The Great Return to Brick and Mortar: How to Stand Out Among the Crowd

When the pandemic first struck, many of us believed it was the end of retail as we knew it–companies pivoted to eCommerce and online shopping became the primary way to buy everything, even our groceries. Despite those changes, and their lasting effects on the industry, things are beginning to shift. With store openings outpacing store closures and a heightened enthusiasm noted among American consumers as malls reopen, we are seeing both the continued prevalence of eCommerce alongside the “great return” to brick and mortar. However, post-pandemic, the rules have changed and in order to succeed in this new, dynamic ecosystem, retailers must rethink their omnichannel experience. Here’s how: 

Embrace new fulfillment options:

Buy online and pick up in-store, or BOPIS, as it’s often called was an option at only 4% of retailers prior to the pandemic, but it rose to 44% – a massive jump that leaves plenty of more room for retails to grow. Implementing BOPIS makes both the fulfillment experience – and returns – more convenient for customers. For retailers, the potential savings in fulfillment and reverse logistics are massive, but it also provides an ability to more efficiently utilize inventory and upsell customers when they come in store. The famous case of Kohls and Amazon a few years ago, also demonstrated that partnerships with eCommerce players lacking a physical footprint can also be lucrative.

Infuse digital within the physical

The return to physical stores doesn’t mean that the amazing features of digital shopping can’t come, too. Infusing brick and mortar stores with digital and social touchpoints creates even more of a brand experience: think QR codes with special in-store promotions, dressing rooms with instagrammable backgrounds, and even suggested hashtags for store mirror selfies.  

Digitizing the brick and mortar can also mean replacing old notions with new technologies: creating self-checkout stations (or even ‘just walk out’ stores) to replace waiting in line for a cashier is a popular pivot. MySize’s First Look Smart Mirror, can replace the boring and often frustrating dressing room experience with a one-of-a-kind immersive solution for customers: a 3D avatar to “try on” clothes, personalized sizing, and styling recommendations, inventory systems integration. Paired with integration with POS systems so items can be already at checkout also allows MySize’s smart mirror to eliminate the need for the customer to struggle with carrying a mountain of items. These elements elevate the shopping experience tenfold, increasing incentive for coming physically to your store to shop and creating more positive exposure to your brand. 

Ship From Store 

Sure, Amazon and other marketplaces allow for greater brand visibility and they invest in a great fulfillment experience, but that doesn’t mean retailers can’t benefit from ship from store. Aside from providing a massive advantage by allowing retailers to ship from around the corner instead of a far flung warehouse, it also enables better utilization of store space. With next-generation displays such as MySize’s Smart mirror, retailers don’t need to waste space on displaying merchandise, instead, they can use that space to better store inventory in an ever widening warehouse space that is conducive to shipping. The ability to ship from store and the benefits its brings due to being located close to the customer also tend to allow DTC brands – thanks in part to the location closer to customers – to flourish and claw back revenue to boost their bottom line.

While the ecommerce boom is here to stay, retailers would be wise to make ensure that the innovation they undertook thanks to that shift carries over to their brick and mortar footprint. Those who are successful is creating an innovative omnichannel experience, won’t just have happier customers, they’ll also have a better business for years to come too.