Omnichannel Personalization Will Create Compelling Store Experiences
The retail apocalypse is overstated. All stores won’t disappear, but many of the bad ones will, and should. The in-store shopping experience at many failing retailers is the reason for their demise. But every survey shows that most people like shopping in some stores – those that give them a compelling experience.
Online retailers have invested in making their ecommerce shopping experiences compelling with features like personalization, search, social media integration, payment options, and many more. They give shoppers a reason to buy and buy again.
Successful multi-channel retailers have begun implementing omnichannel capabilities to make the customer journeys seamless. ‘Discover on social – buy online – return to store’ is just one example.
In 2018 successful store retailers will accelerate their stores’ evolution to better meet increasing consumer demands for their shopping experience. Successful omnichannel strategies are bringing advanced online solutions into the store. Omnichannel personalization is the next big opportunity and we’re going to see a lot more of it in 2018.
Store associates will be empowered through POS and clientelling applications integrated with cloud-based personalization solutions. Guided selling with personalized messaging will improve customer service and provide better associate training. Cross-selling and up-selling will be based on each customer’s purchase history to better inform recommendations and increase basket size. Associates will be suggested questions to ask each customer to better complete their profile.
Customer mobile applications, designed for in-store use, will autonomously track the customer’s location within the store to personalize messaging and promotions. Customers will be more likely to share their identity in the store to get this experience. In turn, retailers collect a more comprehensive view of the customer journey, enabling even more opportunities to improve the customer experience in stores and online.
These are just a few examples of how we’re helping retailers make their store experiences compelling. Please share what you’re doing.
Contributed by: Doug Weich
