In the modern world, a regular shopper not only shops online but also shops offline. These types of customers would often browse the product online before visiting a store so they can see it in person and feel the fabric. It can also happen the other way, when the person spots something in-store before later visiting the website. Due to this, retail stores that also have an e-commerce store will look to connect the two. With WordPress, this can be relatively easy to do for someone technical.
WordPress Can Be The Foundation For E-commerce
Although other content management systems are better for e-commerce such as Shopify, the WordPress plugin, WooCommerce, does seem to do the job for many businesses. It is a very flexible system and does provide you with the tools to help list your product and deal with payments.
One of the core benefits of WordPress is its ability to connect to payment gateways, shipping tools, CRM systems and even in-store POS systems.
Syncing The POS System With an Online Store
One of the biggest difficulties retailers face, whether online or offline, is keeping track of inventory. This can cause many issues, especially if a customer orders an item that isn’t in stock. This is why it is essential to have a point of sale (POS) system in place.
When using WooCommerce, it will work with several POS systems that include Lightspeed, Square and even specific WooCommerce plugins such as WooCommerce POS. All of these tools will automatically link your sales data between the website and your physical store. So when a user attempts to purchase a product, it will say the item is no longer available. On top of this, the customer can request to be notified when the product is back in stock. Additionally, when you add new products, they will appear in your POS, so you don’t need to enter the product there either.
Unified Inventory and Customer Data
Something else that is also important is that customer and sales data needs to be synced. Using WordPress allows you to install plugins that will integrate HubSpot and Mailchimp. This alone will allow you to collect and utilise the customer information for both online and in-person sales.
This data will be very beneficial as it helps you understand the customer’s journey from start to finish. A good example would be noticing that a user will often browse your website before they purchase a product. With this data, you can send promotions to the customer before they come into the store or before they purchase online. This alone just encourages the customer to buy another item from you. This type of user interaction is what makes them keep coming back to your store.
Customer loyalty is essential because when you are releasing new products, they will likely be there, waiting for the release. Not just that, but these customers will often be purchasing products in quieter periods as well. To keep these types of customers on board, it would be worth rewarding them with a discount on their next purchase.
Click-and-Collect Options
Another great way to combine e-commerce and in-store is with click-and-collect options. These are becoming very popular because they combine online shopping with the physical store.
WooCommerce makes setting this up very easy, utilising plugins such as Local Pickup Plus or WooCommerce Shipping & Tax that will allow the customer to choose a pickup point once they are checking out. As soon as the order is placed, it will then appear in the POS where the staff can prepare the item ready for the customer to pick.
This is great because it entices customers to come into the store. This gives them the opportunity to view the other products, and seeing them in person may tempt them to buy. Yes, not every customer will buy another product once they come into the store however, the odd customer will which makes it worthwhile.
Marketing That Connects Both Online and Offline Experience
Marketing is essential for a business to be successful and competitive. This is what will drive more traffic to your store and website. Using the website to promote in-store promotions is a great way to use your website. Additionally, you can implement a store locator plugin or even just embed Google Maps onto your website.
Final Thoughts
The future of retail isn’t dead as many did predict when e-commerce shopping burst into our homes. In fact, it is having a resurgence in popularity as more major high-street retailers are providing both online and offline shopping.
Victoria Leeds, for example, has more retail stores that also use online platforms to drive more sales. Not just that, but they will even click and collect options so all you need to do is leave your vehicle at their car park in Leeds and then go in-store to get your item. This modern method of shopping has become very common and is something that online retailers are encouraging to increase footfall in their physical stores.