40 . Glasgow Business October 2014
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>Continued from page 39
of customer satisfaction and trust are key factors to building loyal advocates. To achieve this, a memorable customer experience at every touchpoint is critical.” It is understandable that
retailers and business owners are trialling, testing, and introducing new innovations to improve the customer experience – far beyond the customer loyalty card scheme. Teir main aims are to boost
the way they communicate and engage with their customers – beginning on the shop floor and continuing that relationship beyond the checkouts. “But to do so requires
harnessing deep knowledge of how and why consumers shop and then retooling and redeploying the store network accordingly. How consumers shop can be broken down into several stages, from research to the aſter-sales experience,” says Michael Brown, partner at AT Kearney.
“Retailers and business owners are trialling, testing, and introducing new innovations to improve the customer experience – far beyond the customer loyalty card scheme”
He added: “Our study (the one
mentioned earlier) suggests that stores can play a starring role in today’s marketplace, remaining at the core of retailers’ relationships with their customers.” Technology and innovation are
playing a big part in boosting the customer experience for shoppers, and continuing to maintain that relationship well beyond a single transaction. Forward-thinking retailers are
targeting customers with smartwatches, smartphones with in-store offers, and introducing click-and-collect hubs, 99p-a- week broadband, virtual reality headsets, and pop-up farmers markets while Twiter is planning
to introduce a ‘buy’ buton so retail-tweeters can cash in on its substantial popularity. Te future of shopping is
indeed a “digital experience”, according to fashion retail specialist Dr Julie McColl of Glasgow Caledonian University. Digital technology is a big part
of retail innovation and mobile apps are an almost-guaranteed way of geting your products into the customers’ hands. Te assistant head of GCU’s
Business and Management department explained: “It brings a seamless experience for the customer, from online to in store. Mobile shopping apps, social media sites such as Facebook and
Twiter, and gaming also try to involve the customer and make them part of the brand. “Te shopping experience has
been enhanced as customers can now order online when in store, they can bring online returns back to the store, and track down items in other stores. Some have installed iPads in stores to allow customers to connect to the supply chain, and have out-of- stock items delivered to the store or to the customer. “Tere are a few online
flagship stores that feature virtual tours of the store and luxury brands’ websites, like Gucci, used to be content-only but now you can order your £1,400 handbag online.” Another hi-tech way of
communicating with customers is through near-field communication (NFC) and radio frequency identification (RFID) – these methods are being trialled in stores to transmit information to customers on the shop floor.
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