Didn’t we say omni-channel retail is the way to go? With more and more online stores opening physical outlets, it’s becoming obvious that future of retail is a strategic blend of offline and online medium.
That’s what Zivame’s founder Richa Kar had to say when probed about the move to open 100 physical stores in the next three years. “Today, anyone can open an online store. Where is the quality audit? Physical stores will help us deal with the credibility issue”, says Kar.
It was assumed that opening an online store instead of a physical outlet will reduce cost. But as the online space gets crowded, etailers are forced to spend on brand ambassadors, print, digital and television advertisements and sponsoring events to stand out.
Online furniture store Pepperfry’s founder Ashish Shah explains how experimenting with offline channel helped them to save on marketing cost. “We spend Rs 8-15 lakh per month on a store. For a large hoarding, it will cost us about Rs 5-10 lakh per month, depending on the location. So, we opened studios where customers can experience and not just recollect the brand,” said Shah.
Online Shopping Store for kids & baby products, Firstcry also confessed that opening stores enabled them to bring down marketing budget by 25%.
Ecommerce biggie Flipkart & Snapdeal and online eyewear leader Lenskart too have adopted hybrid omni retail. Etailers now realize that in order to fully explore rural ecommerce market, a provision for ‘touch and feel’ shopping experience has to be introduced. This is why even ‘assisted ecommerce’ is on the rise.
It is wise that online players are opening up offline stores. Same is the case with big retail brands such as Adidas, and Tata that are entering the online space. With majority of Indians being omni-channel shoppers, lines between offline and online are getting blurred.
Editor team is specialized in introducing the marketplace content targeting the Indian online sellers. They plan and coordinate to bring the appealing content for the small businesses on how to partner with the e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart and strategies for improving their online business.
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