If you’re still running a physical retail store in 2021, you deserve to be applauded because your business survived the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. However, if you’re an online retailer and looking forward to opening a physical store, you deserve applause as well because that is a brave leap.
Although more retail workers are quitting, companies are hiring at a similar rate. Despite the pandemic, people are still in need of physical stores for many reasons.
Customers are more likely to buy things they see in person.
There are still people who need to touch and feel a product before buying it. In other words, many products are difficult to purchase online. When you shop online, you might receive the wrong size or shade.
Physical stores get fewer returns and refunds from customers.
As said previously, in-person shopping reduces product returns because customers get the right size, color, or material. According to research, consumers return five to ten percent of the things they buy in a physical store and 15 to 40% of what they purchase online.
Because of this, there will be fewer problems with shipping and transportation fees.
Face-to-face customer services are more likely to increase sales.
While online shopping is a convenient way to buy things, human interaction is still essential to the retail experience.
RetailEXPO found that 64% of consumers are more likely to visit a physical store if accommodated by salespeople and that 75% of them are likely to spend more after experiencing high-quality customer service from the store.
A physical store can make your brand stand out.
Your brand can be as competitive as other popular brands when you sell products in a physical store. Physical stores allow retail brand owners to immerse their customers in their brand culture and create a lasting impression instead of just improving their customers’ shopping experience through their websites or newsletters. Designing an actual interactive experience with the right practices of safety, engagement, and convenience is a great factor in keeping your brand ahead of the competition.
Physical stores bring more visitors to your website and vise versa.
Having both an online and physical store has a lot of advantages. If a customer wants something from your physical store that isn’t available at the moment, you can point them to your website to make a sale. This seems more convenient than requesting them to return some other time after you restock your inventory.
If your physical store is losing visitors, you can always use your social media page and website to update them on what’s new from your brand.
Speaking of updates, you can always upgrade your physical store to gain more customers.
Upgrading Your Physical Store
A way to upgrade your physical store is to change your window display regularly. A creative and eye-catching window display can draw potential shoppers into your store. Even with the rise of e-commerce, the majority of retail purchases still occur in physical stores in the U.S.
For your storefront, use a commercial glass system and match your display with a theme. This way, you can make your display comprehensible to customers. Also, you should stick to a color palette since colors have strong psychological effects on human impressions. You should align them with the theme you’ve chosen.
As you’re choosing a certain color palette in line with the theme, make sure the colors are not too striking. Too many colors create a disorganized and unpleasant vibe to your theme, which can affect your store in general.
Since you can already figure out your target audience through your social media page and website, you can create your window display with them in mind. Again, make sure your online and physical stores coordinate to maintain the image of your brand.
Another important thing to consider when building your window display in your physical store is the lighting. Lighting can create a certain ambiance and vibe for the theme. In line with the season as well, the lighting should vary. It highlights your products and makes a dramatic effect on your store. Aside from this, you should also consider spotlights to visually emphasize the products you want to gain attention.
Of course, as your physical store upgrades, your online store should also upgrade in coordination with the theme.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is to stay on brand. Be certain that your window display speaks with your brand. It will create a lasting impression, which can make people recognize you and let them know what to expect from your online and physical stores.
Despite the rapid growth of e-commerce during the pandemic, online shopping has not overshadowed in-store shopping yet. Still, you should tap into the potential of e-commerce and incorporate digital tools into your business. That way, you can increase your sales both offline and online and drive foot traffic to your physical store.
Meta title: Why Physical Stores Should Keep Existing
Meta desc: Are you scared that your physical retail store won’t gain attention? With these tips and pieces of information, you should be braver in conquering the retail industry despite the pandemic.