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Integrating In-Store

Travis J. Reed

You already know you need to be on social networking sites, have a robust website, and consider online apps. Now you need to begin doing all these in your stores as well.

Today’s shopper will scan barcodes at a store to compare prices, then “Google” the product to see who else sells it, and even tweet or post what they find.

DIGITAL DISTRACTIONS

A smart way to handle this—and one that’s worked for savvy retailers in other categories—is to distract them by giving these prospective customers something else digital to do in your space.

■ CREATE A CONTEST. For example, consider a contest geared to the younger generation that involves Instagram. It’s pretty easy to do: Set up a backdrop somewhere in your store—one that is well-branded, of course—and invite them to take a

photo in front of it and post it to their Instagram or yours.

■ OFFER INCENTIVES. The key is offering an incentive. From the images, you can pick winners each day, hour, month—whatever works for you—and then award prizes, discounts, etc.

■ MAKE IT FUN. The fun of this process is that it gets shoppers involved. They try on merchandise in the photo, they post pictures, and they share that what they won and from where.

■ TRY IT ON. Using a tablet, take photos of the client in the eyewear she tries on and let her flip through the gallery so she can see how she looks in the frames. Most patients take off their glasses to try on product, so how are they going to see themselves in a mirror? Adding a little digital savvy to your sales floor can make the shopping experience easier, more fun, and a lot more memorable.

CONNECT THE DOTS

Get customers to see that eyewear is just as fun as a watch or scarf.

■ TREND PIX. Ask about their favorite outfits. Can they show you a picture from Facebook or Instagram on their smartphone? This starts the conversation.

■ TREND BOARDS. Create trend boards on Pinterest, post the newest frames on your Facebook page, and tweet about some celebrity or new movie showcasing something you have in stock.

■ MANNEQUINS. See if you can partner with a local retailer to feature a mannequin in its garments and your eyewear. Go ahead and try something different.

Be sure to have some fun. And, most of all, help connect the dots for today’s buyer. EB

Travis J. Reed is a visual merchandiser, stylist, and CEO of Creative Visionary, Inc., based in Chicago.