Digital retailing is capturing headlines and inspiring spirited debate as retailers plan how best to invest for future success. But beyond the headlines, physical stores remain the foundation of retailing, evidenced by the fact that 90 percent of all retail sales are transacted in stores and 95 percent of all retail sales are captured by retailers with a brick-and-mortar presence.
Omni-channel Retail - Bridging the Digital and Brick & Mortar DivideAdrian Teo
Ok, so you have a website, facebook page, even mobile apps, but how is that helping you to engage your consumers when you need it most… when they are at your outlets!
I mean how do you drive footfall and sales from digital to your brick & mortar channels? How do you identify your consumers, personalized that engagement and get them to buy before they step out?
And we don’t mean spamming everyone with the same promotion at that outlet, but personalized according to their profiles, transaction history and location. Better yet, it’s all automated, you really don’t want to be pouring through and interpreting heaps of customer data.
In this presentation, I share the challenges faced by retailers, shop owners, F&B and mall operators in bridging the digital and brick & mortar divide. While each solution is unique to your retail business, vertical or consumer behaviours, it is about breaking down the silos that exist in your consumer touch points, enterprise solutions, best practices and how TAO OF SHOP can help you to bring it all together.
The connected shopper. Fallacy fad or reality?Simon Etchells
Does the connected shopper really exist? Is ominchannel a trend or the future?
As the line between physical and digital begins to blur, what is the role, relevance and importance of the various channels in “omni channel”? With examples, case studies and insights I explore what the connected shopper paradigm means for now and the future.
Think Retail - print's role in the retail market of todayCanon Belgium
Innovation in retail and print's role in the retail market of today
The evolution of retail
Consumer psychologies
Connected consumers
Innovation
Where’s the opportunity for print?
How can PSPs get started?
Omni-channel Retail - Bridging the Digital and Brick & Mortar DivideAdrian Teo
Ok, so you have a website, facebook page, even mobile apps, but how is that helping you to engage your consumers when you need it most… when they are at your outlets!
I mean how do you drive footfall and sales from digital to your brick & mortar channels? How do you identify your consumers, personalized that engagement and get them to buy before they step out?
And we don’t mean spamming everyone with the same promotion at that outlet, but personalized according to their profiles, transaction history and location. Better yet, it’s all automated, you really don’t want to be pouring through and interpreting heaps of customer data.
In this presentation, I share the challenges faced by retailers, shop owners, F&B and mall operators in bridging the digital and brick & mortar divide. While each solution is unique to your retail business, vertical or consumer behaviours, it is about breaking down the silos that exist in your consumer touch points, enterprise solutions, best practices and how TAO OF SHOP can help you to bring it all together.
The connected shopper. Fallacy fad or reality?Simon Etchells
Does the connected shopper really exist? Is ominchannel a trend or the future?
As the line between physical and digital begins to blur, what is the role, relevance and importance of the various channels in “omni channel”? With examples, case studies and insights I explore what the connected shopper paradigm means for now and the future.
Think Retail - print's role in the retail market of todayCanon Belgium
Innovation in retail and print's role in the retail market of today
The evolution of retail
Consumer psychologies
Connected consumers
Innovation
Where’s the opportunity for print?
How can PSPs get started?
UK Retail - Rising Role Of Mobile For Modern Grocery BuyersInMobi
InMobi Vertical Insights series helps brand
advertisers understand how consumers
use mobile media to research and shop for
products and services, and how mobile
complements other channels throughout
the purchase process.
Omnichannel Marketing for shopping centreIT-factory
IT-factory solutions and products for shopping centers based on indoor navigation and localization using beacons: promotions and mobile coupons, shopping assistant and schemes of movement.
Radius shopper marketing - the full storyJohn Storey
1. What is shopper marketing all about?
2. The retailer
3. Shopper Vs. Consumer
4.1. Shopper ergonomics
4.2. Shopper behaviour
5. Great shopper marketing
6. Shopper research
People have changed the way they purchase things. Rather than going to the nearest store to research and make a purchase, customers now prefer to research online and then buy in-store, or vice versa. With the increasing popularity and use of mobile technology, people expect buying things from wherever they are and whenever they want to.
Your shoppers are evolving, is your shopper marketing? Right now you can connect offline and online advertising to create immersive shopper experiences and increase sales. We will explain how retail has become the foundation for data-driven shopper marketing and how smart marketers are leveraging this to execute true omni-channel campaigns. You’ll receive actionable insights and strategies that will help you take your marketing to the next level.
