Lockdowns, quarantines and forced closures all took their toll on the retail sector during the nadir of the pandemic.
Today, while the specter of COVID still looms large, bricks and mortar outlets are rebuilding their operations and getting accustomed to the ‘new normal’.
Throughout the industry, various efforts are being made to help physical stores compete with their online counterparts, coaxing customers back inside and going above and beyond to serve them successfully.
Here’s how retailers are doing it.
The death of the cash register
It’s not just contactless payments which are on the rise post-pandemic; consumers today can choose to stroll into stores, grab what they want from the shelves, and just leave without having to queue up to complete their purchase.
This technology pioneered by Amazon is being adopted far and wide, and signals the dawning of a new, more convenient and frictionless approach to bricks and mortar retail.
The rise of the in-store experience
Physical stores have the opportunity to offer customers much more than their online counterparts, and improving the experience is a multifaceted process.
From having knowledgeable staff to offering perks such as gifts, exclusive discounts and cross-promotions with partners, there are tons of tactics to try.
The hybrid setup
Even smaller retail businesses are well positioned to start an ecommerce platform and leverage this as a means of getting more people through the doors of their bricks and mortar stores.
Things like offering in-store collection for orders placed online go a long way to marrying the convenience of ecommerce with the immediacy of picking up goods from a local retailer.
The role of loyalty
Bringing customers on-side and keeping them loyal to a retail brand is key to survival, and the largest directory for grand openings in the US at openings24.com shows that companies with multiple bricks and mortar locations are making a push to broaden their reach right now.
Consumers that are familiar with a retailer in one context will be more likely to use it in another, so long as their past experience has been positive. Loyalty schemes are therefore more useful than ever before, incentivizing visits and perpetuating purchases from region to region.
The importance of customer service
It might seem like the whole world is obsessed with digital devices, but there’s immense power in the face-to-face interactions that are only possible at bricks and mortar stores.
Thus it’s in the interest of retailers to set high standards, implement best practices, and train team members to deliver the best possible level of customer service.
The cost of acquiring customers
Customer acquisition is an expensive business, and doing so through digital channels has only become costlier with time.
Meanwhile with a presence in the physical retail sector, brands are finding it easier to win over consumers without having to pay through the teeth to achieve this.
The integration of technology
The gap between online and in-store retail is closing thanks to technology, with a variety of systems and solutions enabling bricks and mortar stores to go above and beyond to entice customers with high-tech experiences.
From QR codes to virtual and augmented reality, from the blockchain to the metaverse, there are all sorts of integrations and crossovers achievable, wrapped up in the added appeal of a physical experience.
The bottom line
There’s little question that the pandemic has put pressure on retailers as a whole, but the one surprising result is that bricks and mortar has been given renewed purpose as a niche, rather than being ruled out entirely due to increased online spending.
