Survival of Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

The advantages brick-and-mortar retailers have in the marketplace is that they have high visibility, a strong brand, and can offer in-store events to attract customers. They also have window displays, in-store merchandise, store designs and floor plans to gain more traffic to their stores. With a brick-and-mortar store, customers are able to physically see the store. Harrods in London has become a staple to the city and attracts customers from all over the world. Since the store takes up an entire block, some customers even devote an entire day to shopping throughout the store. Also because of this, even if someone who does not know the significance of the store, they might be curious to go inside and see what the store has to offer. In addition, with a store you can offer exclusive in-store events that customers would not be able to experience from shopping online. When a celebrity or beauty influencer launches a product available at Sephora, the store usually hosts meet and greets in popular cities across the nation. When Rihanna launched her cosmetics line, she announced that she would be going to Sephora in Times Square and before midnight she was greeted by thousands of fans, providing them the opportunity to meet her (Davis, 2017). Furthermore, with brick-and-mortar stores, firms can choose which products they want to promote more by showcasing them in window displays or placing them front and center in the store. Moreover, the latest collection can easily be displayed, showing customers the latest trends and allowing them to try on or sample any products for themselves. Although shopping online is convenient, it is difficult to see the newest products unless they are specifically organized.

Brick-and-mortar retailers are modifying their practices to better ride out difficult economic conditions by improving their services. Walmart recently acquired a virtual reality platform so customers do not experience cognitive dissonance and feel confident with their purchase decisions. Walmart had set up a campsite in Yosemite National Park allowing customers to try their outdoor products by virtually pitching a tent and casting fishing rods. This properly educated consumers because they were in a specific situation and were able to decide what products they really needed (Lacy, 2018). Ulta has also expanded their capabilities by offering a variety of salon services within their stores (Zacks Equity Research, 2018). Aside from just selling products, Ulta provides a variety of hair treatments, facials by Dermalogica, eyebrows by Benefit, makeup tutorials and an OPI nail salon. Ulta has gone beyond just selling products to a one-stop shop where customers can get their haircut and buy the shampoo their hairdresser used. Walmart and Ulta have done a great job at expanding their services by allowing customers to fully try and experience the products they are considering to purchase. This allows customers to decide for themselves if they actually like or need the product, which will make them feel better about their purchase decisions and turns them into a loyal customer.

Davis, A. 2017. I followed rihanna to her surprise sephora appearance and it was epic. Refinery29. http://www.refinery29.com/2017/09/171380/rihanna-sephora-nyc-surprise-fenty-drop

Lacy, L. 2018. Walmart is coy about its vr plans, but it’s leaving digital breadcrumbs. AdWeek. http://www.adweek.com/digital/walmart-is-coy-about-vr-plans-but-continues-to-leave-digital-breadcrumbs/

Zacks Equity Research. 2018. Can ulta beauty's robust strategies offset hurdles? NASDAQ. https://www.nasdaq.com/article/can-ulta-beautys-ulta-robust-strategies-offset-hurdles-cm913163