How to Survive the Retail Purge

Industry Insight

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For years, there has been a growing decline in sales at traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores. Popular stores like Gap, Chico’s, and Charlotte Ruse are closing a large number of their brick-and-mortar stores based on consumer changes. Shopping online isn’t something new but a lot of customers are starting to value convenience over shopping in physical stores.

Overall, Customers just want more fulfillment options that match their needs.

Target’s in-store fulfillment strategy has met this demand for customers by giving shoppers the option for same-day pickup at a retail location closest to them. This can be possible by using eCommerce tools that can keep track and manage your operations.

Learn how you can avoid low sales by using these tips to maintain customer loyalty based on changing shopping trends:

Offer In-store Pickup

As we mentioned earlier, Target’s investment for offering in-store pickup is paying off with customers, which has reduced their costs by over 40%. In-store fulfillment has many benefits for both retailers and customers. Eliminating the cost of a warehouse and external distribution services can help reduce spending for your business. For customers, they can visit the closest retail store and leave with their order on the same day. Unexpected delivery times are no longer a problem along with shipping fees, one of the top reasons customers abandon their carts.

The drawback of in-store fulfillment is overselling products. If your store doesn’t have a robust inventory management system that can provide real-time updates on your in-store inventory you may run into customer service issues.

Learn how you can keep track of your inventory from one dashboard and automate your inventory restock operations, making in-store fulfillment possible for your customers here.

Automate Your Operations

Another way to retain customers is to automate your operations. No more creating endless entries in a spreadsheet. Automation can help your business perform tasks faster, making accelerated shipping and in-store pickup possible for your customers.

Optimize Your Mobile Experience

Another reason behind the lack of foot traffic in retail stores today is that many choose to purchase items online rather than at a brick-and-mortar. During the next few years, it’s estimated that over half of commerce sales will be generated from mobile devices. So it’s important to make sure your mobile site is optimized for the best customer experience. Making your mobile site faster and more responsive to browsing customers.

Check out how SalesWarp can transform your store with a seamless inventory management system that creates smarter fulfillment options for your customers by getting a personalized demo.