Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Benefiting Customers (and Your Business) with In-Store and Online Synergy

Customers look at an online store much differently if they know that a physical storefront goes along with it. Sometimes, a customer just likes knowing that he can drive down to a real building and talk to a real person if something goes wrong with his online order. At other times, the cleanliness, professionalism, or range of options that your physical store shows off tells the customer, “Hey, Joel's Electronics knows its stuff. Buying online from the Web site is just like walking through the store.” The goodwill that you generate in-store acts in your favor online, and these venues come together in your customers' minds in the following ways:

• A physical presence builds customer confidence. Your in-store customers form an impression about your business before they even walk through the door. The mere fact that you have a physical presence gives many customers the confidence that you're a reputable business, and that feeling can encourage them to trust your online business as well. Many stores, sometimes called pure plays, operate only online and don't have the chance to build up confidence until a customer completes a successful transaction with them.

  One of the best examples of a successful pure play e-tailer is Amazon.com. Amazon built its business from scratch and never allowed customers to interact with it physically. Because of this lack of physical presence, Amazon cannot expand its market share beyond ...