Expanding your brand is always an uphill battle. Today's retail customers are now expecting a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels. Creating an omnichannel marketing strategy is rewarded with higher sales and strong customer loyalty, making it a worthy endeavour. 

If your online brand is growing to the point you may be considering a brick-and-mortar store, congratulations! In this article, you're going to learn all about complementing your eCommerce strategy with a bricks-and-mortar store. 

Clicks to bricks

'Clicks to bricks' is a marketing strategy that online brands use to expand their business into physical stores. 

Despite the "retail apocalypse" feared by shopping centre giants in the 2010s, the global pandemic has made us all long for the traditional retail shopping experience. 

Even in 2021, online shopping only made up about 15% of all retail sales in Australia, indicating the expansion of businesses into brick and mortar stores are still a worthy investment. 

Today, most customers are looking for both online and offline approaches to shopping and expect an omni-channel approach from their favourite brands.

What is omnichannel marketing?

An Omnichannel marketing strategy (also known as a multichannel strategy) is when brands let their customers experience the best of both worlds; online shopping and physical stores. 

With an omnichannel strategy, brands are creating a wholesome brand experience and empowering their customers to purchase through their preferred method. 

We're also seeing omnichannel customers use both online and offline channels as part of the customer journey. 

Omnichannel customers may not even be aware of their preference for both. A good example of an omnichannel customer is someone wanting to buy a jacket. They may search the jacket online and discover it's for sale at a physical store nearby. The customer then proceeds to go to the store to try it on and make their purchase.

Studies show that the majority of customers are omnichannel customers. Engaged omnichannel customers are more likely to spend money in-store and become repeat customers, making them the optimal customer for any business.

If you are an online store wanting to go from clicks to bricks, here's the best way to go about it.

Create a pop-up store

Pop-up stores are the best ways to drum up excitement about your brand and provide a unique shopping experience. 

A pop-up space is the best way to expand an e-commerce brand and create an omnichannel marketing strategy. 

Setting up a traditional bricks-and-mortar store can be a big commitment with large upfront costs and strict leases. In contrast, pop-up shops are a great way to reduce risk with flexible, short-term leases. Pop-up shops are also a great way to test the viability of a permanent store.

Promote a new product or campaign

Pop-up spaces are a great way to advertise a new product range or campaign. Create excitement around the new product, promote with social media and give in-store customers exclusive offers they can't access through online channels.

Create an exciting new experience

There are some things you can do in person, that you just can't do online. Create a unique customer experience with a special event in a pop-up space like a product launch, celebrity meet and greet or a VIP night.

Don't forget to encourage guests to share the memorable event on social media and further promote your brand as part of your omnichannel marketing strategy. 

Maintain brand consistency

One area where some e-commerce brands struggle is regenerating the same positive experience in-store that customers experience in real life. It can be hard to instil a modern brand into an old storefront with limited fixtures.

Luckily, with Hawker Spaces, the integrated technology with each lease makes it easier for brands to decorate the space and create a consistent experience as part of an omnichannel strategy.

Reach more of your audience

Strategically and with the use of customer data, a brick-and-mortar store can do one of two things. When located in a space with an already loyal demographic, you can solidify this loyalty and bank on repeat customers to supplement sales. 

Alternatively, you can showcase your brand to a new demographic, promote brand awareness and potentially welcome a new base of customers.

Reward in-store customers

To encourage customers to visit the physical store, entice them with unique products or giveaways that are only available in store.

Gift customers instore customers with coupons to shop online in the future and vice-versa to turn more customers into loyal omnichannel customers. 

Brands are using Hawker Spaces to optimise their omnichannel marketing strategy

Get a strong return on investment with Hawker Spaces. Unlike other pop-up vendors, Hawker spaces include exclusive access to digital technology to decorate and professionally market your brand in-store.

Hawker spaces have turned the pop-up shop concept into a pop-up experience with flexible short-term leases in premier locations. With every Hawker Space booking, you gain access to the unique digital technology to decorate and professionally market your brand in-store.

And who says only retailers can create pop-up shops? The use of our flexible spaces extends to small businesses, designers, property developers, events, organisations, influencers and more.

Find out what you and your business can achieve and book a Hawker Space today.