Leverage What Online Can’t Offer—Trust, Touch, and Expertise.
The reality is, like it or not, online stores are here to stay. Brick and mortar businesses often find themselves facing a significant challenge: competing with online resellers that offer lower prices and quick delivery. However, like gyms vs online workout programs, or grocery stores vs meal kit services, having online and alternative competition doesn’t necessarily mean that retail and service businesses are disadvantaged.
The real advantage of a store lies beyond pricing. Unlike online retailers, stores provide expertise, personalized consultations, professional installations, and unparalleled customer care—elements that create an experience far richer than a simple transaction. According to Retail Merchandiser Magazine, in-store shopping delivers personalized service, expert recommendations, and immediate product availability—key benefits that directly align with the value safety professionals provide. This hands-on, consultative approach ensures customers leave with the right products and the confidence that they have made the best choice.
By leveraging these strengths, retailers can position themselves as trusted partners in safety, mobility, and independence. More importantly, with expert fall prevention services and hands-on customer support, they offer peace of mind that online retailers simply cannot match.
1. Unmatched Expertise and Personalization
One of the greatest advantages of a brick-and-mortar store is the expertise that comes with it. Customers aren’t just making a purchase; they are seeking guidance tailored to their specific needs. Unlike online retailers, where decisions are based on product descriptions and customer reviews, stores offer real-time, professional advice from trained specialists who understand mobility challenges, home safety concerns, and medical conditions.
- Knowledgeable Staff: Unlike generic online marketplaces, real people understand real world medical needs, mobility challenges, and home safety concerns. They can recommend solutions that fit specific conditions, lifestyles, and home layouts.
- Tailored Solutions: Whether it’s selecting the right grab bars, determining the best transfer pole, or finding the ideal mobility aid, retail staff can customize recommendations based on an individual’s physical ability and living space.
- Proactive Fall Prevention: Expert fall prevention services are a major value-add. Rather than waiting for a customer to return after an accident, stores can educate customers on how proactive safety modifications prevent falls before they happen.
2. Hands-On Support and Professional Installation
Stores provide direct, in-person support throughout the purchasing process, including installation and ongoing service.
- Correct Installation Matters: A poorly placed grab bar or an incorrectly installed transfer pole can be a hazard rather than a help. Safety professionals ensure that products are securely and correctly installed for maximum safety. Our products are engineered with installers in mind, simplifying the installation process, reducing the time and effort required for setup. This makes the job easier for installation crews while ensuring the highest level of safety for the end user.
- After-Sale Support: When customers buy from an online retailer, they are often left on their own after the product arrives. Stores provide ongoing customer care, troubleshooting, and product adjustments as needs change over time.
- Comprehensive Product Knowledge: The expertise within a store is invaluable, offering customers the best recommendations for their needs. We empower our partners with extensive Sales Training and Installation and Product Knowledge training to ensure they can confidently provide the best solutions to their customers.
3. Building Trust Through Care and Training
Beyond selling products, stores build relationships with their customers, establishing trust and long-term loyalty.
- Personalized Customer Care: brick and mortar store customer care extends far beyond checkout. Customers return because they value the connection and confidence that comes from working with a knowledgeable, caring provider.
- Community Engagement: stores that offer workshops, fall prevention training, and educational seminars that further differentiate themselves from online competitors. These events help customers make informed choices and reinforce the store's role as a trusted safety partner.
- Reputation and Referrals: Customers who feel supported are more likely to refer friends and family. A strong reputation for expertise and service is a powerful marketing tool that online retailers cannot replicate.
- OT-Led Fall Risk and Prevention Training: HealthCraft goes a step further by offering fall risk and prevention training. This specialized training equips staff and caregivers with the knowledge to identify fall hazards, implement proactive safety measures, and educate customers on best practices for home safety. This level of expertise ensures that customers receive not just products but comprehensive fall prevention solutions tailored to their needs.
4. So Why Does HealthCraft Sell Online?
While stores provide the best experience, HealthCraft also recognizes that online accessibility is also important. Here’s why we sell online:
- Social Proof: extensive research indicates that consumers research products online before purchasing them in-store. Shoppers even consult their phones while in-store, often reading reviews and seeking information. This is known as "Research Online, Buy Offline" (ROBO). Having an online presence ensures that potential buyers can find reviews, testimonials, and detailed product information to reinforce their decision to purchase from a trusted DME provider.
- Filling Gaps in Coverage: despite our extensive reseller network, there are still towns and cities where we don’t have a local provider to refer customers to. Our online store serves as a solution for those individuals who may not have access to a nearby store or professional.
- Reinforcing Fall Prevention Awareness: every platform we use—whether online or in-store—helps reinforce the importance of fall prevention. By making our products visible and accessible to a wider audience, we encourage more people to take proactive steps toward home safety, ultimately reducing the risk of falls.
- Minimal Online Revenue Share: our website accounts for less than 2% of our revenue. The majority of our business is through our resellers and installer partners, emphasizing that in-person expertise and service remain a top priority.
The Bottom Line: Why Customers Choose DMEs Over Online Retailers
While online retailers might offer convenience, they lack the hands-on support, expertise, and trust-building that local stores provide. Customers who prioritize safety and independence will always find greater value in a provider who offers personalized guidance and professional installation rather than just a shipped box. At the end of the day, customers are not just buying a grab bar or a transfer pole—they are buying peace of mind.
Want to turn learn more about fall prevention selling programs? Let’s talk. We'd love to share strategies that retailers, remodelers and installers have used to increase sales and keep customers coming back.
Your expertise, hands-on service, and customer relationships are what make your business indispensable—not just a place to buy products, but a partner in safety and independence.
About the Author:
Ian Crawford is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) and the Marketing Manager at HealthCraft. He's spent more than 20 years working within the Fall Prevention community, creating strategies to highlight the practical value of innovative products. Through his work, Ian focuses on making health and safety more approachable and understandable, always with the goal of improving lives and making every space a safer place.
