PERFECTING THE DIGITAL STOREFRONT
Our brick-and-mortar and pop-up shop friends and clients understand the importance of a well-curated, crafted storefront that’s eye-catching to passing customers, encouraging them to stop in and shop. But what does that look like from the digital, online perspective? In this article, we’ll address how to bring your physical storefront online.
Mobilize
First thing’s first: prepping your brand for the online front takes a lot of work in itself, something we have discussed at length in various articles on our blog. From organizing inventory and services to choosing the right platform to showcase your work in a way that’s easy for you and your team to handle, establishing your fundamentals is necessary before moving forward. If you’re not ready for this step, go back and read our past articles then come back here when you’re ready.
Ensuring mobile responsiveness is also paramount in designing your first digital storefront. While platforms like Squarespace may already have this feature built into their offerings, other platforms like Weebly and Shopify require a closer look with a fine-toothed comb, forcing users to double and triple-check design and content displays between different smart devices, like tablets and laptops versus mobile phones.
Personalize
Using tactics such as personal customer accounts, customers are more likely to use your services because of the provided convenience in shopping or booking with your business.
The ability to sift through your offerings with ease and in ways that are more akin to the user’s needs is like putting a pretty bow on your entire storefront. It’s exciting, affirming, and keeps users wanting more from your brand.
Personalization tactics are one of the best ways to retain loyal customers and secure new ones, hook, line, and sinker. Using tactics such as personal customer accounts, specialized discounts based on anniversaries and holidays, and saved payment information, customers are more likely to use your services because of the provided convenience in shopping or booking with your business.
Filtering your products and services using specific tags and categories also helps further personalize the user experience. The ability to sift through your offerings with ease and in ways that are more akin to the user’s needs is like putting a pretty bow on your entire storefront. It’s exciting, affirming, and keeps users wanting more from your brand.
Socialize
Once your digital storefront is ready, it’s important to alert your customers and the general public about its availability. This includes newsletter and social media campaigns, cross-promotion with influencers, and of course, ways for your customers to easily share your business to their own social channels. Try connecting your inventory or services with apps like Instagram, which now offer in-app purchases that link directly to your website.
Stay engaged with users on social media by offering first-time users special discounts or offer codes when they share your brand on their personal social channels with an associated hashtag, or by simply tagging you in said posts. These strategies help amplify word of mouth, as well as boost loyal customer numbers.
Keep It Consistent.
Consistency is key. This means store inventory mirrors online inventory, pricing is listed as the same in both places, and your digital storefront is as up-to-date as possible. It’s a frustrating encounter when a user tries to book a service they saw available on your physical brochure in-store, only to find that those prices are dated and the cost has now doubled. This applies to offered discounts as well and can be resolved by including ending dates or setting your discounts to expire based on your platform.
Executive Summary
Digital storefronts are game-changers for brands. Instead of relying on passerby window-shoppers, brands are able to rely on the internet as well to catch a user’s eye mid-scroll on social media, or in shopping for similar brands or storefronts. Make sure your visitors are able to access your storefront from any mobile device, shop it with ease, and let others know about their findings within a few simple clicks. This alignment of brick-and-mortar with the digital storefront will create a harmonious union that delivers consistent success for you and your customers. Let us know if you need help getting started!
