How can you combine a phygital strategy with your ecommerce?

If the year 2020 will certainly have shaken things up, the fact remains that the web represented 9.8% of retail in 2019 according to Fevad. So physical stores have not been replaced by e-commerce. On the contrary, the two are now complementary, which has prompted many companies and retailers to implement a phygital strategy to bridge the gap between an on and offline customer experience. One thing is for sure: an effective marketing strategy for your customers and consumers is the one that combines customer and product experience in physical stores and online experience through various digital marketing actions (campaigns and ads on social networks, animations on the website, targeted campaigns via mobile...).

Transforming the customer experience with phygital

Customers only believe what they see. On the Internet, they leave their web browsing and go to the store to see and touch. Depending on the type of product, the quality and solidity of the materials, the fittings, the human contact with the salesmen are all key moments in the purchasing process and points gained for the brands.

Phygital is the link between off and online or the sensory experience of the digital offer. In recent years, stores, e-tailers and retailers have shown creativity in order to improve the customer experience. Gone are the days of long queues at the entrance of stores or crowded checkouts. A customer can quietly place an order online (via the store, Instagram or other) before picking up his products in store with click'n'collect from now on.

If this is your case, Drive to Store is probably an important part of your e-commerce objectives. Bringing traffic and visits to the store by motivating customers to go to the store relies on a good complementarity between web, mobile and point of sale as well as a synergy and coherence between the brand's physical points of sales and its online marketing strategy. Even if digital is the most important part of your advertising campaigns on the internet and social networks, a localization strategy is very important in this phygital customer experience. The targets you are going to reach must be part of this local aspect, and of the area, in order to encourage their visit to a physical point of sale (SMS encouraging them to go to the nearest store, targeted advertising campaign, Google reviews on the store closest to them...).

Making the link between on and off line thanks to PIM

In this context, the PIM is more than necessary to develop this digital strategy aimed at generating more in-store traffic and optimizing the customer journey. The PIM solution provides concrete tools to support your strategy in three key areas:

• Attracting traffic to the shop,
• Facilitating the search for information prior to the client's visit,
• Improve the experience at the point of sale.

How does this work in practice?

It's simple, with PIM you can create :

• Paper brochures and catalogues,
• QR codes, useful for creating personalised discount coupons or competitions,
• Content to feed the touch tablets of the shop assistants.

The PIM adapts to your needs and your Web to Store strategy by facilitating your communication and promotion actions to boost your business.

Develop your omnichannel strategy

According to a Euromonitor study, omnichannel strategies will generate 86% of sales growth over the next five years.

Consumers want choice and flexibility in their shopping options. They want to be able to order at any time, on any digital channel, to have it delivered without geographical constraints in any area, and to enjoy a five-star customer experience. All these aspects will undeniably win your business points against the competition.

PIM is an excellent tool for developing your omnichannel strategy, since the finalized product information is then automatically distributed to all your sales channels: e-commerce platform, marketplaces, app, print... The distribution of this product data also takes on its full meaning and usefulness with social networks (centralization of visuals, photos, product packshots...indispensable on Instagram in particular) or one-off elements linked to store animation: events, marketing and trade marketing campaigns, merchandising and POS elements...etc.

By positively influencing the quality and harmony of product information, PIM - especially when it includes a DAM - is the gatekeeper to a unified product experience for the end customer. For the customer, the search and the journey are seamless: all information is available and up-to-date, whatever the product, whatever the channel, whenever and wherever.

Conclusion

Companies have every interest in capitalizing on an omnichannel sales strategy that mixes an online and offline experience in order to diversify their sales channels and improve the customer experience. Drive-to-store, click and collect, are all innovations in the shopping experience that show that the phygital approach can develop the growth of the company while boosting customer satisfaction.

In our white paper, we've summarized 5 more reasons for you to opt for PIM in your omnichannel sales strategy.

If you are interested in accelerating your phygital strategy to increase your sales, don 't hesitate to ask for your free demo.