Retail strikes back omni channel retail_v.1.441_singtelAdrian Teo
Omni-Channel Retail is about bridging the gap between digital and brick & mortar. By unifying all channels, databases and gaining insights, retailers can engage consumers with highly personalized content - both in-store and anywhere.
Read how TAO OF SHOP is helping retailers to drive footfall, sales by redefining the shopping experience. TAO OF SHOP is available at https://mybusiness.singtel.com/catalogue/tao-of-shop
This report highlights the increasingly competitive nature
of the retail market, identifying changing consumer
behaviour as a key driver behind this. Consumers today
own much more ‘stuff’ than previous generations, making
it more difficult to persuade them to purchase additional
products. Consumers are also time-pressured, so convenience
and speed has taken priority.
All these factors, combined with supply side considerations - more intense focus on price, a deflationary retail environment and even greater choice - means retail growth will be much harder to achieve over the next ten years. For this reason, it is vital that retailers secure customer loyalty.
Understanding consumers’ behaviour, wants and needs is essential to build this loyalty. This isn’t just about knowing what customers want to buy, but truly understanding how and where they want to buy, their motivations and what they expect from their overall shopping experience.
This also means that retailers need to re-evaluate how to reach customers and reappraise traditional marketing techniques – many of which are still relevant, but are less impactful and influential in today’s environment. This deeper understanding will ultimately help retailers secure loyalty in the era of the unfaithful consumer.
In the 13th edition of the Tech Top 10s, explore 10 innovations in the realm of e-Commerce from all over the globe, as well as the Middle East of course.
Explore how you can shop through social media services such as Instagram and Twitter, by tapping on "likes" and #tagging or leaving "comments".
Also take a look at how one website connects Moroccan artisans with shopper worldwide.
You've probably come across PayPal, but have you ever heard of Arab PayPal? You will after reading this.
And finally, have you ever seen a Bitcoin ATM?
UK Retail - Rising Role Of Mobile For Modern Grocery BuyersInMobi
InMobi Vertical Insights series helps brand
advertisers understand how consumers
use mobile media to research and shop for
products and services, and how mobile
complements other channels throughout
the purchase process.
Omnichannel Marketing for shopping centreIT-factory
IT-factory solutions and products for shopping centers based on indoor navigation and localization using beacons: promotions and mobile coupons, shopping assistant and schemes of movement.
Radius shopper marketing - the full storyJohn Storey
1. What is shopper marketing all about?
2. The retailer
3. Shopper Vs. Consumer
4.1. Shopper ergonomics
4.2. Shopper behaviour
5. Great shopper marketing
6. Shopper research
People have changed the way they purchase things. Rather than going to the nearest store to research and make a purchase, customers now prefer to research online and then buy in-store, or vice versa. With the increasing popularity and use of mobile technology, people expect buying things from wherever they are and whenever they want to.
Your shoppers are evolving, is your shopper marketing? Right now you can connect offline and online advertising to create immersive shopper experiences and increase sales. We will explain how retail has become the foundation for data-driven shopper marketing and how smart marketers are leveraging this to execute true omni-channel campaigns. You’ll receive actionable insights and strategies that will help you take your marketing to the next level.
Retail strikes back omni channel retail_v.1.441_singtelAdrian Teo
Omni-Channel Retail is about bridging the gap between digital and brick & mortar. By unifying all channels, databases and gaining insights, retailers can engage consumers with highly personalized content - both in-store and anywhere.
Read how TAO OF SHOP is helping retailers to drive footfall, sales by redefining the shopping experience. TAO OF SHOP is available at https://mybusiness.singtel.com/catalogue/tao-of-shop
This report highlights the increasingly competitive nature
of the retail market, identifying changing consumer
behaviour as a key driver behind this. Consumers today
own much more ‘stuff’ than previous generations, making
it more difficult to persuade them to purchase additional
products. Consumers are also time-pressured, so convenience
and speed has taken priority.
All these factors, combined with supply side considerations - more intense focus on price, a deflationary retail environment and even greater choice - means retail growth will be much harder to achieve over the next ten years. For this reason, it is vital that retailers secure customer loyalty.
Understanding consumers’ behaviour, wants and needs is essential to build this loyalty. This isn’t just about knowing what customers want to buy, but truly understanding how and where they want to buy, their motivations and what they expect from their overall shopping experience.
