Article updated in May 2024
1. Customer journey and drive-to-store
2. What is drive-to-store?
3. What strategy should be implemented?
4. Conclusion
drive to store customer journey
1. Customer journey and drive-to-store
In recent years, the customer journey has been significantly transformed venezuela phone number library due to the evolution of digital technology and the digitalization of stores. The web is fully anchored in the consumer's purchasing journey , thus becoming a strategic lever to boost traffic at points of sale. Moreover, 86% of Internet users do an online search before making a purchase in store 1 and 88% consult online reviews to make a decision 2 .
It has therefore become crucial for a brand to be present where its customers are and to adopt phygital , that is to say to develop its strategy by thinking about both the physical and the digital:
Digital ( website, online directories, social networks) to research products, compare prices or look for reviews.
Physical (stores, print advertising, events) to discover the brand but also test the product in real conditions.
Drive -to-store allows you to create a complementarity between your web presence and your physical points of sale. It is an essential strategy when you know that the customer's purchasing journey is now omnichannel. With drive-to-store, the goal is to use all the digital tools at your disposal to boost traffic to your points of sale. A drive-to-store solution is therefore essential for implementing your strategy.
Don't forget that your point of sale is a key element: it is your greatest asset to convince a consumer and offer them a personalized experience . This purchasing journey, called omnichannel, mobilizes all existing channels between the customer and the seller. The merchant must be available anywhere and at any time.
Also feel free to read our article drive-to-store: key figures , to learn all about the importance of this strategy.drive to store definition
2. What is drive-to-store?
The concept
Drive -to-store , by definition, includes all the actions carried out with the aim of generating traffic at the point of sale . Originally, drive-to-store mainly targeted motorists, in particular via notifications that a platform like Waze can offer. Here, we will understand drive-to-store as all the digital actions that allow you to attract customers to your stores: you will also hear about web-to-store . As you will have understood, physical and digital are no longer in competition, but on the contrary represent 2 complementary entities.
As explained in the first part, the consumer will be able to do research online, then go to the store to get personalized advice or try a product. This is also known as “ ROPO ” for “Research Online, Purchase Offline”. Drive-to-store has therefore become an essential lever for your local communication strategy, and it represented 66% of retail advertising budgets in France in 2023 (i.e. 74 billion euros) 3 .
Example of use
To succeed with this strategy, you must succeed in generating interest from your prospects on the Internet and then make their experience in your establishments attractive. Are you wondering what this means in concrete terms? This can take the form of a marketing SMS sent to your database to promote an offer or a product. Your customers move, attracted by this communication. Once the prospect is in store, you must convert this movement into a sale thanks to merchandising, your team, etc.
You can also set up geolocalized advertising : they can be very interesting in setting up your drive-to-store strategy , because they allow you to target Internet users according to their catchment area . We also advise you to use all the communication channels at your disposal in order to develop a positive customer experience , such as email, RCS or voice messages .
To go further, find three examples of inspiring drive-to-store operations that may inspire you.drive to store strategy
3. What strategies should be implemented?
As seen previously, with the development of the Internet, the consumer now has access, in one click, to an unlimited amount of information. This over-informed consumer has therefore gotten into the habit of finding out, comparing and asking for opinions. In fact, 39% of French consumers start their purchasing journey on an online store or on a search engine like Google 4 . A presence on the web is therefore essential to gain visibility: it will allow you to increase your traffic at the point of sale and ultimately your turnover.
Before detailing the different drive-to-store strategies that you can implement, we would like to remind you that the shopping experience is essential to building customer loyalty. This is what will bring your customers back to the store and what will differentiate you from pure players.
Click & collect
This technique allows you to order and pay for items online, then pick them up in store. Customers thus avoid delivery costs, waiting at the checkout and problems with availability in store. With greater peace of mind about their purchases, the consumer is also more available to take a look at other items available in store.
Gamification
Some promotional operations can be organized on the occasion of special events such as the launch of a new product or a new collection, they are also an effective way to bring customers into the store. A perfect example is Burger King. The American brand is a big fan of this process and has already had significant success thanks to several of its operations (increase in traffic at the point of sale, increase in the average basket, press coverage, buzz on social networks, etc.). One of the activations was to offer the consumer a burger at random for the price of 2 euros. For the fast-food brand, the interest was to generate traffic and recruit new consumers by inviting them to discover the 10 burgers on their menu. Drive-to-store games therefore allow, through a fun experience, to generate interest in brands and their points of sale. Based on the pleasure of “trying your luck”, they create an additional attachment to the brand because customers will quickly want to repeat the experience. This is the great strength of gamification!
