As retailers adapt to consumers’ increasingly digital lifestyles, vitamin shop offers products for today’s needs Click and Mortar™ shoppers.
Most of the company’s customers engage across digital and physical channels. Andrew Laudatothe chief operating officer of the dietary supplement retailer said in an interview with PYMNTS.
“More than half of our customers start their journey digitally,” he said. “Everyone starts with education and learning. … Some customers start in the store because we have a lot of expertise in the store, and then once they figure out exactly what their regimen is. People will buy more online. …It’s all about omnichannel. Most customers are incorporating digital elements into their shopping journey.”
Some customers who started their purchase digitally will now buy online for in-store pickup, while others research digitally and then complete their purchase in-store, Laudato added.
The retailer’s customer base appears to be disproportionately engaged across digital and physical channels. PYMNTS Intelligence Study “2024 World Digital Shopping Index: US Edition” was born in collaboration with. visa acceptance solutions, from a survey of more than 2,400 U.S. consumers. Across retail, he found that 31% of shoppers fall into his Click-and-Mortar™ category. Specifically, approximately 1 in 5 people leverage digital technology to shop in-store, and 11% make purchases digitally for in-store pickup.
get personal
The Vitamin Shoppe aims to provide a consistent omnichannel journey and is working to enroll in-store transactions through its loyalty program to understand consumer behavior across channels and personalize the experience accordingly. We are working on this.
The retailer greets customers in stores with iPads that allow customers to apply for loyalty accounts, allowing them to not only digitally register transactions but also provide store associates with more detailed information about a customer’s purchase history. Laudato said this allows for more personalized support.
The retailer is also introducing personalization online through its website’s content management system and has begun customizing what customers see based on their loyalty status, he said.
Consumers want this kind of personalized experience. PYMNTS Intelligence Report “Personalized offers are powerful, but they too often miss the mark” is based on a survey of more than 2,500 U.S. consumers. As a result, his 71% of consumers receive personalized offers and are interested in them, and another his 12% do not receive personalized offers, but are interested in them. I understand that.
Additionally, many consumers, especially in urban areas, are turning to digital platforms for their health and wellness habits. PYMNTS Intelligence Research “ConnectedEconomy™ Monthly Report: Urban-Rural Health Disparities” gathered responses from approximately 2,500 U.S. consumers. It found that 60% of urban consumers are engaging digitally to meet their wellness needs, as are 29% of suburban consumers and 19% of rural consumers. became.
Looking to the future, digital and in-store experiences will become even more targeted.
“There are many more opportunities to continue to personalize for the customer,” Laudato said.
break it down
As The Vitamin Shoppe aims for long-term success, Laudato emphasized the concept of composable commerce. This includes building his website and his POS system modularly rather than using a “legacy monolith.” He likened this approach to building Lego blocks, highlighting the ability to easily integrate shared components.
This approach requires the use of an integrated customer database, promotion engine, master data, and inventory. Because these factors are typically different in a retail setting, integration requires significant effort, he said.
“So as we move to a single platform and the backend becomes more seamless, it’s going to be more seamless for our customers as well. All of this works together very well,” Laudato said.
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