The Rise of Interactive Shopping Experience
Can shopping process be easier?
In today's increasingly complex and competitive market, business owners understand the importance of developing innovative concepts that cut through the clutter of products/services in the media and the confusing array of items at the point of purchase.
Retailers and boutique owners are expected to make the shopping process easier, interactive, and more experiential for their customers. This includes removing the fear of safety while providing convenience in the comfort of their own home.
But is it possible with social distance laws still in place?
The answer is YES! All thanks to Virtual Experiences.
What is a Virtual Experience?
Virtual Experiences help brands and companies evolve quickly and forge genuine ties with their customers by browsing online at any hour of the day and they have more resources to drive what products they choose. Shoppers get to digitally interact with products in a real, authentic way. This gives the user an immersive and real in-store shopping experience.
Virtual experiences aren't merely used to influence shopping behavior. It also allows companies to reach a bigger audience and spread awareness and understanding about their products. It enabled retailers to interact with customers all over the world, providing them a limitless reach and enlarging their target market.
What if the pandemic ends? Will it also be the end of Virtual Stores?
Customers have embraced online shopping, spending $861.12 billion online with U.S. retailers in 2020, up 44% from 2019. While the move to selling and shopping online was accelerated by the pandemic, it’s now changed consumer behavior and there’s no going back.
Retailers are now implementing the BOPIS (Buy Online, Pickup In-Store) sales strategy, which has resulted in greater conversion of online customers to in-store foot traffic. Not only that, but virtual stores provide a preview of what a physical business store has to offer. The majority of customers' decisions are influenced by what they see online prior to visiting actual stores. This alone has a significant impact on increasing in-store traffic and sales.
It is true that physical locations will remain an essential element of the shopping experience. However, brick and mortars need to reinvent their strategies to bring valuable in-store experiences to shoppers. They should be able to complement virtual shopping with an engaging in-store experience.
The pandemic's end will not mean the end of virtual stores. It is here to stay and will continue to help businesses to thrive. Solutions like VirXpo™ can help you navigate through the process of leveraging virtual stores for your business growth.