Stockinstore CEO Andrew Maver discusses the steps retailers can take to bring customers back in store. 

Well if there ever was a plot twist in retail, COVID-19 was it.

Whilst the home has become the new realm of experiences, we’re seeing a gradual return to ‘treat-like’ spending habits.

By and large though, we know that shopping from the comfort of our couch is the safest option in the current climate.

So, as retailers open their doors, and a new era of shopping unfolds... what strategies can retailers implement to entice, and notably drive traffic back into physical stores?

1. Address the fear factor

A recent Harris Poll Survey showed that 89% of shoppers have concerns about shopping in-store, citing being too close to people and cleanliness as the top two fears.

Consider how you can be transparent in demonstrating your brand is addressing this.

Don’t just view this as a tick list piece of content.

Weave your brand story into it and bring some personality to this essentially mundane, but vital piece of communication.

Create the connection to convince your customers they’re in safe hands.

2. Implement Click and Collect/Buy Online Pickup Instore

This was on the cards pre-COVID for many retailers, but not always a priority. Now? Your customers expect it.

Think of it as a lucrative way to bridge the gap between online and offline.

Whatever fulfilment capability your company can offer it in, you’ll reap the rewards.

Insider Intelligence statistics show 85% of customers who come into store to pick up an order make additional purchases.

It’s a win-win. 

3. Make time in-store count

It sounds so simple but just listen and talk with your customers.

Create the personal connection online can’t offer and take the opportunity to get direct feedback.

What better way to be able to change, pivot or adapt your business, than with solid customer feedback?

4. Create a harmonious relationship between your physical and digital teams

Many won’t admit it, but many do see angst between eCommerce and stores teams.

Remove organisational silos and create harmony and synergy with team building and goal sharing.

Focus on the overriding understanding that online drives customers into stores and equally, stores drive customers online.

No more organisational silos.

5. Remind yourself, and your team why your brand exists

It’s not about doing what everyone else is doing, it’s about shifting, connecting and utilising the ‘new’ opportunities that are upon us.

Morale in people (note, the word people here – not staff) has been a rollercoaster of a lifetime.

As business leaders, you need to re-group, revitalise, and inspire the very people that make your business what it is today.

6. Review every touchpoint in your business

Make it streamlined and make it consistent in brand messaging.

It’s a tough time in retail, with lots of big names and smaller independents no longer operating.

It’s now survival of the fittest.

It’s time to create a thriving marriage between who you say you are, and what you do to show who you are.

stockinstore was founded by retail and digital experts Andrew Maver and Gil Blackstone in 2016. Combining their 20+ years of expertise and passion for retail, stockinstore was developed to transform how retailers use their stores. stockinstore works with leading brands such as Scanlan Theodore, Kookai, Scotch & Soda, Florsheim, Sheike and Cable Melbourne.
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