Wednesday 17 March 2010

It is possible for high street stores to win against on-line stores

This cheeky UK poster campaign Dixons highlights a major challenge brand stores face in this new internet age.

Consumers shop in a number of different ways. These are two:

They can shop in a store with a nice environment, a wide selection of goods, and that has sales staff who are courteous and know what they are talking about.

They can buy on-line.

Okay, a lot of consumers do both (the insight that lead to this campaign).

Some stores invest significant time and resource in ensuring they deliver brand experiences that deliver and delight consumers. While other stores don’t ; they have rude and ill informed staff that don’t give a damn.

Which do you think will survive and thrive this new age?

John Lewis Partnership focus on delivering brand experiences that WOW. Take a look at their customer care and business results to see how it pays-off.

If you manage a brand store that does not deliver a brand experience that WOWs consumers you are likely to fail as online stores take ever more share from the high street.

My recommendation is to leverage one of the main competitive advantages physical stores have... the ability to interact with consumers on an emotional level using the human touch. It is a powerful tool. Use it.

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