I have noticed that retailers like Apple and Lululemon are increasingly focusing on customer experience offering more than products in their stores, which has paved the way for experiential retail. I observed that these retailers seem to focus on enhancing the value proposition by stimulating the senses and expectations of the customers, as well as creating immersive and shareable experiences.
From Clicks to Bricks—and Back Again…The development of the online channel and new digital channels help customers to shop across channels, but still, stores play an important role as customers still want to feel the store environment, see, feel, touch, and try the product before buying. Shopping in physical stores provides a social and unique experience compared to new digital channels.
Shoppers expect retailers not only to offer the right products, in the right place, at the right time but also the right seamless personal shopping experience that shoppers find online. In their shopping journey, they wish to use various technology touchpoints to find information about products, promotions, stock availability, multiple deliveries and payment options.
Why most of the physical retail stores still do not fulfil these expectations?
Research by Capgemini Consulting, a global survey of 6,000 consumers and 500 retail executives explains how the physical store’s retail experience has changed and become less valuable and exciting for shoppers. Findings reveal one-third of consumers would fairly wash dishes and then visit a retail store. Stores need to connect shoppers digitally across the purchase journey whether online or offline (Capgemini Consulting, 2017).
More and more shoppers now start their journey online, but still, stores have a tremendous opportunity to influence shoppers to purchase decisions and fill the gaps around e-commerce. Coresight Research investigates areas like convenience during the last-minute purchase in local stores, an in-store collection of online orders, discounts and destinations for a relevant quality shopping experience where physical stores can add value.
Physical, brick-and-mortar stores need to track and analyse shoppers visiting, browsing and buying behaviours like e-commerce and digital channels. Physical stores have limited data on in-store visitors and shoppers’ behaviour. Customer-facing In-store technologies can provide physical stores with these capabilities for analysis of shoppers’ behaviours like in e-commerce. In-store consumer technologies can measure, track and analyse consumers’ activities in brick-and-mortar stores and shopping centres. Sensors monitor and gather information about where consumers go in a store and how long they spend time in the store or shopping centre. Analysis of this information can help retailers not only to personalise the shopping experience but also to improve customer satisfaction and customer retention. Feel free to share comments and contact
