Announcing New Buy Online Feature for Shopify POS

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There is one thing that keeps brick-and-mortar business owners up at night: showrooming. Showrooming is a shopping habit many shoppers exhibit; it occurs when customers visit a store to check out an item, but then don’t feel ready to buy, and may or may get it later online.

We are all guilty of it. Personally, I developed a shopping practice exactly along those lines to avoid impulse buys and shopper’s remorse. When I see something I like in store, I wait a couple of days to see if I still think about it then. If I forget about it, it wasn’t worth the purchase. If I can’t stop thinking about it, I will buy it online.

Another scenario we can all relate to is long check-out lines. We are all dreading the moment when we are buying presents for our dearest, just to wait in the check-out queue with our eyes wondering to our watch every 30 seconds because we know our bus is about to arrive. So we have to leave the store before making the purchase.

These are problems many retailers face. And now there is a solution.

Shopify Introduces the New Buy Online Feature for Shopify POS

Shopify listened to the fears and concerns of their retailers and created a solution that kills two birds with one stone. Well, it actually kills many birds with one stone. If we had to summarise the functionings of the new Buy Online for Shopify POS feature into one sentence it would look something like this:

The Buy Online for Shopify POS helps retailers to operate omni-channel businesses, turning customers who aren’t ready to purchase in-store into online buyers.

The shopping habits of customers change over time, and retailers have to evolve with them. That’s why omni-channel practices are of crucial importance for a successful ecommerce business.

A study by McKinsey Research and Harvard Business Review shows that more than 73% of shoppers use multiple channels when engaging with brands; and - most importantly - that customers who use more channels, also spend more money. Another report found that omni-channel marketing strategies can lead to 15-35% increase in average transaction size, as well as 5-10% increase in local customers’ profitability and a 30% increase in customer lifetime value.

Omni-channel practices are the new holy grail of successful enterprises - and Buy Online for Shopify POS can help you get there.

How does Buy Online for Shopify POS work?

The Buy Online for Shopify POS experience looks like this:

Armed with an iPad, in-store, trained staff approach shoppers to offer them a non-obligation purchase experience. Your staff help your customers to create an online cart, which they can fill while browsing the store. If customers are not ready to buy in-store, the cart is emailed to them so they can make the decision whether to buy online later.

Buy Online for Shopify POS enables customers to make the purchase wherever they are, whenever they’re ready.

What are the features of Buy Online for Shopify POS?

One of the best features of Buy Online are the emails sent to customers. They’re not just a great way to open communications and provide an entry point for email newsletters and the like. Staff can also include relevant customer information, shipping rates and tax exemptions, which make Buy Online for Shopify a great tool for improving purchase experiences.

Sending emails also gives you the opportunity to increase the likelihood of sales. By including special discounts and offers, you can re-engage customers that didn’t buy in-store and encourage them to hit the Buy button online.

And your staff are not left to stand out in the cold. Buy Online is able to attribute the sale to the person who sent the email to the customer, making it easy to reward and compensate staff for their hard work in-store.

What are the benefits of adding Buy Online for Shopify POS to your business?

The shopping experience is changing. Traditionally, customers visit a store, try out the product, and then buy or not buy. With online shopping a new way of shopping evolved, so that you can make purchases from the comfort of your own home. Now, the two channels are merging and interacting.

In order to keep up with the times, Buy Online for Shopify POS helps retailers react to changing shopping habits, and lets customers make the purchase whenever and wherever they want.

Buy Online for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses

For brick-and-mortar businesses, the Buy Online solution creates a seamless workflow between online and offline purchases. You can easily access customer information and order details, and update product prices with a few clicks. Syncing up the physical and online business, Buy Online makes it easy to accept money in person, whilst keeping track of inventory.

Imagine it like an equivalent of a real-life abandoned cart. Whilst you can’t chase after your customer to convince them to check-out, you can easily send an email to remind them of the in-store experience, and re-engage them with targeted promotions and email marketing campaigns.

Buy Online for Online-only Sellers

For online-only Shopify businesses, Buy Online makes the dream of extending your online brand to an in-person pop-up shop or concept store achievable. You can share the data between your online and in-person channels and keep track of all your sales in one place.

Buy Online for Customers

For customers, the Buy Online feature greatly improves the shopping experience. They can reap the benefits of online shopping even when browsing in-store:

  • home delivery
  • no waiting in lines
  • flexible decision making time
  • special offers and discounts.

The “Try in store, purchase online later” mentality of Buy Online for Shopify POS bridges the in-person and online commerce divide, by making it easier to include omni-channel practices into your workflows.

How can Buy Online for Shopify POS help you become an Omni-Channel Retailer?

Omni-channeling is all about creating consistent and cohesive, yet personalised brand experiences across multiple touch points. These touch points can include brick-and-mortar, marketplaces, web, social media outlets, and mobile.

The idea is that customers are using one sales channels, and are then presented with an incentive and invitation to participate in another. And that’ where Buy Online for Shopify POS comes in.

In-store customers might not be aware of your online store. Or, with the current flow of information and stimuli we experience around us, it is likely that your product slips their mind and they forget their purchase, or buy from a competitor. The email sent by Buy Online for Shopify POS reminds them of the great experience they had in-store, and offers them an easy and convenient way to make the purchase.

Furthermore, with Buy Online it is easy to personalise the email to reflect your brand, and ensure that the offline and online brand experience is as seamless and cohesive as possible.

Should you Get Buy Online for Shopify POS?

Buy Online for Shopify POS gives you the right tool to not only avoid the pitfalls of showrooming, but also to integrate omni-channel practices into your Shopify businesses. 

With Buy Online, you are able to:

  • Tap into the power of mobile
  • Provide better customer experiences (e.g. skip the lines)
  • Drive sales through discounts, price matching and special offers
  • Re-engage customers that weren’t ready to purchase in-store
  • Turn window shoppers into local customers
  • Stop worrying about sold out items in store
  • Expand your online-only business to physical stores

Turning your Shopify store into an omni-channel business might seem like a daunting task, but we are here to support you. At Elkfox we specialise in Shopify store optimisation, and we are incredibly excited to help you take advantage of the new Buy Online for Shopify POS feature. Contact us for more information.

* Image via Shopify