The Internet hasn’t destroyed brick-and-mortar retailing, as many once feared. But has it ever changed consumer behavior. Retailers are learning from their online brethren.
Giving Shoppers More Control. Bloom supermarkets redesigned stores to fit the needs of timepressed customers by installing handheld scanners, IBM-made recipe kiosks, and self-checkout.
Speeding Up Delivery. Circuit City online shoppers can order an item on the Web and pick it up 24 minutes later at their local store. Order a book from a Barnes & Noble store kiosk, and barnesandnoble.com can get it to you in one to two days.
Providing More Information. Recreational Equipment launched online customer reviews to mimic the expertise of its store staff. Customers use them so much, the online reviews will be added to store signs.
Upping Service. Nordstrom salespeople can now keep electronic records of top customers, e-mail them about upcoming sales and events, and conduct inventory research online instead of by phone.
Photo by howstuffworks.com.
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