The Idea Blog

One of the more interesting things happening at retail these days is the emergence of online tactics helping to fuel in-store purchasing.

I have long told a story about furniture retailing by citing an example from car shopping. How is it I can show up at the local Ford dealer (or any other, for that matter), choose my new Ford Focus, customize it with leather interior, a five-speed stick, a multi-changer cd player, bluetooth and other add-ons, opt for the Carolina blue color, and expect to have it on the lot by tomorrow, ready to pick-up? But the sofa my wife wants in the hounds tooth fabric option shown on the floor - we’ll have to wait 6-12 weeks for that. And, oh yeah, by the way, you can’t see it before you buy, but you can at least try to imagine it by taking in this 12×12″ swatch draped over the floor sample. (Tip: It helps if you squint.)

You get the idea.

In many areas of retailing, web-based features are helping bring some of the conveniences of online retailing to the big box store. Want to see more color options? Go to the computer screen and click on the color of your choice. Pow! Want to consult real consumer reviews about LCD vs. plasma TVs? Call them up on your handheld or on the store’s display computer. Want to buy online, but pick up today in store? No problem.
An article in this week’s (More Clicks at the Bricks, Dec 19, 2007) BusinessWeek gets into this increasingly popular practice, and it’s clear that consumers and retailers are the better for it.

Are you combining your online and retail business practices? A sidebar to the same article offers up some best practices.