Published on the 07/11/2012 | Written by Motorola Solutions
Decades ago, retail was based on relationships: when someone walked through the front door, the merchant personally greeted them and asked how they could help, but with the plethora of gadgets out there, how will tomorrow’s retail experience compare…
Previously the customer trusted the merchant in the store to help them with what they needed and educate them about new items on the shelf. Over time, the personalised approach has been lost and consumers no longer felt they owed same loyalty to the retailer. Today, retailers are working to enhance their shoppers’ experience, knowing that at the same time customers have options to shop wherever and whenever they want, often without stepping inside a store. Now the retailer has to anticipate a shopper’s buying behavior, whether the route they take begins with a website, social site or in the parking lot outside their store. They need to provide a compelling and personalised way to rekindle the special bond between the shopper and their brand. It’s complex and confusing. But it also provides immense opportunities. The following infographic shows how retails believe the shopping experience will change over the next five years: Shoppers’ habits are shifting as they move from feature phones to smartphones. These smartphone users are utilising their devices in the store for a range of uses including shopping lists, product reviews, price comparison or just to send a picture to a friend about the new item they found on sale. Consumers have a specific expectation of their retail experience and getting the information they want when they want it – inside or outside the store. Without change, the retailer will fail to meet connected shopper’s expectations and will find it even more challenging to make the investments needed to catch up with their customers and their competitors. As the majority of purchases will still occur in the brick and mortar store, it is incumbent on the store to leverage the right technology to give customers the same kind of information and experience they get online, but with the added familiarity and immediacy of an in-person visit. Almost three-quarters of surveyed retailers believe that maintaining an engaging customer experience is going to be business-critical over the next five years. The best place to start is by looking at technology’s role in the customer experience. This whitepaper examines the future of retail, including changing shopper mindsets and behaviors, and the new expectations shoppers have for their in-store experience. Multi-device workplaces are creating new challenges for IT, but by implementing a people-centric management approach businesses can satisfy both the needs of their users and their governance and security requirements… Massive technology-led disruption across all industries globally, driven by the rapid proliferation of connected devices and services, is moving everyone and everything towards a state of ‘connected everything’… Mobile users are increasingly demanding ease of access to ERP information to perform their jobs on any device at any time… Motorola Retail Survey: Technology savvy shoppers know more about products than staff, forcing retailers to catch up. Mobilising management is the key objective of IT investment plans for 2013 says iStart’s annual investment survey. The mid-market is investing in mobile business intelligence while small business is doing more with less in the cloud.
FURTHER READING
Whitepaper: Enabling enterprise mobility through people-centric IT
What will ‘connected living’ look like?
Whitepaper: The rise of mobile access to your ERP data
Survey reveals retailers on the back foot
2013 iStart ICT Investment Intentions Survey
