Why parcelLab?
Discover why parcelLab is the go-to post-purchase partner for top retailers across the globe
Why parcelLab?
Discover why parcelLab is the go-to post-purchase partner for top retailers across the globe
Why parcelLab
Why top retailers choose parcelLab over the rest
AI and innovation
Transforming post-purchase with AI
PPX maturity curve
Discover where you stand on the curve
PPX Institute
Turn transactional relationships into customers for life
Post-purchase audit
Experience your brand the way your customers do
Platform
Platform support
PLATFORM
Meet the platform
The industry’s first and only PPX platform tailor-made for retailers
WHAT'S NEW
Benchmarking
Benchmark against the industry in real-time
Copilot
Turn delivery anxiety into customer satisfaction with AI
AI Email Editor
Streamline operations and reduce complexity with AI-powered automation
Campaign Manager 2.0
Run campaigns that drive revenue
Smart Survey
Collect feedback and drive improvements
OVERVIEW
Enhance delivery experience
Seize control of your delivery experience
CAPABILITIES
Track & communicate
Keep your customers engaged
Set up a branded tracking portal
Keep customers in your ecosystem
Create personalized journeys
Deliver the right message, at the right time
Run targeted campaigns
Create campaigns that convert
Predict delivery delays
See delivery issues before they happen and take proactive action
Streamline claims management
Reclaim time, revenue, and customer trust
Resolve customer inquiries
Empower your customer service teams
OVERVIEW
Make returns seamless
Transform customer dissatisfaction into revenue retention by digitizing returns and exchanges.
CAPABILITIES
Track and inform returns status
Create a seamless returns experience that retains customers
Self-service returns portal
Let customers register returns with ease
Personalize returns journey
Encourage exchanges over refunds
Forecast returns volume
Anticipate return patterns before they happen
Offer flexible returns
Give your customers versatile return options that cater to their preferences
OVERVIEW
AI-powered post-purchase
Optimize every post-purchase interaction with parcelLab's AI agents
CAPABILITIES
Execute with AI
Harness the power of AI agents
Predict with AI
Stay ahead with real-time insights & forecasts
Simplify with AI
Cut complexity & streamline operations
Personalize with AI
Deliver tailored experiences
Solutions
Reduce WISMO & WISMR calls
Keep customers in the loop & support smarter
Turn returns into revenue
Make returns seamless, maximize revenue
Manage complex post-purchase scenarios
Handle exceptions, claims & logistics
Optimize post-purchase campaigns
Boost engagement & drive conversions
Enhance personalization and engagement
Create 1:1 tailored experiences
Resources
Company
Why parcelLab?
Discover why parcelLab is the go-to post-purchase partner for top retailers across the globe
Why parcelLab
Why top retailers choose parcelLab over the rest
AI and innovation
Transforming post-purchase with AI
PPX maturity curve
Discover where you stand on the curve
PPX Institute
Turn transactional relationships into customers for life
Post-purchase audit
Experience your brand the way your customers do
PLATFORM
Meet the platform
The industry’s first and only PPX platform tailor-made for retailers
WHAT'S NEW
Benchmarking
Benchmark against the industry in real-time
Copilot
Turn delivery anxiety into customer satisfaction with AI
AI Email Editor
Streamline operations and reduce complexity with AI-powered automation
Campaign Manager 2.0
Run campaigns that drive revenue
Smart Survey
Collect feedback and drive improvements
OVERVIEW
Enhance delivery experience
Seize control of your delivery experience
CAPABILITIES
Track & communicate
Keep your customers engaged
Set up a branded tracking portal
Keep customers in your ecosystem
Create personalized journeys
Deliver the right message, at the right time
Run targeted campaigns
Create campaigns that convert
Predict delivery delays
See delivery issues before they happen and take proactive action
Streamline claims management
Reclaim time, revenue, and customer trust
Resolve customer inquiries
Empower your customer service teams
OVERVIEW
Make returns seamless
Transform customer dissatisfaction into revenue retention by digitizing returns and exchanges.
CAPABILITIES
Track and inform returns status
Create a seamless returns experience that retains customers
Self-service returns portal
Let customers register returns with ease
Personalize returns journey
Encourage exchanges over refunds
Forecast returns volume
Anticipate return patterns before they happen
Offer flexible returns
Give your customers versatile return options that cater to their preferences
OVERVIEW
AI-powered post-purchase
Optimize every post-purchase interaction with parcelLab's AI agents
CAPABILITIES
Execute with AI
Harness the power of AI agents
Predict with AI
Stay ahead with real-time insights & forecasts
Simplify with AI
Cut complexity & streamline operations
Personalize with AI
Deliver tailored experiences
Reduce WISMO & WISMR calls
Keep customers in the loop & support smarter
Turn returns into revenue
Make returns seamless, maximize revenue
Manage complex post-purchase scenarios
Handle exceptions, claims & logistics
Optimize post-purchase campaigns
Boost engagement & drive conversions
Enhance personalization and engagement
Create 1:1 tailored experiences
Resources
Company
They are very much opposites and, above all, great competitors: Online retail and brick-and-mortar retail. Online retail in particular seems to want to do harm to brick-and-mortar stores. Convenient, fast and simple – that’s what makes online retailing particularly attractive. Almost everyone has ordered something online. At least that’s the case with the younger generation. But is that a reason to say stationary retail is dead, or are there perhaps even ways to combine the two?
