In most national retailers, the majority of customers live within easy reach of their local store.
Customers are starting to believe stores have value not just as points of sale but points of service.
Services such as click and collect in 30 minutes have already proven valuable to consumers, but retailers are now realising that despatch from store is now cheaper than despatch from warehouse.
At itim we are changing the face of e-commerce by putting a toggle on the website that allows a customer to shop local, by seeing stock, available in their local store in real-time, and allowing customers to shop it.
Stores are also easier points of return, and stores can provide the personal customer service that remote call centres often cannot. Because they can make human contact count.
We believe stores are the future, but if they are to be, then retailers need to understand the needs of the 'future' store,
and so we at itim are making stores 100% digital.