Want Digital Transformation in Retail? 4 Technologies All Set to Help!
An upsurge in online shopping has come out like a plague upon the brick-and-mortar stores. It is because e-Commerce stores tend to fulfil customers’ desire for greater convenience.
Many people wonder why to get in the car and drive to a store when you can order it online. The paradigm shift led to a closure of around 9,000 stores back in 2017. This number, however, saw a gradual increase to 12,000 stores in 2018, as per a recent report by a real estate firm.
Now that you own a brick-and-mortar store and don’t wish to be wiped out by the online competition, it is vital to stay at par with digital natives. And, why not? They must revolutionize how they reach existing and prospective customers. Thus, retailers must turn their attention to how customers have changed in recent years.
Some ways in which brick and mortars can stay alive and well functioning are:
Digital Marketing:
With the advent of modern technology and internet-enabled devices, customers have become aware. And, that’s when digital marketing has become crucial than ever for the retail stores eyeing to establish connections with shoppers.
Companies are leveling up their digital marketing game, whether these are digital coupons, increased ads, visual storytelling, or emails. And, that’s the reason top business tycoons consider digital marketing as a new area of spending for businesses.
Omnichannel Retail:
A multichannel approach to shopping is omnichannel commerce. It aims to make a seamless customer experience across diverse in-person and online channels.
One renowned store that’s using an omnichannel train is Walmart. They use an order-by-text service. With a delivery service like this, customers can order goods through a text message for increasing convenience.
When it comes to the omnichannel mechanism and retail, experts are all thumbs up for SES-imagotag’s products like cloud platform, captana, and others to enhance customer service. One of the products gaining immense popularity in the retail world is Electronic Shelf Tags. It is a passive yet straightforward mechanism for displaying prices.
Essential omnichannel data finds display, which further gives information to customers and staff. Know that these elements help in enhancing the in-store experience and saves time by helping shoppers and store staff make informed decisions.
Analytics:
One of the best ways of understanding a customer is an in-depth study of analytics. Necessary information like customer traffic and demographics helps a business in making intelligent decisions. And that comes into play for personalizing your customer’s experience.
A strong example of the same comes from Samsung, which created a pop-up shop for sharing vital data with SMBs in real-time.
Voice:
Voice activation artificial intelligence is becoming popular. Yes, whether it’s instructing Google Home to buy you things- voice search is becoming popular.
Know that this technology has become even more helpful for retail store employees. For instance, using Theatro, employees have the ease of communicating throughout a store with the help of voice-controlled wearables.
The Bottom Line
The future of retail lies in technology.
And, as technology continues pushing possible boundaries, there is a simultaneous rise in shoppers’ expectations. Customers, too, look forward to retailers for delivering ground-breaking and personalized experiences, which are sure to surprise them.
Experts suggest retailers opt for these technologies if staying relevant into the future is their aim. After all, it’s about leveraging technology for a better retail experience!
