Selling online in a vertical like furniture is complex. Stores are critical to the shopping experience but, increasingly, so is ecommerce. Shoppers expect and demand a more seamless experience, while furniture retailers must solve for long purchase cycles, expensive delivery and complicated systems integrations across channels. Technologies are one way for furniture retailers to unlock the potential that furniture ecommerce presents, bridging the gap between what shoppers expect and what retailers can deliver. Store-Sync, a component of the Blueport Platform, bridges the “digital divide” between retailers and shoppers, and is the only technology that synchronizes online and in-store browsing. Here’s why technology like this is important for both shoppers and retailers, and what opportunities it presents for the furniture retail industry.
A patented technology created by Blueport that allows shoppers to create a list of only the items they are looking for and add them to their cart through their mobile device, desktop or in-store with a store associate. This list can be changed or updated at any time, on any device and emailed to a furniture shopper as he or she goes about their journey. When they are ready to buy, all of their information is available, empowering your store associate or website to deliver a seamless shopping experience. It’s that easy!
When shopping for furniture, consumers want an experience where they have the convenience of exploring online and researching their highly-considered purchase, but where they can see it in-person, too. They want to maximize their time and be in control of their store visit while easily being able to complete the shopping process they started online. Conversely, furniture retailers want to better understand how online marketing can help stores and store associates be as helpful as possible, but also get credit if they help close a sale.
Digital technologies like Store-Sync are important for bridging the gap between shoppers and retailers because they allow shoppers to pick up where they left off—whether in-store, on their home computer or using their mobile device.
“I would start at home…and my Mom would start in-store”
– Furniture shopper using Store-Sync
For retailers, Store-Sync enables better store experiences, empowering store associates to provide a more personal in-store visit where the consumer never has to start over. It also ties store orders to website shopping activity, providing insights on what drives customers to make a purchase.
Clients on the Blueport Platform who use Store-Sync have seen benefits among shoppers and stores alike, particularly when the technology is married with store associate training. Here are some of the highlights from both qualitative and quantitative research on customers using Store-Sync:
Over 90% of shoppers report being likely to use Store-Sync the next time they shop for furniture
– Independent user testing research
Creating a seamless shopping experience across all channels is the holy grail of retail, particularly in furniture. Store-Sync bridges the digital divide between the brick-and-mortar store and the online store to create an uninterrupted omnichannel experience that benefits both shoppers and furniture retailers.
Blueport is the only ecommerce provider that offers Store-Sync technology, which allows shoppers to seamlessly move back and forth between online and in-store shopping, integrating both experiences in a compelling, personalized and easy path to purchase.