Let’s say, however, that you don’t have to worry about channel conflict; there’s no need to have different pricing in each “channel.” Instead, let’s consider how an online channel can benefit an offline company:
■ Your customers can see your products any time of day or night; they don’t have to wait until business hours.
■ They can view your products wherever they are; they don’t have to visit your location.
■ They can indulge their desire for instant gratification; people want information now, when they think about it, not when they have time to visit your store or when the post office finally delivers a catalog.
■ Customers who have never heard of you and may never drive by your store can find your products.
■ Customers can shop “together” even if they are in different cities. Grandparents can buy for grandkids, fiancés can shop for their wedding together even when apart, and so on.
■ Customers can always get to the very latest catalog, seconds after it’s published.
■ You can attract customers who are searching online, who might otherwise go elsewhere.
■ You can process an online order cheaper than an offline order.
■ Customers often research online, then go to the store to buy. If you don’t provide this opportunity, you may lose a sale to a company that does.
How about the other way around? How can an offline channel help an online store? Plenty of ways—your offline business is already in front of customers and prospects in many different ways. In fact, if you already have an offline business you are way ahead . . . you can now promote your online business at almost no cost!
■ Put a sign up outside your business (see Figure 29-1). In effect, you are handing out a business card to everyone who drives by . . . when they get home, they know just how to reach you.
■ Put a sign up inside your business; make sure that anyone walking into your store cannot possibly leave without knowing that you have a web site and remembering your domain name.
■ Your customers can see your products any time of day or night; they don’t have to wait until business hours.
■ They can view your products wherever they are; they don’t have to visit your location.
■ They can indulge their desire for instant gratification; people want information now, when they think about it, not when they have time to visit your store or when the post office finally delivers a catalog.
■ Customers who have never heard of you and may never drive by your store can find your products.
■ Customers can shop “together” even if they are in different cities. Grandparents can buy for grandkids, fiancés can shop for their wedding together even when apart, and so on.
■ Customers can always get to the very latest catalog, seconds after it’s published.
■ You can attract customers who are searching online, who might otherwise go elsewhere.
■ You can process an online order cheaper than an offline order.
■ Customers often research online, then go to the store to buy. If you don’t provide this opportunity, you may lose a sale to a company that does.
How about the other way around? How can an offline channel help an online store? Plenty of ways—your offline business is already in front of customers and prospects in many different ways. In fact, if you already have an offline business you are way ahead . . . you can now promote your online business at almost no cost!
■ Put a sign up outside your business (see Figure 29-1). In effect, you are handing out a business card to everyone who drives by . . . when they get home, they know just how to reach you.
■ Put a sign up inside your business; make sure that anyone walking into your store cannot possibly leave without knowing that you have a web site and remembering your domain name.
This little .com sign can’t be expensive . . . but is seen by millions of people every year.
FIGURE 29-1 We zoomed in on this photo on the ToolKing.com About Us page so you can see the low-cost little .com signed added to the store name on the building.
■ Put your URL on everything: product packaging, business cards, invoices and other paperwork, print ads, TV and radio ads, and more.
■ Give people a reason to come to your site; when you use your URL in ads, for instance, explain how the site can help: “See our entire inventory online, at . . .”
■ Place fliers on your store’s countertops promoting the online store, and make sure every customer leaves with one.
■ Put magnet signs on your car or delivery trucks.
■ Give buyers at your store a discount coupon for the online store.
■ Drop a fridge magnet with your URL into every customer’s bag.
While writing this bulleted list, an ad came on TV for an organization called The Neptune Society. An 800 number was prominently displayed . . . but no URL. The organization does have a web site, though . . . so why no URL? Of course larger, more sophisticated businesses can play other games:
■ Buy online; return to a brick-and-mortar.
■ Buy gift cards online, use in the brick-and-mortar, and vice versa.
■ Use instant-win codes. Your brick-and-mortar store gives a scratch-card to every buyer; the buyer enters the code into a form on the web site to see if it’s the winning number.
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