This also means that retailers need to re-evaluate how to reach customers and reappraise traditional marketing techniques – many of which are still relevant, but are less impactful and influential in today’s environment. This deeper understanding will ultimately help retailers secure loyalty in the era of the unfaithful consumer.
In the 13th edition of the Tech Top 10s, explore 10 innovations in the realm of e-Commerce from all over the globe, as well as the Middle East of course.
Explore how you can shop through social media services such as Instagram and Twitter, by tapping on "likes" and #tagging or leaving "comments".
Also take a look at how one website connects Moroccan artisans with shopper worldwide.
You've probably come across PayPal, but have you ever heard of Arab PayPal? You will after reading this.
And finally, have you ever seen a Bitcoin ATM?
Omni Channel Best Practices Guide by RaymarkRaymark
Omni-channel retail is getting a lot of buzz these days. For good reason: consumers are shopping in new ways, and they expect to relate with brands on their own terms, whenever, wherever and however they desire. Faced with a world of options at their fingertips, gaining consumer loyalty can be an uphill battle. In this guide, Raymark explores the best practices retailers must consider when implementing omni-channel point of sale, clienteling and other retail systems.
For more information, visit www.raymark.com.
How Seamless are You?
Accenture went on a journey to understand consumer preferences to shop seamlessly across channels
and the ability of retailers to deliver that seamless experience.
The global retail sector now faces unprecedented changes and upheaval, with a broad set of technologies, influenced by social and economic trends, set to determine future.
Great white paper report published by St. Joseph Communications on Omni-channel advertising focused around providing solutions to retailers and brands.
Informes PwC - Encuesta Total Retail GlobalPwC España
El informe "Hacia un modelo de Total Retail", elaborado por PwC, analiza las expectativas y hábitos de consumo del comprador online, a partir de 15.000 entrevistas a compradores digitales de todo el mundo, y las implicaciones para las compañías del sector de distribución y consumo en los próximos años.
Informe de PwC sobre las expectativas y hábitos de consumo del comprador onlineMaría Bretón Gallego
El informe Hacia un modelo de ‘Total Retail’, elaborado por PwC, analiza las expectativas y hábitos de consumo del comprador online, a partir de 15.000 entrevistas a compradores digitales de todo el mundo, y las implicaciones para las compañías del sector de distribución y consumo en los próximos años.
Internet y las nuevas tecnologías han multiplicado la influencia del consumidor, pero, ¿qué les están pidiendo a las marcas? Las nuevas expectativas y hábitos del consumidor digital tendrán importantes implicaciones para las compañías del sector en los próximos años
Some important notes about retail industry such as:
Strategic Levers of Retailing,
Functions Performed by Retailers,
Types of Retailers,
Customers Perception and Buying Behavior,
Merchandise Management,
Issues with Merchandise Management.
The Joy of Shopping polled 7,250 shoppers in seven
markets – China, India, Brazil, Russia, USA, UK and UAE – across age, income and region (both Tier 2 and 3 regions as well as major cities). The first quantitative global study of shopper mindstates.
Similar to Omni- / Multi-Channel Retail - A.T. Kearney - Report - On Solid Ground (20)
Global Powers of Retailing Deloitte 2018Oliver Grave
Global Powers of Retailing Top 250
The 21st annual Global Powers of Retailing identifies the 250 largest retailers around the world based on publicly available data for FY2016 (fiscal years ended through June 2017), and analyzes their performance across geographies and product sectors. It also provides a global economic outlook and looks at the 50 fastest-growing retailers and new entrants to the Top 250.
The top five largest retailers maintained their positions on the leader board. A combination of organic growth, acquisitions, and exchange rate volatility shuffled the rest of the Top 10—which now accounts for 30.7 percent of the overall Top 250’s retail revenue (compared to 30.4 percent last year).
Retailers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) are by far, the largest companies (average retail revenue of nearly US$21.7 billion) as well as the most numerous (135 retailers accounting for 54 percent of all Top 250 companies and two-thirds of Top 250 revenue).
Transformative change, reinvigorated commerce
The rules of retailing are being rewritten in this time of transformative change. Innovation, collaboration, consolidation, integration, and automation will likely be required to reinvigorate commerce, profoundly impacting the way retailers do business now, and in the future. Across the retail industry, disruption of traditional business models has given way to unprecedented and transformative change—change required online and offline to better serve more demanding shoppers and redefining customer experience.
