Victoria’s Secret uhh…Secret — In-Store Buy vs Your Online Buy A “Brand” Experience
Guest Post by Richard Harmer Brady Media Group
So, have you ever noticed why you have to walk all the way to the back of the store to pay for your new stuff? Or how bout where things are placed in the store? You see Victoria’s Secret knows if you have to walk to the back to pay for your sexy Victoria’s Secret stuff, you have to pass a whole bunch of other sexy Victoria’s Secret stuff to get there.
Ummmm, that’s no accident! You see, when your senses are being filled up with sounds, sights, “pinks” and touches you are now going through a brand “experience”. While you remain focused on your goal of those 3 panties for $20, you pick them out with ease, because those were more toward the front of the store. However, you must pass through the ENTIRE store to pay for those 3 panties. Victoria’s Secret understands the likelihood of you buying more stuff goes up while you’re “living” the experience if you MUST pass through everything to get to the cash register. Then how can you NOT leave without smelling the perfumes while you wait in line before you buy? Smell is a POWERFUL way to fulfill an experience. So, what’s my point? I’m gettin there…hold on…!
Ok, now that you feel you’ve been tricked by Victoria’s Secret, I’m going to make you feel even more tricked! Have you ever bought anything from the Victoria’s Secret website? Notice how easy it is? It’s easy to navigate, easy to look around for what you “need”, easy to find that bra or panty you were looking for and very easy to buy! You see the web is still very passive. For the most part if you go to the site you pretty much know what you’re looking for.
Victoria’s Secret understands that if they make it anything like the in-store experience you’ll never buy. They want you to get what you need, add to your “shopping bag”, maybe look around a bit at the online specials then pay…ASAP! The online “experience” is MUCH different. If they make you look at stuff you don’t care to look at your likelihood of buying goes down. This is mainly due to the experience of how you feel while you’re in the actual store. Those companies that understand this difference end up succeeding far beyond their competition, especially if they have a strong brand that borders on a “religious experience”.
So, my point here is to PAY ATTENTION to the details of your customers’ FULL experience. The difference of them buying or not buying could be very slight. Like one button too many on the Internet to purchase, or where the low cost perfume was placed in the store. Once you have your brand established and you gain a following, make it an experience all the way through, no matter the platform. Understand your buyer and WHY they do what they do! Understand your brand, its perception and WHY you’re in business in the first place.
Richard Harmer, Brand Strategist — Brady Media Group