Indochino made its name as an online suit retailer that delivered made-to-measure suits directly to customers’ front doors. But now the company has integrated a more traditional retail approach to complement that strategy. And it’s part of a growing trend that small businesses may want to consider.
Online to Offline Trend
The trend of ecommerce businesses going from online to offline, or at least incorporating some form of physical retail store into their business models, didn’t start with Indochino. For years, ecommerce retailers have recognized the benefits of offering showrooms or products in physical stores so that customers who want to actually see products in person or try them out have the option. Even Amazon has recently started integrating some retail locations into its strategy.
For Indochino, this means offering showrooms where customers can receive a personal touch with in-store measurements and consultations. This allows the company to expand its customer base to those who weren’t comfortable following directions from the company’s video for measuring and ordering on their own.
This doesn’t mean that all small ecommerce businesses need to immediately go out and open retail locations. But if you think that having some products presented offline could be beneficial to your customers, then it might be worth exploring different opportunities. You could open up showrooms, host pop-up shops or simply offer products in other stores.
More and more businesses are realizing, it’s not about choosing between online and offline. You can create a good mix of both to appeal to as many customers at possible.
Image: Indochino