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True Omnichannel Retailing: CoolBlue



Coolblue retail store - entrance

Omnichannel is essential to the evolution of retail.

According to the 2023 survey conducted by the Path to Purchase Institute, when asked, “what will drive shopper engagement inside the store,” 50% of people chose the “True Omnichannel Approach.”

But what does true omnichannel in retail look like?

Coolblue

True Omnichannel Retailing

On our team’s visit to Euroshop recently, we also took time out from the show to explore the real retail environment in the host city of Dusseldorf, Germany.

A number of things caught our eye, including one impressive store that offered a perfect omnichannel complement to one retailer’s web-based business.

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Coolblue is a Dutch-based e-retailer with 2 Billion Euros in sales a year, and they’ve opened 22 physical stores as well. Their retail stores take the best parts of the e-commerce experience and brings it to the real world.

Starting with eye-catching merchandising and installation that capture’s shopper’s attention and gets them excited. The store floor took a cue from how easy it is to sort and search for products online, but clearly marking categories and presenting products at easy-to-read angles with on-demand reviews and specs.

Website Brought To Life

A strong, cohesive branding was evident everywhere. The clean, consistent colors of the store are visible though the huge windows, and walking in you are greeted by shipping box sculptures that create a sort of exciting ‘landing page’ for shoppers. Signage and organization are clear, copying the segmentation you might see on the website as well.

What is also appealing about the store is that they allow individual displays for brands, yet within a rather controlled aesthetic environment; you don’t get the visual assault that some American consumer electronics retailers end up with.

Ideal Product Presentation

BENCHMARC - IMAGE COLLAGE - COOL BLUE - NO LOGO

Lower shelves and product sitting on the ground results in poor viewing for shoppers, yet it’s an issue that most stores seem to ignore.

Blue utilizes angled lower shelves for items like televisions, washers and dryers, reducing the need for shoppers to have to kneel or crouch down to see the product.

A simple idea that pays off big dividends for the store experience.

Customer Service

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Blue has even added some thoughtful details to the store, such as stations near smaller products to allow shoppers to gift wrap their purchases. Thinking about needs of the shopper that they likely hadn’t even imagined themselves is just one more way to encourage them to choose the in-store experience over an online purchase.

Conclusion

Coolblue is a great example of a retailers truly thinking about the entire customer journey in developing a truly omnichannel retail experience.

They used a strong branded approach to capturing their shoppers attention and engaging with them from the moment they step through their doors to servicing their needs after the purchase. The team at Coolblue did an excellent job at incorporating element of the e-commerce experience that shoppers have grown to expect such as on-demand reviews, and easy returns and exchanges.

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Benchmarc has even more ideas for enhancing the point of purchase part of omnichannel, improving shopper’s lives and making your brand stand out from competitors.

We’d love to start the conversation today.

CONTACT US

Reach out to us if you’re interested in learning more about refreshing your display program at:

info@benchmarc.com

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