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There’s been a lot of talk the past two months about “showrooming.” The buzz started to get really loud when Amazon ran a December promotion that encouraged customers to price check in stores via the Amazon.com app. Retailers were outraged. How could retailers ever compete with online retailers’ lower prices?

Retailers would be hard-pressed to do so. Instead, successful retailing in 2012 and moving forward will depend on a store owners’ ability to reinvent the shopping experience. There ways this can be do are:

1. Offer an exceptional experience–that can’t be recreated online. This is the biggest opportunity for retailers. With a little effort (and some teamwork), retailers can bring the magic back to shopping. It can be as simple as offering classes for customers to learn how to use products, or have local celebrities in-store to showcase their favorite items.

2. Rethink the store footprint. Instead of having 30 kinds of hammers, why not have the two hammers that everyone wants? Ensure that the right inventory is easily accessible, and clearly visible with effective, inviting signage.

3. Don’t sell–consult. Customers are coming to the store because they didn’t get what the needed from manufacturers’ websites–and Amazon and its ilk, as well. Don’t be a salesman; rather, be a likable expert that the customer will come back to time and time again.

You can find more on the topic of retail differentiation on the point of sale software website Software Advice, or you can go directly to the blog article: How to Differentiate Your Store from Online Retailers | A Guide to Independent Retail in 2012.

This guest post on the Little Independent blog is by:
Michael Koploy
ERP Analyst
Software Advice

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