Web-to-Store Strategy: The 6 Mistakes to Avoid for Beginners
Attracting consumers in stores is one of the main challenges of the web-to-store approach. If the principle is attractive, the implementation can easily turn into disaster. Following are 6 traps to avoid imperatively.
1. Do not include stores in the web-to-store approach
It is easy to think that the web-to-store approach only takes place on the digital side, via the creation of a dedicated portal. However, the links between the web and the physical point of sale must be ensured, through the realization of specific arrangements. In this context, getting the teams to work together and involving the store’s business managers – in particular the web team – is essential.
2. Think of the web-to-store as a silo
The risk here is to partition the organization of the company with a team dedicated to digital and another to the physical point of sale. Before implementing a web-to-store approach, consider establishing a cross-channel strategy.
This will make it possible to use centralized management tools efficiently and integrate the organizational process with the teams, in order to ensure coherence for the consumer journey. Not to be neglected also: the transformation of trades generated by the implementation of the web-to-store.
3. Do not offer a specific web-to-store experience in the store
The web-to-store approach is not just a click-and-collect service, which limits upsell opportunities. At the point of sale, the web-to-store experience must be valued. You can, for example, bet on setting up a web-to-store customer access priority, or on targeted and personalized offers based on the consumer’s journey.
Be careful, however, to avoid internal competition. It’s about creating a complementarity between the web-to-store and the physical sale.
4. Do not include sales forces in the process
An effective web-to-store strategy necessarily includes sales forces and positions them as a bridge between the store and the online shopping platform. Objective: to enable them to offer tailored solutions to customers by directing them to the right service.
To do this, consider setting up an appropriate commissioning program, as well as equipping salespeople with tools to help sales and customer knowledge. Training and coaching is also a great way to get your team members to join your web-to-store goals while increasing their skills.
5. Use only part of the types of purchase web-to-store
Defining good customer experiences to bring consumers to the store is the best way to get them to make a purchase. In store, they will indeed find more references than online, but also advisers who can tip the balance in favor of an acquisition.
Limiting your approach to click-and-collect or a single type of web-to-store purchase is therefore not recommended. To stick to the needs of a maximum of consumers, it is better to cumulate the options at their disposal, such as:
- a drive-to-store to take into account the mobility factor;
- an e-reservation option;
- a service to solicit expert salespeople for advice.
6. Do not communicate sufficiently with the consumer
Last heresy: isolate the consumer. Although it goes through the web, your customer needs to be informed at every step of the sale, from the purchase confirmation to the explanation of the withdrawal options. Without communication, the chances of gaining trust, and thus closing a sale, are diminished.
The options offered by the web in this case are unlimited. For example, setting up a single cross-channel file and personalizing exchanges with each consumer can help you build trust and build customer loyalty.
