Omnichannel Guide - What is Bricks and Clicks? How to become a bricks and clicks retailer?
Global eCommerce sales are expected to reach $6 trillion by 2024. With retailers shifting their business online post pandemic, digitization accelerated at lightning speeds. Though this exponential rise of eCommerce was on expected lines, it is surprising that 90% retail sales still happen in physical stores.
Not all customers will restrict themselves to shopping at either physical or eCommerce stores only. Statistics say that 56% of shoppers today prefer omnichannel shopping. Many business owners have adopted a "bricks and clicks" business model, which combines physical and online operations into a single retail strategy. Businesses need to embrace bricks and clicks model to keep up with the retail reinvention while providing a seamless customer experience.
This blog talks about how a bricks and clicks business operates and how to become a bricks and clicks retailer.
Bricks and Clicks Business Model Explained
The bricks and clicks business model refers to the combination of a physical retail location (the brick) and an ecommerce sales channel, or online store (the click). This type of omnichannel business model is also known as ‘click and mortar’, or ‘clicks and bricks.'
The goal of omnichannel retail is to harmonize the retail experience across all channels and enable customers to move effortlessly between physical and online businesses without experiencing any interruptions. Businesses have the possibility of providing customers more buying options by merging the two channels, which also increases their revenue and potential brand reach.
For instance, let us consider the case of US retail giant Walmart. Walmart has been selling products through its website since 2001 and launched an app for shoppers to shop on their phones three years later (Walmart Pay). In 2021, Walmart Shopping & Grocery became the number one mobile shopping app in the United States.
3 Reasons your Business Needs to Embrace Bricks & Clicks
By embracing this transition, retailers can leave the majority of the competition behind. By integrating bricks and clicks, you can reap significant benefits. 3 major features of this model include:
Power of Choice to the Consumer
The biggest benefit of the bricks and clicks model is its flexibility. Customers have the option to purchase online or in stores and can also choose how the products are delivered to them. Retailers can choose to ship their products either to their homes or arrange for them to be picked up from stores. Delivery and returns can be optimized and expedited.
Seamless Shopping Experience
Another objective of the bricks-and-clicks business model is to offer customers a seamless shopping experience. Your physical store and online store must work together cohesively to deliver value to customers. For instance, your inventory must be synchronized across channels, so your customer can verify whether an item is in stock before making the purchase.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
There is a greater chance of reaching a larger share of customers when both these objectives are accomplished. Customer satisfaction increases with greater flexibility and an integrated purchasing experience across channels.
Tips for Successfully Implementing Bricks and Clicks
The implementation of bricks and clicks model depends on the unique nature of your business and industry. The process will differ based on whether you are trying to add an ecommerce wing or physical store to your current retail strategy. Regardless of the situation, here are some important tips that will help you ride the bricks and clicks wave smoothly.
Focus on Customer Engagement
Studies state that focussing on well planned customer engagement strategies can retain 89% of customers. Encourage customer feedback and leverage their inputs to enhance both the wings of your business. Placing greater emphasis on customer engagement will not just provide you greater insights but also make customers feel more valued and foster brand loyalty.
Some popular engagement methods include:
- Sending feedback surveys,
- Offering discounts and coupons both online and in-person,
- Developing a cross-channel loyalty programme and
- Responding to people’s queries and comments through social media channels.
Use data as your weapon
77% of strong omnichannel companies store customer data across channels. Use data analytics effectively to gain sharper insights into your customer’s shopping behavior and optimize your marketing efforts. Data analytics will help you determine which messages resonate with your target audience and which products they want to purchase.
Optimize for Mobile Shopping
79% of smartphone users make purchases using their mobile devices. M-Commerce is aggressively growing as people spend a majority of time on their phones. Create a mobile shopping app and synchronize your inventory, payment and customer service across all platforms.
Level up your Visual Merchandizing
In retail stores, attractive focal or feature walls can boost sales by a whopping 229%. Create eye-catching visual displays in store and on your website pages. Raymond Stores in Mumbai recently experimented with two artists breaking into dance forms trying their newly launched apparels at the store entrance. This activity attracted huge walk-ins and led to higher sales.
Adopt a Robust POS System
The success of bricks and clicks sales lies in how well you can track your inventory across channels. POS systems help you keep track of incoming and outgoing stocks, ensuring that the right items are available at the right time and that there is neither a shortage in stock nor stocks in excess. Besides helping in better inventory management, a robust point of sales (POS) system will enable you to integrate key areas of your operations such as payment processing, purchase, team management, and reporting.
Increase your Sales with Ginesys POS
Break down the walls between your stores and online channels by choosing Ginesys' advanced POS system. Whether customers opt for an online or store checkout, they will be assured of a hassle-free experience. Offer customers attractive vouchers, coupons and other rewards to increase your sales. Manage your store expenses, track inventories and a lot more.
Ginesys POS helps you seamlessly integrate between various channels and ace your customer’s shopping experience. Ginesys Cloud POS and Desktop POS facilitates your business with extensive omnichannel benefits.
Get in touch with us to become a bricks and clicks retailer today!