The four trends identified in the report are:
- Building top-notch digital capabilities
- Combining bricks and clicks makes up for lost time
- Creating unique and compelling in-store experiences
- Reinventing retail with the latest technologies
Americas - home of the biggest Jackpot Lottery - the largest Casino Operators - and prosperous Emerging Market Territories. This list of Major Gaming Operations might be helpful to explore new business opportunities in North and South America.
Major Gaming Operations - ASIA / EURASIAOliver Grave
With 60% of the World Population and a median age of 31 years - Asia is the most prosperous region for future gaming operations. This overview of Major Gaming Operations might be helpful to identify new market territories and business partners across Asia / Eurasia.
Challenged by robust state monopolies, different regulatory restrictions and divers consumer habits - few European Gaming Companies master exponential growth. This map of Major Gaming Operations might be useful to evaluate business opportunities and identify most prosperous Operators in Europe.
No matter how you build and grow your gaming business (by individual preferences - random opportunity -or rational formula) this Summary of Major Gaming Operations might be useful to explore and analyse new prospects in Africa.
This report marks the 20th year of identifying
the 250 largest retailers around the world and
analyzing their performance across geographies,
sectors, and channels.
Over the last 20 years we have seen a seismic shift
in retail and the customers that retailers serve.
Consider that in 1997, the inaugural year of this report,
today’s average Amazon Prime customer was just
16 years old, AOL was pioneering social media, and
handheld virtual pets were the hottest-selling toys.
Today, handheld (or wearable) digital devices are
ubiquitous and a younger, social customer has come of
age. We are living in an era where customers are in the
driver’s seat more than ever before and they are craving
authenticity, newness, convenience, and creativity. We
are living in the customer-driven economy.
International auditor and consultancy KPMG has published an eGaming specific industry report detailing current sector trends, risks and challenges as part of its ‘KPMG eGaming Summit’
he 70-page report sponsored by Continent 8 Technologies, features a detailed summary of all the sessions from the day which covered everything from the market’s view of the sector and recent deals, to the introduction of the National Online Self-Exclusion Scheme (NOSES) and key issues as such as cyber security, reputation and regulatory divergence.
State of the Web in 2016 - Mary MeekerOliver Grave
Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers puts together a fascinating and influential presentation each year on the state of the web.
The report, chock-full of insights and stats, delves into the biggest trends in digital.
She just released 2016's presentation at Vox Media's Code Conference.
Big themes this year include how search is changing, the impact of messaging apps, and the future of transportation.
1. 1On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
On Solid Ground:
Brick-and-Mortar
Is the Foundation of
Omnichannel Retailing
2. 1On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
Executive Summary
Digital retailing is capturing headlines and inspiring spirited debate
as retailers plan how best to invest for future success. But beyond
the headlines, physical stores remain the foundation of retailing,
evidenced by the fact that 90 percent of all retail sales are transacted
in stores and 95 percent of all retail sales are captured by retailers
with a brick-and-mortar presence.
According to the Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study—the latest
addition to A.T. Kearney’s ongoing study of the evolution of omnichannel
commerce—physical stores are clearly customers’ preferred shopping
channel and a place where the most significant consumer and retailer
value continues, and will continue, to be created.
It is important to acknowledge that shoppers actually find physical
stores appealing—especially when we read all the hype about online and
digital. Stores provide consumers with a sensory experience that allows
them to touch and feel products, immerse in brand experiences, and
engage with sales associates who provide tips and reaffirm shopper
enthusiasm for their new purchases.
The store plays a crucial role in online purchases, as two-thirds of
customers purchasing online use a physical store before or after the
transaction. In these cases, the store makes a significant contribution to
converting the sale, even though the transaction is eventually registered
online. In other words, the source of value creation (brand building,
product awareness) is distinct—or decoupled—from the place of value
capture (sales transaction). This is particularly important for retailers, as
they consider resource allocation decisions across channels to ensure
that the true value the physical store creates is accounted for properly.
The future of retail is solidly anchored in the brick-and-mortar channel.
With customer satisfaction at the core of retailing, successful retailers
will do their part to provide consumers with the ability to shop when and
where they want. And it’s been proven that having multiple channels is
good for business.
The debate should not be a question of digital or physical. Successful
retailers understand how each customer touch point adds value (as
defined by the customer) and develop omnichannel strategies—with
stores as the foundation—that maximize customer satisfaction and
profitability.
