete picture of a customer's online and offline activity, which is key for big-ticket ecommerce.

 

In big-ticket categories like furniture, appliances, flooring, big screen TVs and building supplies, consumers are increasingly researching and purchasing online, having gained confidence in the online channel through years of buying more commoditized items.

In the last two years, big-ticket retailers have mobilized to meet this demand, for the first time effectively offering these goods online through sophisticated multi-channel and e-commerce efforts, embracing the unique requirements of these complex transactions.

This convergence represents a new wave of e-commerce growth: big-ticket items.

Despite the bleak retail outlook, big-ticket e-commerce experienced a robust 52% e-commerce growth in the latter part of 2008.  And, it is projected to be the largest, fastest growing segment of e-commerce in the next five years (source: Forrester Research).