How to Master Phygital Marketing

The merging of online and offline worlds is Phygital. Phygital combines the digital world and physical stores. That is the phygital strategy in marketing. Physical and digital experience mingle for a holistic marketing strategy. This is only possible by utilizing digital technology.

The combination of physical and digital elements in retail is the essence of physical retail. But this is no simple slogan. This digital and physical storefront is an omnichannel marketing strategy for the retailer. Physical Retail aims to show how retailers can successfully execute this multichannel sales strategy and its advantages.

It is possible you knew Phygital Marketing by its predecessor, Immersion Marketing. Physical = physical + digital is also used as a catchphrase for marketing. It seems that 2022 has finally come. It is easy to have the technology, and that technology could influence different industries in many ways. Let me explain how to grow and prosper in 2024.

 

What is Phygital?

 

Physically, physicality enables a seamless connection between electronic and physical. digital reality. The idea is to bring the best part of the customer experience into the digital realm. The success of a physical strategy requires immediate, interactive, connected, and engaging interactions. Instantly, our Physical’s main needs are the craving for Right-Here-Now. Customers work in environments where instant gratification or immediate support is standard. 45% of the consumer base is prepared to change brands without knowing the company’s needs. Connected. Going to physical things is to connect in many directions.

 

What is Phygital Marketing?

 

No, this is not a typo. All right. Phygital marketing is about merging physical and digital experiences into one. Phygital Marketing includes communication with a potential customer that may switch stores or shops for online shopping. During mobile shopping, the market is expanding, but consumers use smartphones for enhancing in-store shopping. It is also very relevant to our business, B2C. 87 percent of B2C buyers are happy with their purchases.

Currently, the consumer is Physical, they are able to make digital decisions if they wish. So marketers and retailers are able to meet customers from physical spaces they know. Despite the decline of physical stores, consumers can still enjoy physical shopping experiences. Phygital marketing and phygital retail services are a great way to give new energy to a brick-and-mortar store and provide a new marketing platform to its clients.

Phygital combines digital and physical worlds to deliver completely new experiences for consumers. Physical experiences are expected to appeal to Millennial and Generation Z consumers.

 

Everything Old is New Again

 

Retailers were the most eager to take the physical bandwagon. The physical experience has been a way of injecting life into a struggling industry struggling against e-commerce giants such as Amazon. In order to elicit customers into buying at a retail store stores need extraordinary experience. Sophygitals. 63% of purchases begin on the internet. Nevertheless, 49% of American consumers continue to prefer shopping online. It shows store owners have an enormous advantage of providing experiential phygital marketing strategies.

The main advantages of doing business electronically in-store are store-specific digital and physical customer data. A digital environment is the best way for retailers to track customer behavior in the physical store. The experience should also be valuable to customers who interact with digital environments. Physical marketing software provides something that is unique for shopping. When brands learn about their customers, they can offer new and improved ways of interacting with the customer.

 

More than half of Americans search for products online. Nevertheless, the report states many people still prefer shopping online. Almost half of the shoppers surveyed say they prefer to shop on-site rather than online. Can retailers benefit from the change? The merger of your physical and digital storefronts is now crucial in achieving this goal. Physical Retail’s patented eCommerce platform provides a unique opportunity for customers to leverage their e-commerce experience to enhance sales revenue.

Unsurprisingly, Amazon is quick at creating physical customer experiences. Beta Store in Seattle provides a physical retail experience. Shoppers enter Amazon Go stores using scanned QR codes or mobile phones. It opens up a turnstile and customers enter stores. It’s hoped that the customers will be able just go out and buy the product. Amazon Go charges its customers a linked credit or debit card.

 

Increase in Phygital Experiences

 

Phygital means Omnichannel Marketing — a way of communicating with shoppers using a marketing channel that works in conjunction with each other to provide an entirely seamless experience. In order to combine physical and digital experiences to make an exceptional combination of the two worlds, the customer experience must be unique. We are slowly beginning a digital age in our everyday lives. Think of the impact smartphones will bring in the world of personalization and digitalization.

Retail businesses have been learning for the last several years that digital channels bring customers in the door. Seeing what a store has online improves customer satisfaction by showing potential customers what to expect when they enter coffee shops. The banking industry has now offered banking online as the digital component of their phygital strategy. Phygital experience may also include buying online and returning to a physical store. That is a great example of combining the physical and digital worlds.

Brick-and-mortar retailers have learned the internet is their friend. Consumer behavior dictates that having an online presence enhances in-store purchasing.

 

How to Phygitalize?

 

The tactics offer an alternative view of the physical phenomenon as digital marketing can utilize the tools in the wheelhouse to expand into the physical. There are tools to connect physical and digital branding experiences that have been around for years. What’s in store for Phygital when it comes to your retail needs?

Phygital tactics create a human connection.

1) Create a real-world customer center

Bank employees must make sure their customers receive the best possible service at a convenient location. Capital One transformed dozens of branch locations throughout the major cities into cafés offering coworking spaces and workshops, in addition to teaching and consulting facilities. The bank saw the need for interaction and utilized this for a valuable Community Area. These strategies will be especially effective in B2 B markets. Despite the alleged WeWork scandal, coworking spaces remain in widespread use across the US, especially for professionals who work from home.

2) Implement AR & VR

The company also has an augmented reality app that helps users visualize furniture and interior design. B2B is still not out of place. Several pharmaceutical companies have jumped on the idea of using augmented reality technology to integrate the physical world.

