experience as quick and convenient as the online one. Tesco’s in-store navigation app, which helps smartphone users find products, is one example of how the online and physical worlds are likely to merge. Another is technology that allows consumers to connect
while they are in the store. UK fashion retailer Republic is trying out an interactive mirror in one of its stores, which lets customers send pictures from the changing rooms to their friends. And US department store Macy’s has created a ‘Magic Fitting Room’ at its flagship store in New York that enables customers to browse, shop and ‘try on’ items virtually and then post their selection to Facebook for their friends to comment on.
seamlessly with the digital world to offer an integrated cross-channel shopping experience that allows consumers to pick and choose how they want to interact with a business at every stage. So what does this mean for stores and how are they
T
going to change in the next 10 years to adapt to consumer demands? Retailers need to think about how they can deliver services and technology to make the in-store shopping
he majority of British consumers still prefer to visit a store at some point in their shopping journey. Even though there is no end in sight
for the importance of stores, retailers will increasingly have to join their shops
Armed with information With shoppers more clued-up, a rising number of shop assistants will be given their own mobile gadgets to access the internet. They will point customers to positive reviews and additional web-only product ranges. Mobile devices can also be used to show video of product demos or to access a customer’s previous order history to help them find what they need. Siobhán Géhin, associate partner at consultancy Kurt Salmon, says: “It doesn’t make sense for shop assistants to be trying to second guess what a customer is looking at. That can lead to a poor customer experience.” Many stores are experimenting with giving staff mobile
internet devices. House of Fraser has armed some staff with iPads. It is set to give others iTouch devices in a limited trial that will coincide with the launch of a new app, which allows customers to scan barcodes in store in order to build a ‘wish list’ or check stock levels on particular items in specific outlets. Robin Terrell, executive director for multichannel and international at House of Fraser, says: “It’s about putting more product engagement in the hands of customers and staff.” The next logical step is mobile payment devices, which
could make fixed tills redundant in some stores. They have g spring 2012 11
House of Fraser is trialling a small format supported by multichannel services. It opened two 1,500 sq ft stores last year, where shoppers can use a range of technologies to order goods and pick up and try on items they have already ordered online
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