As more and more stores increase their online commerce, consumers still crave a person to person connection to help with the purchasing process. A recent article from the LA Times by Shan Li is turning the focus to online retailers who are opening brick-and-mortar locations to build their customer base and drive brand loyalty. From the LA Times article, “Some Online Retailers Seeing Value in Opening Bricks-and-Mortar Shops,” we learn Los Angeles e-commerce darling Nasty Gal recently announced plans to debut a shop in the Southland. Beauty purveyor Birchbox opened its first store this month in New York. Bonobos brought its men’s fashion brand to La Brea Boulevard last month. And JustFab gave up being just online in September when it opened a flagship in the Glendale Galleria. Instead of bricks-and-mortar, these shops might more aptly be called click-and-mortar.
It’s all about having the online retail world figure out, ‘Maybe we can showcase our products better in store. We are going to use retail as a way to eliminate some of the challenges online has because you can’t touch and feel and smell and taste.’
– Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for NPD Group
Makeup company Birchbox wanted to bring something extra to its first permanent store in the trendy Soho shopping area of New York. In addition to thousands of beauty items, the cosmetics company is also offering hair stylists, nail technicians and makeup artists who teach classes on the latest beauty trends. Click here to read the full article “Some Online Retailers Seeing Value in Opening Bricks-and-Mortar Shops” by Shan Li on LATimes.com
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PHOTO CREDIT: LA Times