Online retail stores are really taking the world by storm with their fast delivery options and cheap offers. In 2017, e-commerce sales reached up to £137.38billion in sales.
But, with the intense growth of the e-commerce market, we are seeing more and more storefront retailers disappear. Footfall is declining and most of us have limited time to leave the house or work to buy our clothes or home furnishings.
However, some retailers are conciliating to a new market. They know that most people haven’t got time to walk around in town for bits and pieces anymore, they specifically go to an eatery or for drinks or shop for purpose. This is where businesses like Primark have come up with the great idea of turning their stores into an experience.
How Have Traditional Retailers Fought Back At The Growing E-commerce Market?
In April 2019, Primark opened its largest ever store, in Birmingham. The shop spans five floors across 160,000 sq ft and you’ll find a lot more than just clothes in this amazing store. Inside, you’ll find 2 cafe’s, one of which is a Disney cafe, a restaurant, a beauty studio, a barber and a bespoke t-shirt printing lab. What more could you want? The new shop has also welcomed over 500 new staff members and 430 staff from a previous Birmingham store, not to mention the other 100 who work in the partner-run experiences.
It’s not just Primark who are making a difference but brands such as Samsung have also been experimenting with different experience ideas. In their USA stores, you’ll be able to use their phone and video conferencing facilities whilst your device is being repaired. This will offer customers a functional workspace whilst not having access to their mobile devices. Samsung has also seen an increase in in-store repairs as customers do not have access to these facilities anywhere else.
What Does This Mean For Smaller Businesses?
The growing e-commerce market has left a lot of businesses feeling helpless. In 2018, the British Business Bank interviewed 500 SME directors in England and found 1 in 3 wanted to grow their operation but were unsure how. Some businesses have thought about using crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter to help with giving their brand a boost. Even though we have seen some great brands come out of Kickstarter such as Cards Against Humanity and Oculus, it’s thought that only 36.84% see success from it.
A great way to grow your business is social media. 60% of users discover products on Instagram, making it a brilliant platform for B2C marketers. 75% of users have also taken action after seeing a brands post, whether that be visiting their website, making a call or buying a product directly from their page. However, some businesses are missing out on what they could be achieving from digital marketing simply because they don’t know how to use it or refuse to use it.
How Can We Help?
It might make us sound like a bit of an oxymoron by suggesting digital marketing techniques to generate more in-store sales but they really do work. As well as social media which we mentioned above, you can also use techniques such as geo-location. Geo-location allows people to find your store whilst they are in a certain radius of your business. You could have adverts showing on Facebook or in apps whilst the user is located in your geo-location.
Little techniques like these can do wonders for any SME. Why don’t you have a look at our services page to see what else we could help you with to market your company: our services.
Struggling to sell your products in-store?
Marketing strategy and planning has been a big part of This Is Chemistry ever since we opened our doors 15 years ago. Our strategies have helped businesses of all sizes generate sales and raised awareness of their products or services. Get in touch today to see how we can help you do the same.
