Jul 6, 2012

Luring Shoppers Offline

Posted by Wendy Weber

Interesting piece in the New York Times about big retailers transforming their stores into extensions of their online operations.  They are adding return centers, pickup locations, and free shipping outlets.  Here are some excerpts:

Fiona Dias, the chief strategy officer at ShopRunner, which coordinates shipping for retailers, called the trend “really an offensive strategy against Amazon and pure-play online retailers.”

“Unfortunately, stores have been portrayed as the ugly stepsister here,” she said. “They do have disadvantages, but the advantages of having a physical footprint are many.”

Another advantage traditional retailers hold over their online-only counterparts is same-day delivery and returns. Sears, which has long offered store pickup for items bought on the Web, added a drive-through service a few months ago that allows customers to return or exchange purchases without leaving their cars.

Customers meet a clerk waiting outside the Sears, provide a mobile phone receipt or printout, and the merchandise is swapped.

To read the piece in its entirety, click here.

 

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