As was written in Franchise Times recently - Enter a Peterbrooke Chocolatier and your senses are instantly sent into high gear thanks to an assortment of handmade delicacies on display and a large wheel behind the counter spinning gooey, decadent dark chocolate.
“The smell of chocolate just hits you in the face as soon as you walk in and the endorphins instantly kick in. Our store experience is a very powerful experience that cannot be duplicated online,” said Jeff Smith, chief operating officer of Peterbrooke, a Florida-based confectionary franchise that’s been around since 1983.
By the same token, when customers enter one of the 75 Big Frog Custom T-Shirts locations or one of the 354 Wild Birds Unlimited stores, they receive another kind of in-store experience. Walls and shelves are stacked with merchandise and staff at both brands are eager to guide customers through the entire sales process.
While franchisors in the non-food retail space continue to innovate and are searching for ways to attract more foot traffic to drive in-store sales, they also know they can’t ignore the e-commerce side of their business. Although it still represents a small percentage of their overall sales, single-digits in many cases, retail franchise brands are doubling down on elevating their online shopping platforms with the hopes of growing their business.
They’re investing in websites that can better track in-store inventory in real time, and they are rolling out integrated digital marketing strategies to promote their services and expertise.
To read the rest of the story in Franchise Times, click HERE...