Page 31 - NECO News

Despite the popularity of e-commerce, it must be noted that a coherent online presence also succeeds handily in bringing customers into a store to buy. When it comes to retail sales, particularly within the appliance and electronics market, there is still the desire by the customer to see the product in person and even touch it. This cannot be done online so the website provides the initial investigation tool. At first view, the site allows the customer to become acquainted with the store. Once on the website, prospective customers can see what the store looks like, check its locations, hours and contact information, view featured brands and products, and find occurrences of discounts and sales. For the savvier customers, the website may direct them to a competitive
”awards program or store credit card. The online pres- ence is needed to set a tone for your business and to motivate people to come to your location.
Sales made within the confines of a store remain formidable. According to the Census Bureau’s study, e-commerce sales, despite consistent growth, made up only 7.7% of total retail sales for this year’s first quarter. The fact remains that the majority of a retail store’s sales remain on the floor along with a dedicated and seasoned sales team. The company website fosters this growth mechanism while acting as the common denominator for both in-store and online sales.
As one of the most important factors in a company’s success, a store’s website also presents a unique array of challenges. Without it, the ability to drive sales would be in question. Constant vigilance and maintenance of the site is absolutely necessary for customer awareness. An antiquated or cumbersome website is a direct reflection on the quality of your business and risks turning off the customer whether he intends to buy online or in-store. For an independent retailer, who fights a perpetual battle for survival with its big box competitors, an outdated or incoherent website would be a threat to its very survival. With the stakes that high, website developers may be as important to a store as its sales department.
For continued sales growth and the ability to reach a customer base that is consistently bombarded by advertising across several different mediums, it is ironic that a company’s main ally remains the standard website. In many respects, it has supplanted the store window as the primary representation for retail businesses. As long as customers still drive to a store’s location to make a purchase or add an item to their online shopping carts, it would appear that an informative online presence will continuetoinfluenceretailsalesforyearstocome. N
John White, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President of Appliances, leads the creation and execution of all BrandSource marketing strategies across all product and service categories.
An antiquated or cumbersome website is a direct reflection on the quality of your business and risks turning off the customer whether he intends to buy online
or in-store.
~ John White
DECEMBER 2016
NECO News 31
Industry News