The shopping landscape has changed considerably over the past decade with new, innovative practices, technology and fresh ideas to reinvigorate the consumer to the brand. With online shopping being a huge instigator in the changes within certain retail sectors and the pandemic supporting this transition to a more online-focused way of shopping, retailers have had to reconsider how to maintain interest in-person within their stores.
What was once a trip to pick up essentials, pay for them and go home has evolved into a browsing and shopping experience for many. With the growth in new sectors and the sheer amount of stores and products available to consumers; customers have changed the way they view shopping, from just necessities to looking for new products from different cultures, innovative solutions to daily problems and many more. The target audience has changed as has their needs, forcing brands and retailers to reassess how to connect their consumers with their company.
Whilst new products are launched, how are retailers to keep up with their own online shopping experience when, in such a busy world, people turn to ease and speed?
Asda is one of many retailers who are adapting their consumer’s experience to make shopping an evolved experience once more. After a trial run in their Milton Keynes outlet in 2021, Asda have opened a bar at its Pudsey supercentre in Leeds. Here, they sell craft beer, cider and cocktails for consumers to enjoy. A bar in a supermarket is a concept that sounds slightly strange at first but when explored, it appears that the drinks are dispensed into refillable glass containers for customers to enjoy at home. These containers can be kept or brought back to be refilled again which has an additional sustainability benefit to the process. The drinks available can also be offered as part of the home delivery schemes of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Click and Collect.
Boots have been ahead of the game regarding their consumer experience, offering something that online shopping can try, but rarely match up to. As one of the go-to retailers for all things beauty related, Boots stock a huge variety of brands and within the UK, launched 36 new beauty brands within 2020-2021. This in itself is a strategic move to continually expand their offering and client base, but what really helps them interact with their customers directly is their free colour matching for foundations.
When shopping online, there are apps that can try and help people find their perfect foundation colour match as well as descriptions including undertones but to truly get an exact match - the best way is to do it face-to-face. Their staff are on hand to help guide you through the foundation of your choosing with expert advice including the best way to apply and how well the formula works with specific skin types. This allows consumers to choose to trawl online for answers or go in store and get advice directly from the source and a free service, meaning they are more likely to buy the product knowing it is the right shade for them.
Lush is another brand who knows how to create a memorable customer experience. Not only are you met with an incredibly pleasant fragrance the minute you step through the door which inevitably, by word of mouth, becomes associated intrinsically with their brand. But, the staff are trained specifically with the customer experience in mind. With free consultations regarding specific skincare needs and demonstrations, Lush creates a branded experience to aid every customer, making them all the more likely to buy.
A brand who understands its target audience well is lululemon. They know how to attract a like-minded community and go above and beyond to maintain these relationships. Lululemon runs yoga classes around the UK for all different levels of fitness and targets. This is an excellent, effective way to attract new clientele and make present customers almost a brand ambassador and they become the first brand customers think of to buy from.
LEGO has also addressed the need for engaging, interactive in-store experiences to maintain their presence on the high street. Select locations across the country feature booths that design personalised LEGO kits. Dotted throughout the stores are often huge LEGO sculptures too, truly making a memorable experience.
A final example to include out of the many retailers approaching a post-Covid way of shopping outside of online resources, is Amazon. Despite being one of the retailers that actually thrived during the global pandemic, Amazon has not wanted to remain a purely online resource in the UK. They saw a space in the market for an in-store experience that reduced queues and was overall ‘speedier’. Launching their first physical store in the US in 2018, which sells products rated four stars or higher and trending items, they altered the format for a UK audience with their first general store, launched in 2021, which doesn’t have checkouts.
These are just some examples of how brands and retailers are addressing the need for an in-store experience to match up to the convenience and ease of online shopping. If people are choosing to shop in-store, there needs to be more to entice them to maintain that interest. When it is incredibly easy to order the majority of what we need from the comfort of our own homes, retailers need to look at how the market is changing if they want to continue garnering consumer interest.
As well as an available in-store option being integral for older generations who often do not shop online, it is these sorts of experiences that not only bring consumers into the stores themselves but maintain an interest after they leave. For instance, if you try a yummy cocktail at Asda’s new bar, you will return to them for another, rather than shopping at another competing supermarket when you are not guaranteed the same results. If you are choosing a new foundation but are unsure if the colour works for you, consumers will go to Boots, rather than a similar competitor that may stock the same foundation but does not offer this service. The consumer experience is vital for the high street to thrive and it is time retailers took note and placed their focus on it.