Patina Stores in Minneapolis recently announced that it was discontinuing its online shopping option. The statement on the front page of the Patina Web site explains "After careful consideration, Patina has decided to discontinue the online shopping cart. We want to concentrate on what we do best -- the store experience."
In a press release, management said that since the store constantly updates its inventory keeping the online offerings current has been a challenge. "(Online) was becoming a more disconnected experience from our store experience. At our core, we are a specialty destination store that focuses on a quickly changing retail environment. Ultimately, it was difficult for us to change the Internet mix of inventory as fast as we were resetting and getting in product at our retail locations."
Patina management realized that offering online shopping is not for every business. Their first priority is to have inventory at the brick-and-mortar locations.
I wonder what prompted Patina’s management to arrive at this decision? Was it the stress of a seventh location they added in October? Was it the pressure of keeping the Web site current? Was it the tension of having online and in-store shoppers competing for inventory?
Or, as they state on the Web site and in the release, was it that they came to an understanding that their unique selling proposition is the in-store experience? Did they realize that their inventory, staff, and store environment create an experience that makes Patina different? Do they get it that these cannot be duplicated online because the sensory stimulation found in the stores is not present online?
As a marketer, I’d like to think management realized Patina’s unique selling proposition. I’d like to say that management went through the process of developing a marketing plan and realized online shopping did not fit Patina. In reality, I don’t know. I have a nagging suspicion that the decision was more inventory than marketing driven.
Whatever prompted the change, I applaud it. While online shopping is an option, it is not for every business. Just because a business can offer online shopping doesn’t mean that doing so is best for it. Before making the decision, all facets ought to be considered. The first consideration is not additional revenue. The first and foremost consideration is how online shopping fits into the business’s marketing plan. Does it mesh with the business’s unique selling proposition? Does it offer an extension of why customers shop the business? Does online give the same experience as the brick-and-mortar shopping?
Does your business offer online ordering? Does it fit customers’ in-person business with your company? How does it fit into your marketing plan?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What online ordering do you not use because it does not fit your experience with the company? E-mail me your answer.
In a press release, management said that since the store constantly updates its inventory keeping the online offerings current has been a challenge. "(Online) was becoming a more disconnected experience from our store experience. At our core, we are a specialty destination store that focuses on a quickly changing retail environment. Ultimately, it was difficult for us to change the Internet mix of inventory as fast as we were resetting and getting in product at our retail locations."
Patina management realized that offering online shopping is not for every business. Their first priority is to have inventory at the brick-and-mortar locations.
I wonder what prompted Patina’s management to arrive at this decision? Was it the stress of a seventh location they added in October? Was it the pressure of keeping the Web site current? Was it the tension of having online and in-store shoppers competing for inventory?
Or, as they state on the Web site and in the release, was it that they came to an understanding that their unique selling proposition is the in-store experience? Did they realize that their inventory, staff, and store environment create an experience that makes Patina different? Do they get it that these cannot be duplicated online because the sensory stimulation found in the stores is not present online?
As a marketer, I’d like to think management realized Patina’s unique selling proposition. I’d like to say that management went through the process of developing a marketing plan and realized online shopping did not fit Patina. In reality, I don’t know. I have a nagging suspicion that the decision was more inventory than marketing driven.
Whatever prompted the change, I applaud it. While online shopping is an option, it is not for every business. Just because a business can offer online shopping doesn’t mean that doing so is best for it. Before making the decision, all facets ought to be considered. The first consideration is not additional revenue. The first and foremost consideration is how online shopping fits into the business’s marketing plan. Does it mesh with the business’s unique selling proposition? Does it offer an extension of why customers shop the business? Does online give the same experience as the brick-and-mortar shopping?
Does your business offer online ordering? Does it fit customers’ in-person business with your company? How does it fit into your marketing plan?
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What online ordering do you not use because it does not fit your experience with the company? E-mail me your answer.
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