"Online" is dead. But so is "Offline"...

Trade takes place where the customer has a need and is open to your suggestions. Anyone who sticks to rigid boundaries today or even only sells online or offline will have a hard time in the long term.

In the past, there was only "retail". The distinction between "offline retail" and "online retail" only came about with the establishment of sensible value creation via digital channels. Let's dissolve these separate worlds, which certainly had a certain justification for a certain time. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing sight of the most important aspect of our offering: the customer benefit.

Putting the customer at the centre again

The unnecessary trench warfare between the "old" bricks-and-mortar retail and the new, "hip" digital online shop has already claimed many victims. This is because this way of thinking assumes that the customer is sometimes in this world and sometimes in the other. However, this has not been the case for some time now. Your customers are ALWAYS online and ALWAYS offline. Today more than ever, it is therefore important to tear down disruptive walls once and for all: As a retailer, you can benefit from the internet just as much as an online retailer can benefit from a brick-and-mortar shop.

The hare that rushes back and forth between the points of sale is already in intensive care. The hedgehog, on the other hand, who is always at the customer's side, no matter where they are or what mood they are in, enjoys a steadily growing condition and robust health. Do these explanations still seem too theoretical or metaphorical to you? Then let me get specific and give you a few examples from the functionality of our eCommerce solution:

Take the pressure off your customers

Imagine that your customer is currently in one of your brick-and-mortar shops and cannot yet decide on an offer. In the old way of thinking, the customer has to be processed for so long that they will never leave the shop without the item. "Out of sight, out of mind" was the motto until recently.

However, we now allow you to take this pressure off, print out the customised offer on a receipt and give it to the customer. Your customer can take their time to consider and decide, and even simply order the offer online. Even if they don't buy, they will remember your flexibility and expertise. The basis for your word-of-mouth advertising.

Bring the haptics back into play

Most customers are not convinced by technical data alone. They want to hold the product in their hands and try it out. Therefore, always show your customer the nearest shop online where they can see the product "in real life" and try it out directly if necessary. In our experience, interested customers will even travel several hundred kilometres to inspect the item directly. This way, you can also reach customers who are passing through and, if they like the product, simply order it online or take it home with them.

Show your stationary product range

Why should your customer go to the trouble of coming to you to find a particular product. If you don't have it in stock, maybe even have to order it first, they'll have to come back to pick it up. They would rather order it themselves from your online competitor.

Even if you don't want to sell your products online, you should still present your range online. With our eCommerce solution, for example, you have the choice of whether an item can be ordered online or whether it has to be collected from the shop. Even customised products and services can be realised via individual offers. This allows you to show what you offer at an early stage and attract new customers.

"Pull" instead of "push"

Many "push" sales methods have developed from the inability to "catch" the customer at the right moment. instead of the watering can principle, flexible, powerful solutions equipped with social antennae finally bring us back to the principle of eye level. This approach allows you to take on the role of the empathetic, trusted retailer who knew their customers inside out and always knew when and why there was a need. But this role is now almost infinitely scalable. Your customers honour it when you actually use the information they have entrusted to you in a way that creates real added value. Then they will also take a positive view of coherent up-selling offers and see the underlying context as a genuine service and not as a sales boost. Corresponding options would be:

• Vouchers (gift and promotional vouchers) should be redeemable anytime, anywhere. Avoid artificial online-offline media breaks.
• Centralise customer data records This not only increases the quality of your contact data, but also offers your customers a central compilation of all orders, invoices and receipts
• Simplify returns - thanks to centralised data storage, you can dispense with the obligation to provide receipts. You can also combine stationary returns, collections, parcel stations or shipping service provider bases. This allows you to generate a new purchase from a return.
• Individualise your customer approach (advertising, newsletter, contact). Use the centralised customer data to address your customers specifically.
• Rely on self-learning systems that aggregate meaningful and inspiring up- and cross-selling from the centralised user behaviour and communicate suitable offers to the customer in an unobtrusive manner.

This holistic approach actually has the potential to effectively reconcile the previous "opponents" in the long term and create real synergies. The next blog article will then take these thoughts further and address the challenge of turning customers into genuine regular customers and brand ambassadors. A customer-centred, flexible and powerful eCommerce solution is also ideally suited to this goal.