What a busy holiday season! Most of the economists said “This should be a dismal season”. Well, we dug in and brought a few more clients on-board. The majority of the industry recognizes the value of information. By spending a little time researching your customers buying habits, you are sure to capture more attention. The Organic Factor has been spending the last six months finding out about our brick and mortar retail consumer. We started this process in August 2008.

1. Is this your first time visiting the store?
2. Have you visited www.”".com?

Questions 3,4 were follow-up if the customer has visited the website.

3. Did you research the product before you stopped in?
4. Did you intend to make the online purchase?

When I did find the first time customer, the second question was replaced with -”How did you find us”?  This was a fun question as most were happy to answer – “The Store Locator on the manufacturers website” a response more prominent in sections of the store offering products not sold online.  The November & December groups also said “We have walked by for months and decided to stop in”. The largest group between Aug 08′ -Jan 09′ was the destination shopper. These customers have been in to the stores and made several purchases over the years.

The big surprise in our research was the answer to question 2 and targeted towards online awareness. A large portion(90-95%) of the customers surveyed, did not visit the retailers website before the purchase. We also found that a large portion of the destination shoppers (80%) were not aware of the corporate website. We found that these customers have made several big purchases ($300 or more) over the years at store level, yet most have never visited the website. The majority of these folks were familiar with the range of products and have visited and purchased at more than one store location. What about the customers that were intimate with both purchase channels (questions 3 & 4)? This category is one of the most significant, and also has the least amount of members (This group is growing steadily). Out of all the customers that made purchases at store level, only about 3-5% were actively utilizing both channels of purchase power. At this time the customer is still shaping and designing there own personal buying habits. I touched on the possible impact of mentioning the corporate website during the buying process with “Purchase Power to the Consumer”.  The article references a simple, no frills approach, to begin extending brand awareness towards the Internet. Both purchase channels provide an opportunity to capture the consumers dollar.

The exclusive Internet business relies on more than a Pay-Per-Click Campaign to drive quality web traffic. The Brick & Mortar Retailer also advertises in a number of different ways. The consumer is consistently reminding us that they too have a choice. They are making purchases at various store locations and retailers, both online and in-store. Here is a simple way to get started.

The corporate blog is becoming an acceptable website destination. A place to interact with your customer. It could be the bridge that starts to merge the gap between retailer and the tech savvy consumer. Keep your customers up to date with upcoming sales and promotions, new product launches, and general information pertaining to your industry. Luggage 360 embodies a well rounded informational destination that serves it’s purpose. To keep the consumer informed and showcase the products that are offered.  What could The Organic Factor do for your business?

To contact Brian J Brower click here