Use Your Website To Get Purchasers to Your Physical Store
As we transition more toward a virtual world, it is quite amazing to see that more than 50% of “bricks and mortar” businesses do not yet have a web presence. As potential consumers use Internet search engines to do their research before they go out into the real world, those companies without a website risk being left out. For the off-line retailer, however, it is not good enough to just throw up a portal and expect to earn riches, as the entrepreneur must pay attention to the site composition to ensure that visitors make the connection between the online site and the off-line location.
On-site optimization is often focused merely on helping the website achieve a great position in search engine rankings, so that the would be consumer can find the site in the first place. This is of course very important, but if you are mostly relying on actual visitors to your bricks and mortar store then you have to do a lot more.
One of the biggest mistakes that many retailers make when considering a website is to assume that the website should be divorced from the actual physical location for some reason. They assume that a website is only good for e-commerce and they may or may not be geared up, or wish, to sell any of their products online. They are missing the bigger point here – the website is primarily a source of information and they should do everything they can to ensure that the visitor is “converted” in one way or the other.
If the website is not to be used for e-commerce, then the page must be designed to lead visitors easily to information showing your physical location. This will require a clear link in a prominent position on every page, using appropriate texts such as “find our locations,” or “how to contact us.” Some webmasters make the mistake of including contact details within a vaguely termed “about us” section. Don’t make the visitor think twice about anything, make it obvious.
These days it is fairly easy to incorporate a Google maps widget showing in clear detail exactly where your location is and remember to include your opening hours and customer service phone lines in prominent positions. Additional phone lines are very cost effective and should be used to help you track your clients. For example, use a different customer service phone number on your “contact us” page and another phone number on each of your product pages. Remember to keep track of client paths by asking the appropriate questions at the point-of-sale.
Any marketing initiatives that you engage in should be tracked and tested. This may require a process of education amongst your staff. They should get into the habit of asking appropriate questions to determine whether visitors found your location through your website or not. Always try and get your visitors to give you their e-mail addresses, so that you can send questionnaires for more feedback.
Is your website connected to your physical store?
Adam Toren
Wow great article all needs information u have shared thanks
I have worked with plenty of e-commerce companies that have a physical location. There sites generate plenty of customers but a very high percentage call in orders and would prefer to pick them up if possible.
Physical location is important for retailers. It gives extra confidence to buyers that they will get after sale services.
I think for retail stores, not only is location info on every page essential, but there should be a focus on “enticing” the customer to visit the bricks & mortar location.
Many potential customers are looking for MORE than just hours and location. They are looking for a reason, an excuse to visit. A reason to “feel something”. The website should convey that visiting will indeed make them feel that “something”, whether it’s good, smart, happy, cool, well-fed, good-looking, etc.
Determine the payoff for the customer after a visit the store, then talk about that payoff on some level inside the website.
Get some professional photos. Try integrating a blog and/or twitter with a live into the website. Allow staff can post what’s happening in the store with pictures.
For instance, a local Mom & Pop smoothie shop posts specials, pics with names of customers who dropped by. Giving it a feeling of family, where a prospective customer feels comfortable and excited about visiting the store after looking at the website. The active blog makes it feel like something cool and new is always happening at the smoothie shop. The Blog tells “stories” and doesn’t attempt to SELL all the time.
Cindy
~~ http://www.CindyDAvisArt.com
~~ http://www.FlintRiverWebDesign.com