Getting the next generation to care about retail stores is tricky, but immersive retail experiences could be about to change that.
The emergence of technology has made the operation of physical retail challenging. Since the rise of e-commerce, many retails have shifted to online shops. Furthermore, retail shoppers expect their brands to come up with bigger things all the time. This has made retailers innovate beyond prices of services to come up with immersive retail experience to attract and create customer loyalty.
At the rate technology keeps on changing, it is challenging for retailers to blend both physical and e-commerce retail experience in order to be able to predict the behaviour of the customer. However, technology helps to create a picture of customer experience and personalise buyer experience, improve service delivery and be competitive in the industry.
Some immersive retail experience that gives retailers competitive advantage and captures the interests of customers include:
Interactive displays
The goal of the immersive retail experience is for customers to interact with the products of your shop: using interactive displays retailers are able to achieve this. For instance, curating a display on items that when picked the item activates an animation that displays more details about the item.
Also, retailers have adopted interactive mirrors in fitting rooms to give customers a chance to browse through the inventory of the store, interact with the salesperson and they could make a request through the mirrors.
The mirror can also improve sales of the store by making recommendations to customers about an item that will give a complete look at what the buyer is fitting.
In addition, the mirror can text the details of the items that the customer wants to buy but they are not yet ready to make a purchase of the items for them to have time to consider. Also, the retailer will have an opportunity to follow up with the customer even after they have left the store to know about their satisfaction. The system gives the retail access to data about which items go to the fitting room and are not converted to sales thereby enabling the retailer to make meaningful decisions.
Virtual reality for customer experience
Virtual reality is a technology that is taking shape in many retail shops to make it easy for customers to make purchasing decisions on items. The retailer creates a virtual environment for the items the customer is purchasing.
For instance, a virtual bedroom for the customer to relate to the items of the bedroom thereby being able to decide what they need. It also gives customers the ability to customise in different ways on basis of colours of items and location of items. Afterwards, they can take a tour in the VR to feel how people can navigate in the rooms.
Merging physical retail and Internet of Things
Adobe prototype is an example of embedding physical retail and IoT to create an experience for both customers and retailers.
This technology involves adding RFID chips on shopping bags and when you browse through items with an online app and add the item to the cart. When you visit the store to make sure it’s the item you desire, you get the bag with the item, then you can browse more and the items are added to the smart bag. If it’s a fitting item, in the fitting room, a smart screen renders the items in the bag. After you are satisfied with the items you pay using the app.
The shopping experience is an important aspect that the retailers should optimise to improve productivity and profitability and engage with customers more.
Digital signage and touch screens are the technology that retailers are adopting to enhance interactive experiences for customers. The technology catches the eyes of customers, provides information and makes them loyal to the store. Immersive retail experience is not only about technology but engaging customer’s senses.
At LamasaTech we’re fascinated by the way technology is shaping retail. If you’re looking to take your retail business to the next level, Get in touch with us for a free consultation.