1On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
Key Facts
and Figures
95 percent of all
retail sales are
captured by
retailers with a
brick-and-mortar
presence
Two-thirds of
consumers who
purchase online
use the store
before or after
the transaction
The value of stores
for customers and
retailers is far
greater than the
sales that are
captured within
them
Physical stores
help retailers drive
online sales
It’s not physical or
digital; it’s physical
with digital. Having
multiple channels is
good for business
3. 2On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
Introduction: The View from the Store
In what some believe to be an era where high technology holds almost all the answers for
retailing, physical stores are quietly evolving through the integration of digital innovations,
ultimately vying to offer consumers a true omnichannel retail environment.
However, while innovation is always exciting, it is important to remember that today 90
percent of all U.S. retail sales still occur within the four walls of a physical store (see figure 1).
And, even in this day and age of smartphones, social media, and same-day delivery, retailers
with a brick-and-mortar presence collectively sell more on their websites than pure online
players. Why? Because shopping is a journey, whether online or in the real world.
The Shopping Journey
Every product purchase can be seen as a shopping journey, beginning with product discovery
and leading to trial and test, purchase, delivery or pickup, and, in some cases, to returns.
Participants in the study were asked to report their preferences across each stage of this journey
(see sidebar: About the Study on page 3).
Consumers select channels based on a broad range of criteria, from physical convenience to
brand loyalty to the desire to be entertained or surprised. As a result, how and where consumer
value is created and captured depends on the consumer’s preferences. However, irrespective of
who the consumer is and what she or he is buying, the study finds that physical stores remain the
cornerstone of the consumer’s shopping journey.
Think of a consumer who goes to a store to learn about or try a product and then decides to
purchase it through the retailer’s website. Now imagine another who learns about that same
product through online reviews, and goes to the store to check dimensions and purchase it.
In the first example, the consumer’s experience in the physical store is integral to winning the
Figure 1
Total U.S. retail sales (2013)
Multichannel online sales
Physical store sales
Pure-play online sales
5%
5%
90%
95%
store-
related
Source: A.T. Kearney analysis
4. 3On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
purchase, thus creating value during the first two stages in the shopping journey. In the second
case, the store plays a role in both creating and capturing value.
The emergence of multiple channels has introduced—more dramatically than at any other time in
the history of retailing—a decoupling of the source of value creation from where value is captured,
with crucial implications for all omnichannel retailers.
Decoupling Value Creation from Value Capture
Value is created at multiple steps along the customer’s shopping journey as the decision to
make a specific purchase is informed, supported, and reinforced. Value is captured when the
purchase is tendered. Put another way, value creation is a precondition to value capture. If the
shopper isn’t convinced a transaction has sufficient value, she or he will not make a purchase.
While value can be captured through both physical and digital channels, the study finds that
most consumers prefer engaging with physical stores irrespective of where the final value
capture takes place. In two-thirds of the instances when consumers indicate a preference for
online purchases they still rely on physical stores for other important steps in their shopping
journey—an example of the decoupling of value between channels. Perhaps not surprisingly,
this preference for stores is even more pronounced for high touch-and-feel categories, such as
apparel and accessories: the physical store is involved at various stages along the shopping
journey in 71 percent of online sales. The same percentage also applies to more standardized
categories, such as consumer electronics. The research supports the scope of this decoupling
effect and demonstrates how and why sales are becoming increasingly channel-agnostic.
The decoupling phenomenon requires that successful retailers develop effective value creation
and capture tracking technologies and systems to track shopper engagement beyond “sales.”
Without such systems in place it may be too easy for some retailers to begin to downplay the
contribution their physical stores make toward a successful shopping journey. As retailers
develop the ability to better track the value created and captured by their physical stores, the
power for focusing in-store investments that drive additional benefits for the retailer and its
consumers will be more apparent.
About the Study
The importance of traditional
retailing is reinforced by
A.T. Kearney’s Omnichannel
Shopping Preferences Study,
which asked more than 2,500 U.S.
shoppers about their shopping
preferences and behaviors. The
research protocol used the
following birth year segmentation
as the foundation for its cohort
analysis. Teens: 1995–2001;
millennials: 1980–1994;
generation X: 1965–1979; baby
boomers: 1950–1964; seniors:
born before 1950. As part of the
research protocol each
respondent was allowed to
provide input for multiple
categories; categories included
in this study are apparel and
accessories, health and beauty,
furniture, jewelry, computer and
electronics, and sporting goods.
This report summarizes the
findings of the study, input from a
variety of retailers and property
developers, and A.T. Kearney
retail sector analysis.
