We’ve all been there. Christmas present buying has become a race against the clock with the number of shopping days left rapidly declining. Running out of inspiration and time, we brave the Christmas rush and head to our nearest high street or shopping centre for a last-gasp splurge to get over the line.
What everyone hopes for in this situation is, in effect, for the discovery part of Christmas shopping to be done for you. You walk into a shop, and there it is, like it was put on display just for you. The perfect gift you hadn’t even imagined.
This is one huge advantage physical retail still has over digital. Yes, online shopping is wonderfully convenient. But sometimes the tyranny of choice is overwhelming. You end up scrolling blankly through Amazon product listings for what feels like an eternity, too befuddled by the apparently endless options to know what would make a great gift for Auntie Mavis or your best friend’s kids anymore. And personalised product recommendations don’t work for gift-buying because they are all targeted at you, based on your personal purchasing data.
Nearly two-thirds of consumers say they value aspects of the in-store shopping experience that you can’t replicate online. These include things like being able to touch and feel items, try them out, and ask questions to get more detailed information than you typically find in online product listings. In certain product categories at least, a lot of people prioritise these aspects of shopping over digital convenience.
In-store shopping is also still highly valued for impulse purchases. Which, at this time of year, is what makes it so great for present buying. A third of people report buying an item they see in a shop more or less right away, compared to just under one in five who say they make impulse purchases from online retailer sites.
The magic of merchandising
The psychology behind this is simple. As much as people value the endless choice that digital shopping gives them, and feel empowered by the ability to research purchases in depth, they don’t want to be doing this all the time. It takes time and effort. Sometimes – and Christmas is a great example – we all just want the hard work taken away from us. We want the right product to be right there under our noses, to be snapped up there and then. Job done.
That’s what physical retail offers. But it doesn’t just happen by some sort of festive magic. You can’t rely on putting out any old tat and expecting people to buy it. Stressed-out shoppers are still discerning. They’re still looking for quality items to buy their loved ones. And are probably working to a budget, too.
What all of this boils down to is good merchandising on the part of retailers. Regardless of the time of year, part of the secret to effective merchandising in physical retail is doing the discovery work on behalf of your customers. That requires knowing them well enough to anticipate what they want. And leaning on your category expertise to put products in front of them that they don’t even know they want yet.
Wrap all of that up with some prominent placements and eye-catching displays, and tag on an alluring price, and you’ll be giving your customers a gift that will have you firmly placed on the ‘good list’ for many Christmases to come.
Merry Christmas!