It’s no secret that online retail is growing rapidly. If you compare the years 2012 and 2018, sales have almost doubled. While in 2012 sales were still around 28 billion euros, they were in 2018already53.6 billion. Although you may not believe it, retail sales have also increased. Compared to online, however, the growth is nowhere near as strong. In2012, retail sales reached 445.4 billion euros. Compare this to 2018, where sales reached 525 billion euros.
In the sales of online trade shows a sharply rising curve. (Source: Statista)
Compared to online trade, sales in stationary trade increased only very slightly. (Source: Statista)
Now you’re probably wondering why there’s always talk of the extinction of retail when sales are rising after all. The problem is the low growth. While online competitors are growing at a high rate, brick-and-mortar retail is only growing very moderately. So the fear is that online retail could eventually catch up with or even overtake brick-and-mortar retail.
Stationary retail still takes up a far larger share than online competition. Above all, groceries, cosmetics and furniture are for the most part bought directly in the store. Here, Germans remain loyal to the “old-fashioned” variant. The situation is different for clothes, books and electronics. These items are bought conveniently online. But even if brick-and-mortar retail is not having an easy time of it at the moment, that doesn’t mean it’s out of the running. Online retailing and stationary retailing can certainly be combined. Retailers have various options for this:
Retailers use different channels for the sale of their goods. For example, they have a brick-and-mortar store and at the same time operate an online store, sell their products via a catalog or other online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. In this way, the online market no longer becomes a direct competitor. Indeed, revenues can be generated through all channels. A trade without online presence promises only limited success these days. That’s why many major fashion retailers have already implemented multichannel. H&M, Zara, Mango and Co. have long operated an online store. H&M also offers the option of ordering via a catalog.
Many online stores offer crosschannel. Crosschannel describes an extension of multichannel. Here, “click and collect” and “order in store” are combined. Customers can, on the one hand, order items in the online store and have the package delivered to a store of the same name and pick it up there. The other option is to order items in the store and have them delivered to their home.
The advantages: With “click and collect,” customers can order from the comfort of their sofa and still benefit from the retail service. For example, the items can be tried on directly in the store. Anything that doesn’t fit can be exchanged right there in the store. With “Order in Store”, the customer receives advice in the store and can then have the items delivered to their home and try them on there at their leisure. Crosschannel makes it very easy to combine online and stationary retail. Hunkemöller offers its customers Click & Collect, for example. This saves them the shipping costs.
At Hunkemöller, customers can reserve items in the store and then pick them up. (Source: Hunkemöller)
This alternative combines the convenience of online shopping with the expert advice of brick-and-mortar retail. The customer must first fill out a questionnaire. Here he provides information about his fashion tastes. Do they prefer dressy clothes or a more casual look? He can also state what he doesn’t like at all. After the stylist knows the customer’s favorite brands, age and expectations, a package is put together that is tailored directly to him. This usually includes several outfits, from which the customer can keep those that meet his expectations. Curated shopping, however, requires experts who would otherwise be employed in brick-and-mortar retail – a win-win situation, so to speak. Another advantage of this variant is that stores can save themselves the usually high rents for retail space in city centers. With curated shopping, the company Outfittery has developed a successful offering just for men.
At Outfittery, style consultants put together outfits for customers. (Source: Outfittery)
.
Of course, online retail and brick-and-mortar retail have their strengths and weaknesses. For some customers, online retail offers the better overall package for others the stationary. Which advantages customers place more value on is up to them.
.
It turns out that the fear for retail is not entirely unfounded. Sales are growing much slower than online retail. If this growth remains at the same level, it may well be that online retail will dominate in the future. However, it would still take a while before that would be the case. However, with integrations such as cross-channel, multichannel and curated shopping, opportunities have been created that can successfully combine online and stationary retail. This brings advantages for both online retail and brick-and-mortar retail. What’s more, it probably wouldn’t work entirely without retail.
An error has occurred, please try again later.An error has occurred, please try again later.
By submitting the form, you agree to receive marketing information according to our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
An error has occurred, please try again later.An error has occurred, please try again later.
Notifications