Brickwork brings localized webpages to big-name retailers
For big chains, the web presence of individual stores is often limited to an address on a "Store Locator" page or a handful of store-specific Yelp reviews. But as retailers look for greater interaction between physical stores and their digital presences, Brickwork is trying to change that.
Already partnering with almost 25 retailers, including Urban Outfitters and J. Crew, the just launched startup creates store-specific websites for individual stores in big chains.
According to the New York Business Journal, Brickword CEO and Founder David Muczinski pointed out in an interview that 90 percent of sales occur in physical stores, but 80 percent of customers start on the path to purchase by researching online.
The company's most widely deployed software products include search-optimized store pages, an event and promotion management system, and an appointment and scheduling management solution for in-store services. Retail brands receive detailed analytics around the behavior of customers navigating from websites to stores. Conversion actions like "book a dressing room" and "RSVP for exclusive access to new product" also drive in-store visits.
Source: brickworksoftware.com
"By offering the online visitor the ability to make in-store appointments with personal shoppers, surface interesting store events and access contextually relevant store information, Brickwork enables retailers to address their very valuable physical store shopper whenever they start researching online," said Ken Seiff, founder and managing partner, Beanstalk Ventures, a backer, in a statement. "Since store conversion is 10x online conversion, moving online traffic into the stores could well be the lowest hanging fruit in retail."
The Barnes & Noble website, which does not use Brickwork, currently offers this type of localized content with its Event Locator. The information on the book store's Event Locator, however, is limited only to store images and event blurbs.
The model that Brickwork enables could require chains to retool their local store strategies. Ceding greater control to local marketing teams could cause concerns about staying on-brand for big companies used to managing from the top down. Providing an accurate picture of product availability could also prove challenging.