Selling Online Without Undermining the Shop

Start with click and collect

It uses stock you already hold, requires no shipping decisions, brings customers into the shop, and tests demand before you commit to a fulfilment operation.

For most physical retailers it is the sensible first step, and a meaningful proportion of collection customers buy something else while they are in.

Stock has to be one number

Selling online something that was sold in the shop an hour ago is the most common and most damaging failure. There must be one stock figure, updated by both channels.

• Point of sale and online reading the same inventory
• Updates in near-real-time, not overnight
• A buffer on fast-moving lines if sync is not instant
• Regular physical counts, because both systems drift

Pricing needs a decision

Different prices online and in store confuse customers and generate awkward conversations at the till. Most retailers are better served by consistent pricing with the difference expressed as delivery cost.

If you do differentiate, be explicit about why and be prepared to honour the lower one when challenged.

Fulfilment competes with the shop floor

1. Decide who picks and packs, and when
2. Set a dispatch cut-off that a busy shop can actually meet
3. Store packaging somewhere that does not clutter the shop
4. Arrange carrier collection rather than queuing at a counter
5. Accept that Saturdays may need a different arrangement

Use the shop as the advantage

Local delivery, collection, in-person returns, and the ability to actually see the product are things a pure online competitor cannot offer.

Those should be prominent on the website rather than treated as an afterthought. They are the reason to buy from you rather than from a marketplace.

Frequently asked questions