Selling To Shoppers On Demand

Introduction

A 34 year old woman is interested in buying a new pair of shoes. She pulls out her smartphone and starts browsing on her favorite retailer’s mobile app. Using filters for shoe size, heel height, and color, she selects three pairs for side-by-side comparison. After reading user reviews and looking at 360° photos of the shoes, a chat box manned by a store associate pops up to ask if she has any questions. She’s narrowed it down to one pair, but isn’t ready to buy them online because she’d still like to see them in person. The associate points her to the inventory feature that allows her to check if they’re in stock at her local store location. And they are.

The next day, she drives to the store and uses her app to locate exactly where they’re stocked in the shoe department. An in-store associate brings her the shoes and also suggests another pair that she might like. She can’t decide between the two pairs and wants to bring them both home, but doesn’t want to trek back to make the return.

The associate tells her about the store’s hassle-free buy in-store, return online policy and she decides to purchase both pairs. The associate rings her up on the spot using a tablet and the shopper remembers a coupon saved on her store app. After a quick scan of the coupon, she pays using her smartphone’s mobile wallet and automatically receives loyalty points linked to her store account.

After a few days, she decides that one pair needs to go back. She goes online with her transaction information and prints out a prepaid return shipping label. As soon as the package is delivered, she receives her refund in full. When two weeks have passed, the retailer sends her an email asking to rate her purchase. Her feedback is instantly available on the retailer’s app and website to assist other shoppers in their buying decisions.