The Omnichannel Consumer
Preferences Study is the newest
in our series of breakthrough
research in retail innovation. This
independentsurveyofconsumers
and retail executives was funded
by, and completed in cooperation
with, leading U.S. shopping mall
real estate developers.
5. 4On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
Brick-and-Mortar Is the Future of Modern Retail
While most consumers shop multiple channels, their channel preferences vary by age, purchase
category, and stage in the shopping journey. Consumers differ sometimes significantly. But when
they explain their channel choices, they consistently state the importance of convenience, which
is supported by the immediacy stores provide to consumers.
By examining each step of the shopping journey, retailers can see how channel preference
differs by category and demographic cohort, and understand why developing an integrated
omnichannel experience is pivotal to retail success.
To better understand how this works, let’s look at the five steps of the shopping experience
(see figure 2).
Figure 2
In-store channel preference by step in the shopping journey
Note: For survey question “Do you prefer to [INSERT STAGE] [INSERT CATEGORY] online or in a physical store?” n = 2,504 respondents and r = 8,518 journeys
Source: A.T. Kearney Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study, 2014
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
2. Trial 3. Purchase 4. Pickup 5. Return
Apparel and
accessories
Computer and
electronics
Health and beauty, and furniture
Fine jewelry
Furniture
Computer and
electronics
Health and
beauty
Furniture
Furniture
Highest in-store preference Average in-store preference Lowest in-store preference
1. Discovery
Health and
beauty
% of total respondents per category
1. Discovery
Discovery is the only stage along the transactional journey where shoppers prefer online for
a select few categories. However, the majority of consumers prefer in-store discovery for key
retail categories such as apparel and accessories, health and beauty, and furniture.
For these categories, in addition to convenience, consumers identify stores as the preferred
destination for exploring new products with a broad selection of choices.
6. 5On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
2. Trial and test
When it comes to product trial and test, respondents indicate a clear preference for
physical stores.
For high touch-and-feel categories including apparel and accessories, health and beauty, and
furniture, respondent preference for in-store trial and testing is as high as 85 percent. Even for
standardized categories such as consumer electronics, trial and test preferences are in the 76
percent range—shoppers don’t really know the difference between LCD and LED; they choose
what looks better to them. Immediacy, ease, and accuracy of testing are all cited as reasons for
preferring in-store trial.
3. Purchase
A.T. Kearney finds that when it comes down to making a purchase, stores are preferred in the
majority of cases.
For purchase, consumers find that stores offer immediacy and accessibility that cannot be
replicated through other means. For categories such as fine jewelry, electronics, furniture, and
sporting goods, consumers additionally value stores for their better customer service, which
they believe is not available online.
In-store pickups offer a sense of
reliability and trust that consumers
don’t find online.
4. Delivery or pickup
The study establishes that, overall, consumers prefer in-store pickup over home delivery, but
preferences vary by category. Of all the categories, in-store pickup is most popular for health
and beauty and fine jewelry products. In-person, in-store pickups exclusively offer a sense of
reliability and trust that consumers don’t find online and through home delivery, in addition to
the obvious benefit of being able to take goods home immediately.
5. Returns
Across all product categories, physical stores are vital centers for product returns, even for
purchases made online. In fact, after trial and testing, returns is the stage in the shopping
journey where consumers demonstrate the highest preference for physical stores over online
shopping. This clear preference for in-store returns is a product of the desire for accessibility,
immediacy, and time efficiency, which translates to a behavioral pattern of returning products
to the nearest store. And this is great news for physical retailers. For online pure-plays, returns
are a dead-net cost; for a brick-and-mortar store, a return is a potential new sale.
The respondents seem to be saying that a retail channel’s unique characteristics determine
which role it does—or can—play along their individual shopping journey. But other factors,
including demographics, also shape preferences.
7. 6On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
Generational Poles and Parallels
Regardless of age, stores are generally preferred across the shopping journey, although where
and how consumers interact with stores differs by age group (see figure 3).
Figure 3
In-store channel preference by step in the shopping journey
Note: For survey question “Do you prefer to [INSERT STAGE] [INSERT CATEGORY] online or in a physical store?” n = 2,504 respondents and r = 8,518 journeys
Source: A.T. Kearney Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study, 2014
2. Trial 3. Purchase 4. Pickup 5. Return1. Discovery
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Seniors
Millennials
Seniors
Millennials
Seniors
Millennials
Seniors
Millennials
Gen X
Seniors
Seniors in-store preference Gen X in-store preference
Millennials in-store preference Teens in-store preference
Baby boomers in-store preference
% of total respondents per age group
Interestingly, teens’ overall preference for physical stores is one of the highest, and greater even
than that of millennials and generation Xers. This is a critical fact for retailers and other branders
eager to engage customers early in their lives in hopes of building lifelong relationships. Meeting
teens where they prefer to shop requires a trip to a physical store.
