Although the pandemic seems to be very difficult to extinguish, quarantine certainly seems to be over and not likely to return in the near future. The American population craved normal face-to-face interaction for most of 2020 and nearly 50% of consumers surveyed back in March were eager to start shopping in brick-and-mortar stores soon as possible.
It's true that Black Friday spending was slightly lower than pre-quarantine levels, but this had more to do with supply line issues and inflation than a lack of desire for hands-on shopping in stores with other shoppers. Predictions are still that brands that have been creating real human interactions will be ahead of competitors who solely focus on e-commerce efforts.
What most customers dislike about online shopping is their inability to test products before purchasing. Consumers want to visit a store in person to inspect many items first. This goes for groceries as well, especially for people that like to look over their produce before purchase and make decisions or discuss their options while standing in front of an actual deli counter.
Experiential retail should be deepening a customer's experience and making shopping in person habitual, but it needs to also be developing loyalty. Stores showcasing themselves will prevail over those that don't. Sensory experience will continue to be what customers remember of a store and what will continue to bring them back.
Color is the key in beginning this experiential process. Working very closely with their clients, Off The Wall develops a color scheme based on how the clientele in a store is to be affected. Other times the colors in a store have been branding it for many years before OTW begins work and then the trick is to refine the use of those colors into effective harmonies. Read more about that here
But the best experiential retail strategies will combine online and in-person efforts. Drive-to-stores and technologies such as Buy Online - Pick Up In Store (BOPIS), combine online shopping with curbside pickup and contactless payments, self-checkout kiosks and mobile checkouts. Off the Wall has been working with Aldi's as they perfect their customer's user experience with BOPIS. Their store in Harrisburg keeps ordered groceries fresh and cold until customers are able to pick up at the curb. All points that customers see and go through are a part of the same branding experience.
Visit the rest of our Website to get a good idea of what Off The Wall can do with you to make your shoppers' experience positively memorable.
Comments