HHIQ 2Q 2016

LINE REVIEW
FLE
BY BOB SHERWOOD
LEVERAGING
E-COMMERCE
IN BRICKS AND
MORTAR STORES
Successful retailing is not just a prosperous
intersection of products and customers.
Sustainability requires that the intersection
be a rewarding experience, whether that’s
online or in a store.
C
onsidering the seemingly infinite
amount of product that is available
on the internet and the real constraints
of what will reasonably fit inside
of a bricks-and-mortar store, the choices
retailers face are becoming exponentially
more challenging. The requirement to be
relevant in the online channel has been a
priority for many retailers. But has it been
at the expense of the physical store?
Store shopping should be the ultimate 3D
experience. E-commerce can be a convenience-oriented
enhancement to the store
brand and not the preferred alternative to it.
What buyers choose to put in stores has never
been more important than today and the role
of the line review is overdue for a retooling.
The spectacular and largely unexpected
flameout of Target was primarily a failed
assortment strategy that never found its
footing and then crumbled when the rest
of the value proposition could not compensate
for it.
Simple product refreshes and quick
reallocations of space to reflect historical
data have short “best before” dates. The
practice of putting high-volume products
in the store and listing the rest online is a
mechanical exercise that is backward-facing
and ignores where the consumer is going.
The common practice of shoplifting merchandising
and display ideas from competitors
may bring you current with today, but
does little to differentiate. The end result is
a retail store that morphs into a lesser version
of its e-commerce platform.
Rather than allow technology to sap the
life out of retail stores, let’s create the opposite
effect. Make the experience of shopping at
a retail store more compelling and desirable
than shopping online for similar products.
Buyers and vendors together need to consider
the information power the internet
brings to consumers and make information
content in stores as important as the
32 S EC OND QU A R T ER / 2016
Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly
www.hardlines.ca