Shoppers out and about during the holiday season often have a long list of gifts to buy for those on their nice lists.
A new tool launched today by e-commerce platform provider Shopify Inc. aims to help store merchants stay on the mind of shoppers who have browsed in their shops but not purchased.
Buy Online for Shopify POS enables store associates to help consumers create an online cart while they shop in a store, then email a link to the cart that the shopper can access later.
Staff can include discounts in the cart, and Buy Online attributes the sale to the employee who sent the Buy Online link.
Merchants also can use the feature to track and re-engage customers who receive assistance from store associates. When a merchant sends an email to a customer using Buy Online, it creates a draft order in Shopify. The store can use draft orders to re-engage customers with targeted promotions or an email marketing campaign using the customer data it collected.
“These tailored emails and offers can reignite that customer’s desire to buy from your brand,” Shopify writes in a blog post.
Merchants also can use the feature to save a sale if the store is out of a particular product that is available online, and the tool can help shoppers avoid lengthy lines over the holidays by sending them their online shopping carts to check out later. Merchants using Shopify POS can benefit from managing their web and store sales in one spot, Shopify says.
Beta testers of the feature include Canada-based online mattress brand Endy, which is using the feature in its pop-up shops, National Geographic, home decor retailer Magnolia Market and washable paper bag retailer Uashmama.