3 Best Brick and mortar businesses – How to Automate it with Xoopah

In the age of huge conglomerates ruling the business world, one often wonders about the future of brick and mortar businesses, even the best brick and mortar businesses out there face issues with their position in the market with giants like Amazon. Although the future might seem full of challenges, the best brick and mortar businesses are the one looking towards the future of digital sales and growth optimised by data. And this is exactly what we are here to talk about.

First, let’s talk about what brick and mortar businesses are and how they function in today’s age. If you’re looking for inspiration to move your entrepreneurship skills, then this is a good place to start. Wondering what the brick and mortar business model means?

Well, it’s a way to distinguish between businesses who only have online presence and those who have both. Brick and mortar businesses are the ones who have traditional stores in place but also have an online presence. Another important distinguishing factor is that the majority of their sales are driven from physical stores as compared to online sales.

However, if you think the brick and mortar business model is not flourishing due to the rising trend of online shopping then think again. There are examples of giants like Amazon and Target where 56% shoppers  have said that they prefer to shop in person to touch and check the product. More have also said that they prefer to shop physically because delivery times are too long.

These statistics show that brick and mortar models offer more engagement for shoppers as compared to online shopping and people prefer that. This type of business offers people better experience and allows the business to establish a more close relationship with their customers. This is why the best brick and mortar businesses channel these factors to maintain their position in the market among other stores. Below we have mentioned some more reasons why brick and mortar businesses have survived till now.

When it comes to physical touch, the best brick and mortar businesses are aware of the power of good store displays. Retail displays are especially effective here. Clothing displayed on mannequins in the store front can have an effect on the customer’s. This is why impulse shopping happens. Because no one wants to miss out on sales and 10% off on a pair of coveted sneakers!

How do the best brick and mortar businesses survive?

Understanding the appeal of brick and mortar businesses will help you recognise why this business model is still alive and kicking despite the rise of online shopping stores. Brick and mortar businesses survive because of following reasons:

The first query you might have about brick and mortar business is their survival in this digital age. The pandemic has drastically changed the way people shop. Every industry has shifted to ecommerce, zero contact delivery and online payment systems. Well, these business models thrive and are still alive and kicking by adapting to these changes. Simple as that.

First of all, these businesses tend to focus on their local customers. Their focused target market allows them to market themselves to local search visits. This way, people residing in their close proximity can easily view their timings, address etc.

With Xoopah, our business management software, you gsn even sync your Google My Business account with your Xoopah integration to manage your online image. Not only this, your Google My Business account also shows customer reviews which is ideal for people looking to shop after checking reviews. Positive reviews and your response in return will determine the impact you have on your customers.

Other than channeling online image and reputation management to sustain growth, brick and mortar businesses also offer perks like physical experience. This is something online stores cannot offer. For example, a furniture store around the corner is running a campaign for 40% off on their coffee tables with same day delivery to your doorstep. Wouldn’t you take this amazing offer where you could checkout the table of your choice and have it delivered on the same day?

Another example of this is Ulta and Sephora offering skincare expertise and evaluation before you buy the right foundation for your skin tone. This concludes that in terms of offering memorable experiences, there is no match when it comes to brick and mortar business.

The best brick and mortar businesses embrace the digital aspect of running a business and preserve the unique ability of physical stores to connect with their audience. We are sharing some brick and mortar business ideas which have been doing well.

Best brick and mortar businesses you need to know about:

• Furniture houses

This type of brick and mortar business idea is ideal if you’re looking for a guarantee that it would not be overcome by an online store. Even though during the pandemic, the best brick and mortar businesses in this industry were affected, there is hope because furniture is not preferred as an online purchase. Since furniture is an intimate item to be placed in your personal space, people usually prefer to buy it in person.

Having a furniture store will allow you to connect with your customers. But this does not mean that you have to forego online tools. The line between online and offline is blurred. You can establish an online catalogue on your ecommerce for online booking, scheduling a visit with your customer and then finalise the sale afterwards to initiate the delivery process. All of this customer journey can be managed via Xoopah portal.

• Pharmaceutical facilities

Another one among the best brick and mortar businesses is drugstores and pharmacies. With our Xoopah platform you can manage customer prescriptions, refills and orders so your clients do not have to wait in line for their prescription drugs. This kind of business is an essential part of healthcare which means it will continue to flourish despite the ups and downs of the pandemic. Drugstores are also known for having cosmetic lines and other personal care products. Sometimes, people are not used to ordering simple daily care products online. This is why drugstores are ideal as a brick and mortar business.

The way you can survive the rising digital trends is by optimising your customer management and reviews. Optimising your customer service and contact management with our business portal will streamline your customer facing tasks.

• Fitness centre

Fitness and gym centres are all about physical presence. This is why this is among the best brick and mortar businesses. Even though during the pandemic, fitness centres were closed, many still offered online sessions to retain their customer base. For fitness centres, Xoopah can help you sustain your customer’s subscription plans. We enable users to save customer contacts, their subscription plans, private information and even assign them to a trainer. For reviews, we have empowered businesses to streamline their reviews across all platforms to get insight into what their customers are saying. For your fitness centre, our booking portal is useful for managing how many of your trainers are booked, their hours and type of workout they’re subscribed to. All of your customer management processes can be optimised with Xoopah.

Automate your business processes with Xoopah:

Xoopah is a small business management tool which allows users to automate their process. For brick and mortar businesses, your customer facing teams can easily manage their customer information, sales, marketing campaigns, conversions, and their entire customer journey.

If you’re running a brick and mortar business then look towards how you can optimise the customer journey with online tools like instant message and streamline all queries via dashboard. You need to ensure that you have a streamlined chance to respond to all sorts of customer queries and complaints instantly. We have an online reputation management tool in place to help marketers collect and manage reviews to improve their brand voice.

Our business management platform helps users manage how their business appears online. With our platform, you can improve how you rank on search results. We help our clients manage and set up their Google My Business account. This is ideal for brick and mortar businesses who are looking to connect with their local audiences.

Imagine if someone is looking up your store to see your opening hours. If you have an optimised Google My Business account, your business will appear with the right information including reviews via single Google Search.

We believe that even the best brick and mortar businesses need digital tools to survive. The best brick and mortar businesses are ones who have managed to stay untouched by the wave of ecommerce. Now, let’s not wonder about the perils of online clicks and join Xoopah to the future of business optimization. Starting today!