What Is Phygital and How Its Features Can Boost Sales

One time, at a major department store, I looked for a specific product and was told it was only sold online. I left the store frustrated, and still on the street, I pulled out my phone, searched for the item at a competitor’s store, and made the purchase. If you own a physical store and an e-commerce site, you’ve likely lost customers this way! That’s why today we’re talking about what phygital is and how to turn your physical store into an online sales point.

What Is Phygital?

Phygital is literally the fusion of physical and digital. The idea is to create a smoother and more complete consumer experience by integrating elements of both environments.

Why Are Stores Losing Sales?

The first thing to consider when exploring what phygital means and how it affects physical and online stores is this: the consumer has changed! In the past, the person who visited a store was not the same one who shopped online. As a result, prices and processes could differ between the two channels, and nobody really cared.

But with the rise of the internet and smartphones, people started visiting physical stores to check out products they intended to buy online. Salespeople offering in-store assistance would lose their commissions to the online store. And let’s not forget the customers who, while being assisted, were comparing prices and models on their phones—only to end up buying from a competitor!

These customers were already acting phygitally, while stores were not prepared to serve them. Often, this behavior was frowned upon by store owners, who saw the digital realm as competition—even when it belonged to the same company!

And honestly, if you think about lost sales (or commissions, in the salesperson’s case), it’s easy to understand the frustration. But the real issue wasn’t consumer behavior—it was the companies’ struggle to keep up with the pace of change. Viewing this new landscape as an opportunity became the driving force behind the transformation of businesses that chose to innovate by embracing the phygital trend.

How to Innovate with Phygital

Once you’ve recognized the shift in consumer behavior and the new service needs that come with it, it’s time to seize the opportunity to connect your physical and online stores—giving your business a competitive edge.

With help from Visie, you can turn your physical store into an online point of sale by setting up a kiosk where customers can search for products across your entire network—right there in-store, while receiving personal assistance from a salesperson. It’s a secure, intuitive, autonomous, and welcoming experience.

So, if a customer is frustrated by an item being out of stock at your physical location, the salesperson can guide them to the kiosk, provide full in-person service, offer the same discounts as in-store, and complete the sale online—with delivery to the customer’s address. This way, your company avoids losing the sale to a competitor, and your salesperson still earns their commission—even though the sale was online.

To learn more about how to increase customer traffic by offering a personalized online shopping experience inside your physical store, visit our “TACTUS – Where the Physical Meets the Digital” page and get in touch! This is your chance to see phygital in action and boost your sales across every channel.

By Joana Kerr