More than any other age group, millennials prefer using multiple retail channels, be they digital
or physical. And when they visit a physical location, their preference is for trips designed to
accomplish multiple goals. Nonetheless, the majority of millennial customers prefer stores for
trial and test, purchase, and returns.
Across all categories, seniors prefer physical stores to online shopping. Baby boomers’
channel preferences are more closely aligned with those of seniors, with a demonstrably
higher preference for brick-and-mortar stores. Boomers and generation Xers cite a variety of
pragmatic reasons for preferring shopping in the physical channel, from accessibility and
time efficiency to better product selection.
8. 7On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
The Bottom Line: It’s Not Physical or Digital—
It’s Physical with Digital
As we have seen from the study results, most shopping experiences are journeys that span
multiple channels. As illustrated by figure 4, consumer channel preference varies by stage in
the shopping journey, although the most common preferred shopping journey is exclusively
store-based for each stage. Fifty-five percent of consumers prefer to use both stores and online
throughout the entire journey. Of the 30 possible multichannel journeys, the most common is
one in which online is used solely for initial product discovery and the store is preferred for trial,
purchase, pickup, and returns.
Viewing retail strategy through the lens of two separate—and at times competing—channels
hinders retailers’ ability to create a seamless, end-to-end customer experience.
Clearly, a strategy based on leveraging the appeal of the physical store supported by digital is
the best formula for capturing the maximum number of sales, building sustainable customer
loyalty, and creating opportunities to cross-sell.
Not only are consumers engaging multiple channels throughout the journey, one-third of
consumers use more than one channel simultaneously at any given stage in the journey—for
example, price checking on a smartphone while in a store. Understanding the consumer’s
desire for a seamless shopping experience, progressive retailers are devising innovative
strategies for maximizing channel value.
18%
4%
5%
6%
7%
10%
15%
35%
Figure 4
Store, digital, and multichannel shopping journey preferences
% of total journeys
100% of all
shopping
journeys
Multi
Multi
Multi
Multi
Multi
Digital
Multi
Store
Store Digital
25 other multichannel
combinations
Trial
and test
Purchase Delivery
or pickup
ReturnDiscovery
Note: For survey question “Do you prefer to [INSERT STAGE] [INSERT CATEGORY] online or in a physical store?” n = 2,504 respondents and r = 8,518 journeys
Source: A.T. Kearney Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study, 2014
9. 8On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
The Benefit to Retailers
There’s a lot of profit potential in an omnichannel customer offering, which connects a strong
store base and digital channels. The potential is driven by three factors: increased shopper
loyalty, sales lift, and the opportunity for cross-channel sales. Let’s begin by looking at loyalty.
Understanding the Multi-Channel Shopper, a 2011 study conducted by the Verde Group and the
Jay H. Baker Retailing Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, found that
multichannel shoppers are more loyal and spend more than single-channel shoppers. It also
showed that brand loyalty is directly correlated with retail channel usage. The more channel
opportunities a retailer offers, the more channels a customer shops. And, the more channels
a customer shops, the more loyal the customer.
Internet retailers are seeing value in
physical stores and are rapidly
expanding their physical footprint.
The same study showed that multichannel consumers are 15 percent more likely than single-
channel consumers to recommend a retailer and that the average spend of three-channel
consumers is more than twice that of single-channel shoppers. And then there are those sales
lifts, difficult to achieve in the world of single-channel physical retailing.
Even companies that were the darlings of the digital retail boom—Internet retailers such as
Bonobos and Warby Parker—are seeing value in physical stores and are rapidly expanding their
physical footprint. These click-to-brick retailers report e-commerce sales lifts of three to five
times in the built-out markets. This is, at least in part, explained by the fact that retailers report
that up to 70 percent of their online consumers live within a physical store’s trade area.
There is also a growing advantage of multiple channels: the presence of stores increases
value to e-commerce sales and vice versa. The value of a retail strategy that operates multiple
channels has been demonstrated by studies that found 23 percent of consumers purchase
more items when picking up an online order from stores. Retailers also report that up to 20
percent of consumers who return an online purchase in store make an additional purchase.
