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.
Big-ticket purchases in particular 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, underpinning the importance of multi-channel localization for these retailers.
What should retailers be doing to better understand and meet the needs of consumers while they are in this ‘pre-shopping’ mindset? Whether the ultimate purchase is made online or at a local store, a retailer needs to take the necessary steps to ensure they are embracing multi-channel localization and providing a seamless multi-channel customer experience that ultimately makes a sale. When executed as part of a complete multi-channel localization strategy, e-commerce sites can become a critical tool to help stores compete both locally and chain-wide.
During their ‘pre-shopping’ phase, a consumer may start their research online then visit their local store, then perhaps go back online. Because the typical decision cycle for big-ticket items is much longer than for other purchases, this cycle may be repeated several times. For the consumer there is little difference between online and offline store formats - they expect to see the same offering in-store that they do online. For example, if you advertise a television at $699 online, but the price is marked $799 in-store or is not available at a location near the customer, they quickly become frustrated and may click (or walk) to your competition. You should always assume that customers have done their research online before ever stepping foot in your store, especially for big-ticket items.
To make this process seamless, a critical starting point is ensuring multi-channel localization - that merchandise selection and pricing is consistent between local stores and online.
The first step to multi-channel localization for a retailer is localizing the merchandise experience online - by recognizing a user’s IP address or simply asking them to choose their location, product selection and pricing can be customized to each user’s specific geographic region.
Big-ticket purchases in particular 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, underpinning the importance of multi-channel localization for these retailers.
What should retailers be doing to better understand and meet the needs of consumers while they are in this ‘pre-shopping’ mindset? Whether the ultimate purchase is made online or at a local store, a retailer needs to take the necessary steps to ensure they are embracing multi-channel localization and providing a seamless multi-channel customer experience that ultimately makes a sale. When executed as part of a complete multi-channel localization strategy, e-commerce sites can become a critical tool to help stores compete both locally and chain-wide.
During their ‘pre-shopping’ phase, a consumer may start their research online then visit their local store, then perhaps go back online. Because the typical decision cycle for big-ticket items is much longer than for other purchases, this cycle may be repeated several times. For the consumer there is little difference between online and offline store formats - they expect to see the same offering in-store that they do online. For example, if you advertise a television at $699 online, but the price is marked $799 in-store or is not available at a location near the customer, they quickly become frustrated and may click (or walk) to your competition. You should always assume that customers have done their research online before ever stepping foot in your store, especially for big-ticket items.
To make this process seamless, a critical starting point is ensuring multi-channel localization - that merchandise selection and pricing is consistent between local stores and online.
The first step to multi-channel localization for a retailer is localizing the merchandise experience online - by recognizing a user’s IP address or simply asking them to choose their location, product selection and pricing can be customized to each user’s specific geographic region.
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