3) Distribute limited product samples directly to consumers

Today many entrepreneurs develop products to be marketed to consumers with the aim of B2B expansion. Take Perfect Day, the Vegan Food Startup based out of Los Angeles. Perfect Day is offering an ice cream alternative for consumers. It quickly sold out, but the founders did not plan to restock. What is the reason? Its goal was to market to large companies based on animal-free “dairy alternatives”.

4) Pop-up shop

Pop Up stores provide customers with physical experiences for your business online. Think of online sellers’ presence in a local marketplace — this is entry-level medical marketing… This information may help identify where the loyal consumers are and establish pop-up shops nearby. If you are to take these physics-based tactics to a greater level, then you would want to use technology at popup stores and have customers interact with your physical products and your digital inventory simultaneously. All channels are omnichannel.

5) Social media

Facebook and Instagram are introducing new social media sites for businesses that offer online shopping to their customers. Both Twitter and Instagram feature eCommerce, which allows stores the sale of products or services. Social media allows the retailer to promote or create loyalty programs for its customers. Rewarding customers who engage with their brand through Twitter will be the best means to digitally link. Social media is another way to combine digital and physical marketing.

Instagram and Facebook can help you create a virtual presence within retail. Use the e-commerce tools on Instagram to build social commerce strategies and promote directly on social media. Social media can advertise customers’ loyalty programs, sharing promotions and advertising campaigns. Engaging shoppers through Facebook can improve digital communication in the long run and offer seamless customer experiences across all channels for the consumer.

 

Retail stores now let customers choose how they Buy

 

Buy online, pick up in the store (BOPIS), sometimes called click and collect, lets users buy on the web and then pick up orders in stores or at designated pickup locations. Buying additional products while collecting an order can increase sales and reduce your shipping costs. Pickups in curbside are also a fulfillment option similar to BOPIS. Orders can be placed via the website and collected from a local store, but no one must leave. On arrival at your store, the customer has received an e-mail notification and the order is brought to the curb by you.

Let customers choose how they buy. At the Home Depot and Lowe’s and many grocery retailers have developed a phygital strategy that allows customers to purchase online and pick-up in store or have the product placed on a truck for delivery. This is BOPIS. This works when they have a suitable online shopping experience for consumers.

 

Integrate Customer Reviews

Reviews can be used to turn visitors into paid clients, so encouraging them to leave reviews is vital. Providing in-store shoppers with the option to view a review also helps. The online reviews will also be shown in-store near the related merchandise so customers will be able to read reviews online and make more efficient purchase decisions. This could be done using signs or strategically placed iPads in your retail stores where customers can see products and services that match the items on your shopping list that they want.

 

Provide self-checkout or no checkout

It may not be a priority of any store to introduce the “just walk out” checkout option for Amazon Go customers. The shoppers enter the stores, grab their stuff and leave. It records the customer purchase and payments are processed automatically by the Amazon Go app within seconds of leaving the shop. Self-checkout can improve the checkout process by making online purchases easier and more convenient. You may also use self-checkout kiosks in-store for reduced checkout lines.

 

Create a Google Business Profile Listing

Create an online store profile with Google or other websites is another way of adding to your physical store. You can engage with your customers, gather feedback and sell your products online.

A local search marketing campaign can bring in new customers who are interested in local product listings. The easier-to-use search engine also increases the foot traffic on a store’s website. Google can help brick-and-mortar businesses attract more customers.

 

Offer personalized recommendations and increase sales

Personalized services as well as product recommendations is a significant advantage of physical retail and is possible with eCommerce solutions including the Shopify POS integration with your online stores. Consequently, store associates can get a holistic view of the preferences a user is having, enabling them to recommend the best product for a particular shopper. Personalized interaction with customers improves the customer experience by increasing the return on investment in your advertising campaigns.

Prevent stockouts

Using the same platform in your store management process is a benefit — unified stock levels and a complete reporting system — the report will help avoid the dreaded stock shortage. Shopify gives you an idea of what products or variants are available in all of your stores and in your store inventory. These capabilities help retailers quickly determine the amount of inventory available and order more before inventory levels reach zero.

 

Build brand Awareness and Trust

Connecting customers via the internet and offline allows customers to engage with the business through various channels digitally and physically. In the event that you allow customers to go to your retail stores, they can talk to you personally and see how they can purchase your items. It helps increase the credibility and visibility of your products/services.

 

Enhance customer Experience

Streamlined online and offline shopping experiences simplify the buyer journey and enable more customers to interact and contact you across multiple platforms. Phygital Retail offers customers the option of selecting an appropriate payment method or payment mode to fulfill orders. Flexible products increase customer experience and sales and increase your loyalty by developing omnichannel programs.

 

Phygital in real-estate Industry

Also possible in real estate house businesses too. Possible sites are available on your company website or on different housing portals that host your property. One good method to go phytogital would be to offer a one-on-one phone service in case you show a high interest in the property. Once you find a suitable target, you will be able to build trust with them by revealing more information about the unit they want. 56% of Americans find home buying online first. Creating effective first-website interactions is critical.

 

Phygital in the retail Industry

As previously discussed, the biggest players within retail are taking over online retail for the high season and beyond. Live video shopping takes you right back to the office. You can often communicate directly with a live host and get answers to your questions. During the process, all physical experiences can be digitalized for you to experience. Consumers have apparently loved such physical experiences.

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