Stores are Just Good Business
Recognizing the benefits of cross-channel retailing, many click-to-brick retailers are beginning to
invest heavily in physical stores, or, as in the example of eBay’s kiosks in San Francisco and New
York, at least in a physical interface. Previous pure-play dot-coms such as Athleta and Boston
Proper have now moved into the physical space, and even Amazon.com has experimented with
pop-up stores.
The store count for five click-to-brick retailers has grown by more than 140 locations over the
past five years (see figure 5 on page 9).
While some traditional retailers are adjusting their store portfolio in the face of changing
shopper preferences, others, such as Restoration Hardware and Burberry, are expanding their
10. 9On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
footprints and reinvesting in physical assets (see Burberry case example below). Fast-fashion
retailers including H&M and Uniqlo are aggressively looking for new markets, and an increasing
number of traditional stores are staging new services such as Macy’s store fulfillment and Gap’s
Reserve In Store.
An A.T. Kearney analysis of Bloomberg data and leading retailers’ annual reports found top
retailers with multiple channels are spending 76 percent of their capex on store experience and
offerings, a 6 percent CAGR increase since 2011 (see figure 5).
Figure 5
Retailer investments in physical stores
1
Top retailers includes a sample of: Nordstrom, JCPenney, Foot Locker, Neiman Marcus, Williams-Sonoma, Zales, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Limited Brands.
Sources: Bloomberg, retailer websites, annual reports; A.T. Kearney analysis
U.S. store count for notable click-to-brick retailers
(2009–2013)
35
65
14
31
51
12
13
6
8
1012
6
4
2012
84
2011
30
2010
8
2009
141
Athleta
Microsoft
Warby Parker
Bonobos
Boston Proper
2013 201320122011
% of capex to store and
store-related investments
Top retailers % of capex spent on stores1
(2011–2013)
68%
71%
76%
+6% CAGR
7
Case Example: Burberry’s Digitized Stores Offer a Seamless and Inspiring Shopping Experience
Sources: Luxury Daily, The Telegraph; A.T. Kearney analysis
Burberry’s flagship store on Regent Street in London showcases how the
luxury retailer is integrating multimedia technologies to provide customers
with a seamless in-store shopping experience. Upon entering the store, customers
see full-length screens with audio-visual content, live streaming hubs, and mirrors,
allowing customers to explore products they see models wearing. When a customer
approaches a piece of clothing, RFID tags attached to these items activate and
display information about the article of clothing. Burberry has brought innovations
into the Burberry Beauty Box. Customers can place products on RFID platforms and
see how those products look on them through a projected image. Customers who
find what they want can also check out at portable point-of-sale systems that each
sales associate carries, further creating a seamless and memorable shopping trip,
minimizing annoyances, and increasing satisfaction.
11. 10On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar Is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing
Whatever the strategy, format, or channel, the future of retailing will be characterized by
consumer-centricity as operators continue to capitalize on emerging opportunities to better
serve the customer demands for “anything, anytime, anywhere.”
Parting Thoughts
Over time, retailers will continue to integrate physical and digital resources and incorporate
new platforms and devices as they build an enhanced shopping experience in response to
their customers’ desire for retail solutions that deliver anything, anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
Tomorrow’s consumer will also demand increasingly customized fulfillment of preferences,
from convenience and access to exploration and relaxation.
Will online shopping continue to grow? Of course.
Will physical stores remain the cornerstone of retailing? Of course.
Successful retailing has always been—and will continue to be—based on providing the
greatest number of consumer options possible and creating the most value on the customers’
terms. And, in the future, that will require physical stores supplemented by digital capabilities,
and retailers with the skill to get the most from each channel.
Retailing has come a long way since the prehistoric moment when one human tentatively bartered
with another. What may have begun as a simple one-on-one exchange of bright feathers for a
polished stone has evolved into what would have seemed like science fiction only 50 years ago.
For all the change we have seen, the basics of retailing remain the same. There is always a
buyer, a seller, a product or service, and some location where value is exchanged. And, based
on the research, it would seem that shoppers prefer—and will continue to prefer—a robust
variety of shopping options, anchored by a physical store.
Authors
Michael Brown, partner, New York
michael.brown@atkearney.com
Andres Mendoza-Pena,
principal, Chicago
andres.mendozapena@atkearney.com
Mike Moriarty, partner, Chicago
mike.moriarty@atkearney.com
A.T. Kearney used the text and charts compiled in this report in a presentation; the report does not represent
a complete documentation of the presentation.