Bike trade sales tips #8: taking design cues from online bike shops

Being straightforward, clean and consistent are model principles for online stores. John Styles discusses how shops can implement similar best practice in-store…

People used to make their web stores follow in-store shopping design. Nowadays, the reverse needs to be true.

WAY-BACK WHEN

Back in the 90s, websites were often designed to mimic shops. Many had an ‘enter’ button when you arrived at the site, sometimes literally representing a front door.

They often followed the physical stores branding and colours, some even had graphic representation of shelves or other aspects of physical store fit. Others referred people back to offline advertising (perhaps in case you didn’t trust the website to be genuine, or they hadn’t found the time to put everything in the “web shop” or weren’t fully transacting online).

Real in-store photos, mixed with product shots from manufacturer catalogues featured heavily in many sites.

Many felt that as websites were a new and unknown thing to consumers, that they needed to place familiar visual landmarks to orientate people. The result was less than perfect. Busy, confusing and over whelming sites that didn’t always make sense. Really just an online version of mail order print advertising. It was fun, while it lasted. (And by the way, for some it did, you still visit ARNGREN if you like!).

It wasn’t really until the early noughties that the people sensed that websites and the digital domain was a thing in and of itself, and the rest is history as they say – consumers have demonstrated a clear preference for online shopping in so many categories. What this means for stores nowadays, is the reverse of what people did in the 90s. Your physical store needs to mimic a web shop – not the other way around. Why?

IN STORE – LOOK TO PACO UNDERHILL (AGAIN)

A store needs to create the feeling of safety, control, consideration and cleanliness, a four-step checklist we talked about in last month article from Paco Underhill’s retail handbook “What Women Want – The Science of Female Shopping”.

So many of those 90s sites didn’t really pass that test. But, when people shop online nowadays, they generally feel safe, in control, that the website designer has been considerate to their needs and of course products always look clean, fresh and bright. (I.e. web sales aren’t just about price or the convenience of home delivery, it’s the whole shopping experience). So, here’s a quick checklist:

1) White Backgrounds > Blank Canvas
Pretty much every product on the web is shown against white background. It’s clear, it’s simple, it allows the products features and colours to pop.

Stores need the same neutral back ground, from ceilings, walls and floors – a blank canvas. It doesn’t mean the kind of sterile ‘all white’ environment that you might find in Boots the Chemist.

But it does mean a stores ceiling, walls of floors need to be consistent, well maintained, uniform colours with good lighting. Of course, many stores have historical or uneven buildings which makes the challenge harder. But if you get this bit right, other steps follow more easily. (And if you get it wrong, with poorly maintained, busy or distracting surfaces – especially combined with poor lighting – your consumers will notice. They might not even realise that they notice and certainly not communicate it, but they do.)

2) Routing
On the web, it’s easy to see where you are going. In store, routing and navigation can be become compromised over time. So good practices include having the till at all near the front, enough space for consumers to move easily between aisles and ensuring sight lines can support good navigation. And in a bike store it’s also important to establish where service bikes
will come and go. Because as soon as the aisles or till points become cluttered with service bikes, a certain proportion of shoppers will find this off-putting.

3) Category Merchandising
Online, it’s easy to see the broad-brush strokes of bikes, apparel, accessories and then drill down into subcategories. In-store, I often see situations where the lines have blurred, often over time without anyone really noticing. New products arrive and go “where there’s a space”. And before you know you it – have pedals mixed with gloves, handlebars next to helmets and service bikes racked up with new bikes. These things creep up on stores over time, which is natural.

(Above is an AI image of how a “tidy but slightly confusing store” looks – and it’s all too familiar!)

To get around this problem and sense check whether your store has fallen into this trap, try taking photographs of all your merchandising and taking them home to look at. When you’re outside of your shopping environment, you’ll have a much clearer view. Plus, you can show them to family and friends, people who might give you a fresh, honest perspective.

4) Navigation and Signage
Internet shopping provides structured navigation. It’s very clear how to navigate between departments, categories and subcategories in a website. It’s also clear how to do that in Boots the Chemist or any large supermarket. Because they have category, and often subcategory signage. Now many smaller stores, steer away from that because they don’t want to look like a supermarket, which is fair.

But at the same time this creates a challenging environment for many infrequent consumers, who want to feel in control navigating your store. Many don’t want to feel compelled to ask for help navigating to the right area of the store. Signage doesn’t have to be a big deal or ever present, it can just start with the main headers, Bikes, eBikes, Components, Clothing, Accessories, Service Reception, Bike Fit Studio (for example). If you notice that starts to help, you could add header
boards above main categories for Helmets, Locks, Lights etc.

5) Seating
And lastly, why not provide some seating. People sit down when they shop online, why wouldn’t they sit down when spending time in your store? People want somewhere to sit… even when it’s not ‘officially’ provided! (Reddit: There’s a special place in retail hell for people who sit on the clothing tables.)

REFRESH TIME?
Of course, much of this retail good practice predates the internet and can be found in many other retail handbooks and source of advice. I guess what I’m saying here is that, whether or not you sell online, you could use online shopping as your benchmark and inspiration.

From time to time, every store decides to have a refresh. Whether that’s the product lines, the merchandising, the in-store layout or decor, or even an entire shop move. So, when you’re next in the mood for that, I hope the above helps. It’s not a case of trying to turn the clock back to the 90s, just being the best store you can be.

John Styles is a veteran of the cycling industry, having worked with leading distributors and brands across the sector. With a well-rounded perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing the sector, backed by a Bachelors Degree in Economics, John Styles is an expert consultant for the bike trade. Get in contact via [email protected] 

Read more from the Simple Sales Tips for Bike Shops series on cyclingindustry.news.