The recent news of Amazon buying Whole Foods has sent a string of retailers into panic mode, as the prospect of Amazon moving into the physical retail world becomes a reality. This news emphasizes what many store owners have already been thinking: how do we quickly play catch up to build feature parity with Amazon, and what does our brand offer that Amazon does not?
According to Toys R Us, which recently hired its first ever Chief Technology Officer, more than 60 percent of its customers visit the website before going to an actual store. This figure drives home the importance of understanding and catering to the omni-channel shopper; a person that looks up information online before, during, and after visiting a store.
Toys R Us announced in May that they will be rolling out a totally new website overhaul to all shoppers in July. This will give us a chance to see how the toy retailer is positioning itself for the future. Below are what to expect from the new website:
Toys R Us plays to its strengths:
Registry lists for new babies: a revamped feature set is being built around the registry, which helps “lock” shoppers into their platform, while creating a sleek new look with a countdown until the baby is born. Both Amazon and Toys R Us have a registry feature already, but Toys R Us is hoping to make theirs the industry standard.
Item recommendations: In the same way that retailers can control which items are at eye level on the in-store shelf, they can control website taxonomy and featured lists. Given Toys R Us’ extensive experience in the toy space, they should be able to curate unique and useful lists, especially during sales events. By combining online and in-store toy sales, Toys R Us should have an excellent pulse on what toys are hot from year to year.
Recall alerts: it is unfortunate but true that occasionally there are recalls for babies and children’s toys. With their new website, Toys r Us is building on their trusted brand name with auto notifications of product recalls, along with out of stocks and discontinued items. Toys R Us can position itself as the go-to safety website for children’s toys, with a free and unique recall alert system as a guarantee that purchased toys are safe to use.
Toys R Us Plays Catch Up:
Faster check out. Now, you can select an item and have it shipping in only two clicks. You can also leverage click and collect and have in-store pick up ready on most items within one hour of purchase. Toys R Us admits that its current process is cumbersome and needs improvement, which it hopes to address here. They likely recognize that every additional barrier placed in front of a shopper decreases the likelihood they will complete the purchase, something Amazon has addressed with 1-Click purchases.
Better Layout: a more modern experience permeates the website from the new large banner on the homepage to a better layout for the category pages. Small, web-like menus are confusing and hard to navigate on mobile and PC, and a large exciting design should help users engage with rich, brand-created content.
What’s still needed:
Subscribe & Save is a major feature in the baby category, allowing Amazon to send products to parents on a regular interval. And while this is an incredible benefit to busy parents who want diapers at their doorstep every week, the real winner is Amazon. Subscribe & Save locks shoppers into their platform with guaranteed future purchases. Even if Babies R Us offers better prices and service, these shoppers are already buying from Amazon and may not even look around at other retailers. Toys R Us should view this as a must needed feature for its shopping base.
A Giant Leap for Toys R Us
While all eCommerce retailers are going to need to highlight their strengths and unique selling points in order to capture sales from Amazon, it is also important to cover the basics and emulate what has worked for Amazon. With its July 2017 update, Toys R Us is taking a big leap in the right direction. However, Amazon never stops moving, and everyone else will be forced to take a similar position, or else.
