Nordstrom boost sales with linked online and offline inventories
Nordstrom, an American retailer, has hit upon a back to basics solution for boosting sales in a flailing economy. Focussing upon its inventory.
The company has changed the relationship between its website and stores by integrating key word searches online with product stocks offline. Thus customers hunting down a particular garment can see what availability there is from nearby stores and reserve the item.
Furthermore the integration of offline and online inventories has ensured the shop never misses a sale by sourcing products from stores if the warehouse is out of stock and vice versa. Secondary benefits of the move have led to the firm reducing its end of season mark down products owing to having shifted more of their stock in time.
In addition the the clothing specialist has introduced editorial features such as blogs about fashion alongside images and videos of Nordstrom patrons modelling their garments, a measure designed to make the process of shopping “more interesting.”
Search criteria have also been refined, allowing customers to zero in on sub £60 lilac, size seven high heels, with pink tassles with ease.
Surprisingly this marriage of stock information remains rather unusual in the industry, though perhaps not for much longer as rivals jealously eye improving sales.
The move tapped into what the store calls “multi channel shoppers” ie consumers who purchase items in more ways than one. Such customers are prized within the sector for splurging four times the average spend on purchases.