Meet Your Customer Where They Are

Joy here!

I was never one for ordering things online. I love the experience of going into stores. I have been aptly described as a shopaholic all my life, and I'm a sucker for a good deal.

I love stores. I love the music they play (most of the time), the lights, friendly staff, and I even love having lots of bags to carry, because that's the sign of a good day.

Through this pandemic, some of this has changed for me.

Initially, I thought, "I will never allow myself to be 'lazy' enough to order groceries online to be delivered." Ha.

Joke's on me.

Fast forward one year and a move to the city.

I don't have an affordable grocery store near me. If I want to get more affordable groceries (which I definitely do), these are my choices:

1. Pay $7-$14 to take the train, walk a moderate distance, carry arm-loads of stuff (Because I can't pass-up all the good deals), struggle and try to hurry (not my strong-suit) to keep it to $7 instead of $14.

OR

2. Pay $10 to have them delivered right to my apartment door. Without leaving my house. Without getting out of my pyjamas. Not to mention, I don't have to worry if my ice cream will melt on the way.

"The reality is, you are no longer competing with the business down the street, or in the next town, and the in-store experience they offer. You are competing with the experience offered by shopping from home, sitting on the couch in our pyjamas, watching TV and sipping wine at 11pm."

Now, sometimes, I still love the experience of walking around the store. Sometimes.

But, more often than not, I think about carrying all that stuff and my arms start to ache. I think about the lines and the directional arrows and the occasional rude customer.

And I cozy up on the couch and grab my phone, open the app and start to shop.

My habits have changed. Someone who swore there was no shopping besides in-store shopping. Even with Stage 3 Reopening fast-approaching.

But, through the course of the past year and a half, I have learned where to spend my time and energy, and I have been given the choice to not spend it in-store.

The reality is, you are no longer competing with the business down the street, or in the next town, and the in-store experience they offer. You are competing with the experience offered by shopping from home, sitting on the couch in our pyjamas, watching TV and sipping wine at 11pm.

This is why it is so important to have a marketing strategy that involves paid ads.

People will flood back, for a while, but don't be fooled. Our shopping habits have changed. Make sure your business meets these changes.

Focusing on your online experience is just as important as in-store.

Meet the customer where they are. Don't sit around and wait for them to be in front of you. Get in front of them while they sit on their couch in their pyjamas.