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Taking a physical store online; getting feedback from customers

Varun

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Hello,

I own a physical store selling consumer electronics(TVs, refrigerators, etc. - India). It is quite clear that business is changing and integrating online business with offline in meaningful ways is the way to go.

I'm just struggling to understand how to valuably integrate the online component with my business. How do I help the customers there? How do I add value?

In my industry, the key variables I could think of are all related to service, presentation(display of goods), salesman professionalism. The website value array is completely different, hence my confusion about adding value in meaningful ways. At most, I could go down the omnichanneling route. I don't just want to start sending facebook ads - quite wary of just burning cash.

Anyone in the same boat?

Edit: What are some good ways to get feedback from customers? Most customers who make a purchase always give good reviews, but they are not really helpful. I have been thinking of sending emails to customers who both buy, and do not buy, but do not yet know how to get to the ones who don't buy properly.
 
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NMdad

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Seems like consumer electronics is a fairly commoditized business. So, what value can you add to the consumer's experience? What do they need and/or want that you could provide--beyond simply selling a product?

For example, maybe recommended models of refrigerators for a consumer in X, Y, or Z situation (e.g., family of 4 vs. married couple).

Or:
  • delivery service
  • maintenance
  • upsell complimentary products

You might want to check out "Getting all you can out of everything you've got" by Jay Abraham--it's a goldmine of strategies for business growth.
 

Varun

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Seems like consumer electronics is a fairly commoditized business. So, what value can you add to the consumer's experience? What do they need and/or want that you could provide--beyond simply selling a product?

For example, maybe recommended models of refrigerators for a consumer in X, Y, or Z situation (e.g., family of 4 vs. married couple).

Or:
  • delivery service
  • maintenance
  • upsell complimentary products

You might want to check out "Getting all you can out of everything you've got" by Jay Abraham--it's a goldmine of strategies for business growth.

Thank you. Yes, it is quite commoditized. I'm already prioritizing delivery... what do you mean by maintenance? The upselling complimentary products is a good tip, and I'm going to read that book!
 
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Bigguns50

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So from a consumers point of view, I often find pain in setting up, adjusting, etc., these products. I search Youtube when I need help, but that can be a pain too. Is this a pain or enough of a pain for your customers that you could offer something related to helping them setup their purchases ? Short instruction videos for the products they buy ? I don't even know if this is even possible or reasonable.
 
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Varun

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So from a consumers point of view, I often find pain in setting up, adjusting, etc., these products. I search Youtube when I need help, but that can be a pain too. Is this a pain or enough of a pain for your customers that you could offer something related to helping them setup their purchases ? Short instruction videos for the products they buy ? I don't even know if this is even possible or reasonable.

This is nice. I wonder how big a need this will be in different geographical locations. In my country(India), we have free installations for this sort of stuff. This is true for certain products, other products are installed on their own, but the big ones are mostly installed by professionals.

Nice insight :)
 

NMdad

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Thank you. Yes, it is quite commoditized. I'm already prioritizing delivery... what do you mean by maintenance? The upselling complimentary products is a good tip, and I'm going to read that book!
For maintenance, you could offer maintenance contracts--either like an extended warranty--or as-needed or monthly/quarterly maintenance.
 

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