Online trade vs. offline trade, a never-ending competition. The corona crisis, lockdowns and ever-evolving digitalization mean that stationary retail is shrinking more and more. It is not for nothing that inner cities and stationary shops are no longer as busy as in the days before the Internet. It is clear that online retail offers numerous advantages, such as independence from opening hours and market transparency. In the following, we would like to look at how you can still strengthen your local company and what local marketing strategies exist.

Facts and figures

Corona has undoubtedly helped online retail achieve further record figures. As a result of the pandemic, online growth has accelerated significantly. In 2020, digital retail sales amounted to 72.8 billion euros, reports the HDE Online Monitor 2021, increasing sales by 23 percent compared to the previous year. The biggest revenue drivers in the industries are CE/ Elektro and FMCG. FMCG means fast moving customer goods. In other words, goods that change or rotate quickly on the retail shelf. These include consumer goods such as food, personal care products, cleaning products, etc., which consumers purchase frequently, spontaneously and usually routinely and without thinking twice. The FMCG sector is currently once again showing by far the strongest online growth, primarily due to food. Electronics and telecommunications products are also popular, with around 24 percent. The target group with the highest purchasing power is that of 20 to 29-year-olds: Almost 23 percent shop online here at least once a month. We can see that online retail is getting stronger and that it is not stopping to grow. For local businesses, this is an immense problem. In order to reach potential customers in the area, small businesses in particular need to do local marketing to draw attention to themselves. In the following, we will show you how you can focus on the strengths of your company in a targeted manner.

Local marketing

Design concepts

The biggest advantage of the stationary economy is the opportunity to make shopping an unforgettable experience, as customers can activate all their senses. Your shop must stand out. Use an innovative and creative design concept so that your customers will gladly remember your shop. It is particularly important that your appearance also matches your product. The values of your brand and your corporate psychology should be reflected in the institution. In doing so, you can let your imagination and creativity run wild. For example, unusual wall decorations or eye-catching furniture are very welcome. Dare to stage your shop.

customer advice

One advantage that stationary retail has over online retail is clearly the direct, competent advice from employees. Although more and more chat tools are popping up in online shops that enable customers to communicate with an employee, the relationship between person and person still has a different effect. As a result, the advice and customer service provided by your employees must be so good that a customer is happy to share their positive experience and recommend your shop to others. Because advice is essential in a stationary store. Customers prefer to buy from competent and friendly sellers.

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Plan events

In order to be able to get in touch with customers or potential partners locally, planning and implementing events is a good idea. Even if events are difficult to carry out due to the current situation, you should already plan them for the future. However, the events can also take place digitally without any problems. How you organise events depends on the one hand on your company. Are you the owner of a pizzeria? Mardi Gras is just around the corner. Why not invite your guests to a relaxed carnival party, where you also offer tastings. In this way, you make your brand tangible. Street food festivals have also recently become very popular. Rent a food truck and spread your delights at such a festival. There are many options available to you. Anything is possible here.

Convincing on the Internet

The website is considered your digital business card, so it should be professionally and seriously designed. It is important not only to pay attention to the external design, but also to be convincing in terms of content. Informative texts about your products, values, services and also about your team make your company appear competent and qualified. Photos in particular play a decisive role here. Images give a first impression and should encourage your potential customers to find out more and, in the best case, visit your shop. You will get an authentic impression through professionally photographed and expressive photos. You can find possible sites for free, royalty-free and professional images over here After all, you not only want to address potential customers and customers, but also potential business partners.

Become visible online

In order to make your company regionally visible online, it is first useful to create a company profile on Google My Business. In most cases, Google automatically creates such a profile, but managing directors should adjust it afterwards. It is important that you provide your full contact details. You must also assign your company to the right category in the industry and also use vivid images and a company logo. Once you have created a profile, the next step is an entry in the industry portals. First, an entry in a telephone directory, such as “the local”, is important. This is now represented online. But entries in other industry portals also make sense, as this also increases your online visibility. You must also update any changes you make in your profile. Your company profile data must always be up to date and consistent. It is important that the data on the website matches the data on the Internet. Another important point for visibility is collecting customer reviews on Google and other platforms. Because these have a positive effect on your company's search engine ranking. Online reviews and testimonials are considered modern word of mouth, so it is extremely important that satisfied customers leave a review. With the Socialwave marketing package, you will receive numerous positive reviews without much effort. You can get more information about this here.In addition, the use of Google+ Local or Google Ads with regional ad placement also supports your online visibility. As a result, your company will be visible on Google to those who are looking for the appropriate keyword for your company and are in the immediate vicinity of your shop. Google also offers visibility through your company's location on Google Maps.

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social media

The successes that can be achieved with social media marketing are often underestimated. Social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn provide local companies with many opportunities for customer acquisition and customer loyalty. They provide interaction between you and your customers. Not only can you draw attention to the latest news and information, but you are also in direct contact with your customers. You can also place local ads and join local Facebook groups. There, many interest groups form local groups and exchange views on the respective topic. If you as a company have found a suitable group, you can gain new customers as a result. Another and important advantage is the fact that you receive important information about your target group from your own target group. What more could you want?

Networking and cooperation

Another very important tool for local marketing is networking and cooperation with other companies. Especially at the beginning, you need every help. Networking offers many advantages. On the one hand, it makes it possible to get to know new people and, on the other hand, it provides inspiration and motivation. Together with your cooperation partners, you can develop ideas and solutions and implement them. Networking also helps enormously when it comes to self-assessment. In addition, you automatically have access to a larger target group, which allows you to attract the attention of potential customers. Suitable cooperation partners are companies that address the same clientele and also share the same interests.

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Combining online and offline retail

Both sales channels offer both consumers and retailers various advantages, which can be fully exploited through an intelligent combination. Everyone buys differently. Some visit the store first, get personal advice, but still buy the product online because it is offered at a lower price. Others first research the product online, refrain from consulting and purchase the product. From the purchase method and the ordering method to the payment option, there is a difference between customer and customer. It is therefore appropriate as a company to offer various service options across different channels. A good example of the combination of offline and online retail is the so-called click & collect principle. Your customer orders the products online and can pick them up flexibly at the store. As a consumer, you save on shipping costs. As a retailer, you benefit from the fact that the customer visits your shop and, in most cases, receives advice and purchases additional items. According to the HDE Online Monitor 2021, 44% of Internet users had already used Click&Collect in 2020. This was particularly popular in the CE/electrical sector. We see that a combination of offline and online trading definitely makes sense and should be considered more often.

conclusion

It is impossible to ignore the fact that online retail continues to develop and grow. But don't let that scare you off. With the strategies mentioned above, you can be on the same level as online trading. In particular, a mix of several local marketing methods can be very valuable for your company. You should be open to all possible channels and also try out innovative methods. You can find more information about the Socialwave marketing package here.