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Google says online shopping is not the enemy to brick & mortar

By   /  October 24, 2014  /  No Comments

Google recently partnered with  Ipsos Media CT and Sterling Brands to do a study on how online shopping use of smart phones has e]affected brick and mortar stores. They discovered a few counterintuitive things, which are:

  • Shoppers expect more from in store interaction
  • Individuals looking at smart phone while in a store probably aren’t looking at competitors’ sites
  • Mobile shopping presents opportunities to brick and mortar retailers

You can read the whole thing at Think With Google, but the biggest thing I got out of the research results was that if you fight or ignore mobile shoppers, you’re causing more problems for yourself than e-tailers ever will.

2 Day Shipping Doesn’t Replace “Now”

Two day shipping is the cat’s pajamas; however, it isn’t always available, especially two days before Christmas without paying an arm, a leg and a kidney.  Additionally, not everything on even Amazon is Prime eligible, so even 2 day shipping may come at a cost greater than a gallon of gas.  Furthermore, if I want something, I tend to want it, like, right this second.  I can either wait a few days and hover around the front door waiting for the delivery guy or I can get in my car and have whatever it is I want in my hot little hands in an hour.  That’s a fairly important thing to be able to offer consumers.

 You Can’t Fondle Something In a Warehouse Across The Country

I’m not sure if this is an American thing, a me thing or what, but I like to “kick the tires” as it were.  Two of my biggest weaknesses are makeup and yarn, both of which need a good groping before I’m ready to jump on board.  (I’ve felt yarn labeled as “super soft for babies” that was clearly made by someone who hated babies.)  I could hope that people’s reviews match my personal preference or I could hit JoAnn’s and Ulta (located next to each other to the grief of my bank account) and experience things for myself.

I may later repurchase things in different colors and such online, but I’ll probably do it from the same place I bought it from because I, like most people, buy from the same place of initial purchase.

How To Get People To Show Up

According to Google’s data, the things that people wanted and would make them walk through a front door are:

  • Personalized coupons
  • In store availability
  • Pricing information at local stores

That’s not particularly difficult to achieve, and AdWords offers Local Inventory Ads, so you can tell people right in an ad if something is available close to them.  Even if you’re not using local inventory ads, be sure that there’s some way for people to find out if an item is in stock for them locally.  While knowing something is there is a draw, one in four people said they’d avoid a local store so as not to have to deal with an item being out of stock.


Image Credit: Forbes

  • Published: 9 years ago on October 24, 2014
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  • Last Modified: November 4, 2014 @ 1:45 pm
  • Filed Under: News
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About the author

I'm an avid reader of stuff and devour information of all kind. For the past four years, I've been pursuing my passion for writing. When I'm not reading or writing, you'll find me knitting. Follow me on twitter: @MarilynMaupinTS

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