Are you selling to customers who shop or buy? This is an important question for retailers to ask themselves, according to Tom Goodwin, Head of Innovation at Zenith USA. The difference in consumer behavior and experience between shopping and buying is so big that, in order to succeed as a retailer/e-tailer, you must adapt to it.
Shopping is memorable, fun, interesting and something you do to amuse yourself. You want to be inspired. Often you don’t know what exactly you want to purchase. When shopping, you are open for interactivity.
Buying is something you need to do. It’s often boring and should therefore be fast, easy and a smooth transaction.
If your customers shop you must invest in experiences. Today, relationships are moving to product brands, not to retailers. So consider flagship stores, 3D films, monthly themes, etc. Technology should be used to support experiences.
If your customers buy, you must make it easy for them to search, find, order and get their delivery. Low-interest categories are under big threat. Possibilities here are subscriptions, bundles, automatic reorders, deliveries in one go, etc. Technology should be used to make buying less complicated.
The distinction between online and offline is not relevant anymore. The storefront is now everywhere. In the post-digital age we are approaching, technology is a natural and integrated part of our lives without us even thinking about it. That is why it’s so important to reimagine and think different instead of just reshaping the old frame, and to focus on people, not technology.
