Retail

Physical store digitization: how to adapt the web to an interactive catalogue

adapted e-commerce|e-commerce adaptation

Digitization in the omnichannel marketing strategy

When we talk about the digitalization of the point of sale we refer to the implementation of technological tools, first to improve the shopping experience, and secondly, and not least, that customer don’t buy in the online store. The tools implemented in the physical store must be integrated within the omnichannel marketing strategy. That is, what the customer finds in a website must have coherence in the physical store and vice versa.

Adapting the website to an interactive catalog

During the omnichannel strategy, we should be able to carry out mainly tasks as adapting the website to a digital tool, like an interactive catalogue, that usually we could find in a physical store or showroom. The website must be adapted because consumers needs are not the same in the online as in the physical store. Irrelevant aspects of the online will become essential in the offline. Such as where to find a product into the store; or the pick-up place, wants the client to pick it up in a box and take away with himself, or does he prefers to be sent it directly to his house?

Some aspects, such as those we have mentioned, require that the tactile tools will be adapted to consumers current needs. Just as the functionalities of a PC are often not the same as those found on a smartphone or tablet, in the case of digital catalogues at the point of sale, the same thing happens.

Can I use a responsive website at the point of sale?

Sometimes, even if a website is responsive, create an interactive catalogue requires to be designed from scratch and developed with the consumer in mind, thinking always about their buying process. It’s important to know that it’s not necessary to re-create everything from scratch. These tools can still be linked to an existing ERP, but from the point of view of graphic design, they should be rethought. For this reason, one of the key aspects that are sometimes forgotten is to design the application with user-friendliness.

Thinking about consumer usability

The ease of navigation is fundamental to generate a good experience and that consumers end up purchasing. For this reason, it is necessary to think about the target for which it is focused, sometimes we tend to think that all we are digital natives. We forget that an application at the point of sale should be able to be consulted by people of different ages, this is why it must be very intuitive.