The discussion about brick-and-mortar stores and ecommerce is often presented as one or the other. However, retailers may not realize how much these touchpoints interact. By combining the benefits of both, businesses hone their overall sales strategy. For example, while many customers discover and purchase products directly from your ecommerce site, others may use this online content as a first step before purchasing in-store. This is called webrooming.
At Virtucom Group, we offer digital content services to help you hone your ecommerce strategy. Here, we explore how digital content influences brick-and-mortar sales and strategies your business can use to enhance the customer experience.
Key Ecommerce Trends: Showrooming and Webrooming
Thinking about ecommerce content and in-store shopping can make some retailers nervous. This has to do with webrooming’s opposite — showrooming. With showrooming, a customer visits a brick-and-mortar store to check out products in person. If they find something they like, instead of purchasing it, they research the item on their smartphone to see if any online retailers are selling it for a lower price.
Showrooming is great for ecommerce stores and customers — not so much for physical stores. Yet, retailers may not realize the opposite can, and does, happen. This is webrooming, where consumers review online product content to see available stock, compare prices, and understand their options (colors, sizes, styles). Then, when they’re ready to purchase, they go to a brick-and-mortar store.
Webrooming is a common phenomenon. Think with Google conducts research into consumer trends and offers two valuable insights:
- 83% of U.S. shoppers who visited a brick-and-mortar store in the past week say they researched online first.
- 74% of global in-store shoppers who search online before going in-store said they searched for the closest location, product stock, store hours, directions, wait times, and contact information.
Unlike showrooming, webrooming offers an opportunity for traditional retailers to get a leg up against ecommerce competitors. What’s more, as many physical stores have ecommerce platforms, webrooming can enable a more comprehensive customer experience.
How to Leverage Digital Product Content to Boost In-Store Sales
The research shows many customers have already looked up products online before setting foot in your store. So, how can retailers use this trend to their benefit? Consider these aspects when factoring webrooming into your ecommerce strategy:
Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store
There is perhaps no customer service feature better designed for webrooming than buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS). This sales model enables customers to purchase or reserve items online but pick up them at the store.
BOPIS combines the convenience of online shopping with the speed of in-store shopping. Think of it as online shopping without waiting for delivery. More importantly for sales, it can increase the likelihood that an online browser but in-store shopper follows through with a purchase.
Incorporate In-Store Considerations Into Online Product Descriptions
Optimize your digital product content so customers arrive at the store more knowledgeable. A simple yet effective way to enable webrooming is by inputting aspects like stock availability at nearby locations into product descriptions. This simplifies in-store shopping. Customers don’t have to drive from store to store; they know exactly which location has what they need.
Focus on Your Store and Products – Not Competitors
Although webrooming can help you win customers over competitors, that shouldn’t be the focus. Often, potential customers aren’t looking at competitor sites first before going to your store; they’re looking at your ecommerce site before heading to the nearest physical location.
What does this mean for digital product content? Beyond providing rich product content, retailers want to showcase their stores. For example, you could promote in-store-only sales and customer service teams with specialized knowledge of product types, i.e. electronics, available to answer questions in-store. The more information customers have about what’s going on in-store, the more likely they are to visit.
Produce Engaging Digital Product Content With Virtucom Group
Understanding how customers interact both online and in-store can strengthen your ecommerce content. It also helps to have a digital content partner who knows what consumers expect from retailers. At Virtucom Group, our team of content strategists and professional writers will help create unique, engaging product content that increases leads and drives sales. Contact us today to learn more about how we can enhance your ecommerce strategy.
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