20 replies to this topic

[webstream]

Okay, I hope this in in the right forum for this topic.

I am looking for a few web sites that are successful at driving consumers to their "retail" stores - not a dot com only business. As SECs you have a lot to do with helping make web sites that are successful at capturing their "targeted audience". I need a few new web site examples that I can briefly talk about in several upcoming seminars. These web sites should be successfully using their web site to drive consumers to their stores. Please include why you think these web sites are so successful, you company name and your email address.

If you have any websites or questions about this feel free to PM me.

Thanks,

Webstream

[Haystack]

How about BestBuy.com? They offer in-store pickup, and it works pretty well. For example, I found a product through Froogle that was in BestBuy's online store, but when I went to check out, I was given an option of in-store pickup at one of the dozens of Best Buy locations in the Twin Cities. So, I picked a location, received a confirmation email that the product was in stock and ready for pickup within 30 minutes, and when I got to the store I just went to the customer service desk to pick it up.

As a general rule for driving humans to brick & mortar locations, be sure to offer a usable store locator on the site. Ideally, linking the addresses to driving direction sites is a nice touch, and PLEASE don't embed the address in an image. How am I supposed to copy and paste that into a mapping program?

[webstream]

Haystack,

Thanks for the reply. There are several examples I have used simialr to Best buy, such as Circuit City. Also, some of the manufacturers are using this same concept to drive shoppers to their aligned channel partners. As example: maytag and the other appliance manufacturers.

I was hoping to find some independent retailer examples that have been successful. I have plenty of my own examples, but I am looking outside the industries I am heavily involved in.

Thanks,

Webstream

[OldWelshGuy]

This UK one might be a new name Argos Shopping. Argos offers very low prices, sort of like American warehouse clubs, but wihout membership. It is catalogue shopping where you walk in order the goods, they get brought out to you.

The other well known one is IKEA.

[webstream]

>>Argos Shopping<<

Interesting, different twist:

"This item can be **reserved** for store pick up
Delivery usually within 2 working days."

OWG, when your wife goes to the grocery store does she use a "Trolley" to gather your groceries?

Thanks,

Webstream

[markymark]

Argos was the one that immediately sprang to mind for me also. I'm not sure they qualify as an independent retailer though - they are a pretty major brand name over here.

[webstream]

Markymark, you are correct, that probably doesn't qualify as a true independent retailer, but the words "This item can be reserved for store pick up" caught my attention and made it worth the look.

I recently tried uploading some digital family pictures to Walmart. Then I ordered prints and selected my local store for pickup. They called to say the pictures were in and ready for pick-up. Now I know my wife will buy something else at Walmart when she picks up the prints. Nice touch and makes me wonder how this type of approach can be applied to other businesses with other services.

Webstream

[Scottie]

OWG, when your wife goes to the grocery store does she use a "Trolley" to gather your groceries?

What makes you think his wife is the one that gathers the groceries?

Office Max and Staples both come to mind. They constantly send promotions for ordering online but I can pick the items up at a local store or have them delivered.

Restaurants aren't really what you are looking for, but I order pizza online and have it delivered.

Also one of my favorite restaurants lets you put your name on the wait list online before you leave home so that you don't have as long to wait when you arrive. I think I may be the only one using it... they always mention, "Oh YOU are the one that listed online..."

But it's only a matter of time before there is more interaction between local businesses and customers via the web- it's growing quickly.

[markymark]

Yeah, I order Pizza online too. I'm not sure why though, it takes longer to use the website than it does to pick up the phone.

I digress though. What Webstream is talking about - driving customers to real world stores via their online presence - is something, I think, that would work better in the UK and smaller countries than in the USA. Simply because of geographical size. After all, an independent retailer with a few shops in London and good coverage in Yorkshire would have a cachment area of 16 million people. This is just under 1 in 4 of the UK population.

[OldWelshGuy]

OWG, when your wife goes to the grocery store does she use a "Trolley" to gather your groceries?

What makes you think his wife is the one that gathers the groceries?

Like 'death' in Bill and Ted II , I push the cart.

"You may be a king or a simple street sweeper, but sooner or later you dance with the reaper"

OK I am a kid, I can't help it

[webstream]

Actually, I would like to have the URLs for the pizza web sites you use and any input about why you use it. How did you first find these local pizza web sites - Yellow Pages, advertisements, SEs, etc. ?

Thanks,

Webstream
P.S. - Also, my wife loves pizzas I don't, so I will know what keywords to filter out so she has trouble finding pizza sites by us!

[Scottie]

I order from Papa John's Pizza and I started doing it because:

a) They put flyers on the pizza boxes with a special "online only" offer

I could order online right as I left the office and it would show up 5 minutes after I got home with the kids.

Sure, I could have called too... but usually there were people in my office up until the time I walked out. By ordering online I could carry on a meeting and order pizza at the same time... then say, "Look, I have to go, I have pizza on the way."

[Jill]

I renew prescription medications online through our local CVS pharmacy, if that's any help.

Jill

[webstream]

In the case of "Papa John's Pizza" they are utilizing a multi-channel approach to drive sales (walk-in, telephone and the Internet).

Jill, do you then drive in to the pharmacy to pick up your prescription?

Every example helps! It is showing how the Internet is evolving for local businesses, not just the global players.

There are a gazillion small businesses that jumped onthe Internet because they think I have to be there. Their web sites are poorly designed, not optimized for the SEs and doing little for their business. The easiest way to open their eyes is to show them what other types of real businesses are doing and then apply it to their business channel.

Thanks,

Webstream

[Jill]

Yep, I drive to pick it up a few hours later. It's right down the street from me, but the Internet saves me the extra step of going into the store to drop off the prescription.

Jill