High Street retailers can catch up with the “pure plays” like Amazon, by using their online and offline stores to support each other, according to ecommerce business expert Finlay Clark.
United Kingdom, November 03, 2008 — Clever High Street retailers should use their online and “offline” stores to leverage off one another, according to ecommerce business expert Finlay Clark. In his show on online business TV network yourBusinessChannel, Clark, Senior Retail Strategist at bigmouthmedia , explains how High Street retailers enjoy some advantages over “pure play” online retailers like Amazon and Play.com.
On his business TV show, Clark explains that ten years ago pure play e-retailers were forging ahead developing their ecommerce technology and strategies. Because they only operate online, their business models were always going to be about making online sales. In spite of expert business advice to the contrary, most High Street retailers were reluctant to take the plunge into online sales at the time, because it was not the core of their business model.
Over the last five years or so, however, many High Street retailers have developed their sales websites. Nowadays they use offline advertising such as print and television, to promote their websites, Clark says on his business TV show.
Now online retail business experts are identifying ways in which offline bricks and mortar stores might have an edge over online stores. “Click and collect” stores like Comet and Argos let their customers buy online then pick up the goods from their local store. This way the customer knows that the product that they want is available before they leave the house – especially important in the run up to Christmas, Clark says.
Offline stores also have an edge, according to the business expert , because customers often prefer to buy in person from their local store, after they have researched products online. This makes it crucial that customers know where the nearest outlet is, when they are online.
Expert business advice from online sales specialists now recommends that retailers make sure that their store locations come at the top of their Google results when a customer searches for their store. “You can submit a feed to Google Local, which has all your store info on it, like opening times, and where they are, and then the Google results page will show a little map with an arrow pointing to the local store,” says Clark.
Finlay Clark’s weekly business TV shows appear on leading online business TV network yourBusinessChannel.
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