In Web 1.0, we wanted to design online spaces to be closer to physical environments, and tried to create online experiences that were as good as having a decent sales person at your side.
Web shopping is often so good now that people are starting to run this model in reverse: trying to make real world shopping as convenient and informative as online shopping.
David Weinberger's article in Feb 2006 HBR article in "The HBR List: Breakthrough Ideas for 2006" talks about this phenomenon. [Yes, I'm behind on my reading again -- aren't we all?]
It's surely true, isn't it -- when you know what you want, online is easier in many ways. There is so much more information to support the sale, for one thing. If you can't read the print, you can make it bigger with a simple CTRL+. Just try that in your local pharmacy.
Physical stores can capture the best of online shopping by stealing a few tricks.
Utilize better signage -- give people good navigational aids, Ikea does this well.
Give customers access to online -- or paper -- catalogs at the store. Mountain Equipment Co-op does this well. And they also post hand-made signs on items that tell you other important stuff you might want to know about products on display.
The web's huge strength is cross-selling: pointing you to the other things you will likely want with that product already in your shopping cart. Or even solving the whole issue for you, with kits and bundled selections for common requirements.
Some grocery stores do this exceptionally well. I remember being in a grocrery store after a day of downhill skiing. The first thing I saw inside the store was a display of ready-made dinners like meatloaf and lasagne, situated right beside bags of pre-washed lettuce, a selection of salad dressings, and basically everything else you might want after a day of skiing. I grabbed the meatloaf, snagged some wine from the wine boutique, skipped the cigar boutique, and headed back to the chalet.
Now that is a store that is paying attention to customer needs.
Technorati Tags: retail space, customer experience, online shopping, bricks and clicks
