FACT: 88% of shoppers research online before buying a product.
You want to buy a new washing machine. What will be your first step? You may grab your mobile and get some information about the top brands selling good quality washing machines within your budget. You would get an idea about different brands and their prices. Next, you would drive to a local store to check the features and compare the prices. This customer behavior is known as ROPO (Research online Purchase Offline).
Use of internet for research
78% of the people look to the internet first when they search for something. Usually 53% of the people complete the transactions online and the rest look for other channels online or offline. With the increasing use of internet all over the world, people are more inclined to conduct research about the products they’re interested to buy.
Smartphones change the way we shop
Smartphones have ignited the internet adoption among the consumers. People evaluate and shop for the products from reliable stores. They make the right purchase decisions using their smartphones (browsing different websites, social media, and other platforms to gather knowledge about the products). They educate themselves for the products and read online reviews before making a purchase.
According to a recent study, smartphones have changed the shopping habits of 51% of the respondents. Consumers now depend on their smartphones (for browsing websites or flipping through apps) to make the purchase decisions.
Brick and mortar still alive
If you think that brick and mortar setup is dead, then you’re absolutely wrong. It is not a good option to overlook the dominance of brick and mortar stores as 90% of overall sales in the US still occur face to face. Though ecommerce is outspacing physical stores at an unbelievable rate, there is some part of consumers who love shopping at physical stores only. They find it more convenient to walk in to a local store and see the items themselves before purchasing them. They feel more comfortable by touching or trying the items before they buy.
Shoppers depend on reviews
Consumers use internet for researching different types of local businesses. They check online reviews and ratings before they purchase something. If a potential consumer has just shifted to a new home, he/she may prefer to search for the nearby grocery stores and also check the reviews online before walking into a local store for purchasing household items.
Consumers research online while in-store
Customers use internet on their smartphones when they are physically inside a store. They compare prices, download coupons, check the latest offers, and scan QR codes with their mobiles.
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If you are a retailer and want to grow your sales, it is important to adopt an omnichannel approach to increase your sales. You can look for the best Magento development services provider company to help you with the right solutions.
Why physical stores are still popular?
Some consumers wish to see and touch products while shopping. A few others may want to try the items before buying apparels, shoes, or accessories. Some people may be concerned about the accurate description of the items. There is another bunch of consumers who hate paying for the shipping charges and they would not prefer to wait for the delivery of products.
ROPO Strategies and Tactics
There are several techniques that can help to capitalize on the ROPO consumer behavior. We will discuss some top strategies to increase Magento ecommerce conversion. You can use one or multiple tactics to make your ecommerce business get more sales online. A good Magento development company can suggest you the best suitable tactics that pulls the attention of more users to your store and make more sales.
Personalize Digital Touch points
Magento ecommerce owners can personalize digital touch points with the information. A great example for this is cart abandonment campaigns. It is a great idea to follow up with customers if they do not complete their purchase over your website. There are several software available to recognize that users have already bought the products they were researching, and so, you can pause the cart abandonment activities for them.
Enhance customer experience
Magento ecommerce store owners can provide a seamless experience for the customers. Loyalty programs and store pick up options can be offered to consumers to make them satisfied. Store purchase-home delivery is another popular tactic that helps ecommerce shop owners make more money.
Magento & ROPO:
- Integrating POS (Point-Of-Sale) with Magento store can bridge the gap between online and offline retail sales.
- Synchronizing data with the help of POS, keeping track of inventory, re-order level and abandoned carts can be managed by Magento and help consumers to make a wise decision using ROPO.
- Enhance customer services by providing offers, early sale discounts, redeem points, green coins, cashback and loyalty programs.
- Fulfillment of order without any errors and hurdles by using scanner or barcode reader for more accuracy and early delivery options can enhance sales and marketing.
Bottom Line:
Magento store owners as well as retailers should know the latest ROPO trends and adopt the tactics that can pull more customers to their stores. Bridging the gap between online and offline data can help you gain better insights and increase your ROI. You can hire certified Magento developers to help you get the best solutions.
