After two years of lockdowns and closed stores, restrictions seem to be over in many countries. Retailers are breathing massive sighs of relief and brick and mortar shops are busying once more. Shoppers are returning to retail stores in their droves – where lockdown saw the rapid rise of online purchasing, industry experts are now forecasting a similar upward trajectory for brick and mortar shopping.
This is nowhere more true than in the fashion sector – whilst the convenience of online has suited some, there are even more who have missed being able to see and touch the goods, try them on and have the whole physical experience and immediacy of brick and mortar shopping. Clothing and shoes are the top two categories of returned online purchases (88% and 44% respectively) and shoppers are tired of the ‘buy it, try it, send it back’ cycle.
This puts a golden opportunity into fashion retailers’ laps – if they’re ready to make the most of it. In this article, we’ll explore the ‘back to the store’ phenomenon, and how fashion retailers can position themselves to welcome shoppers back to an amazing in-store customer experience.
The (re-)rise of brick and mortar shopping
When online shopping was the only option, fashion consumers made the best of it. But for many, the screen was a poor substitute for the store, they’re returning to brick and mortar in their droves. In the UK, when non-essential retail stores re-opened in 2021, sales volumes rose 9.2% month over month, and foot traffic to stores went up by 218%. The British Retail Consortium reported that sales in May 2021 were 10% higher than the same month in 2019, before the pandemic. In the US, Forbes reported in mid-2021 that ‘foot traffic and in-store visits… have already increased +44% since the start of the year.
Making the most of the opportunity
So how do fashion retailers make the most of this opportunity? The answer is that they need to capitalise on those things that only brick and mortar shopping can offer and focus on offering a very different, and superior customer experience. Here’s some of the ways that fashion retailers might do just that.
Brick and mortar shopping is now firmly back on the agenda, especially for fashion retail. By planning for this resurgence and implementing retail technology to ensure that the in-store customer experience is truly memorable, fashion retailers can remain competitive and come out on top in the post-covid world.
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