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Retailers looking to capture in-store consumers need to turn to technology


All bricks and mortar retailers have one objective – to drive in-store traffic and convert it to sales. As on-line sales grow, the demand for in-store technology rises as physical retailers attempt to claw back a competitive edge. Jon Knight of Ascentae sets out some of the options.


It’s a myth that people no lon- ger want to go into physical shops. Research from Accen- ture shows that, while online sales are soaring, stores still play a key role in the shop- ping experience. But, what has changed is that more than 65% of consumers do their re- search on-line first.


So, bricks and mortar shoppers still crave that physical prod- uct experience, but they also expect a more personalised and immersive encounter that reflects their pre-shop research experience. Can high street retailers translate the ease of online shopping to the in-store consumer journey? With pres- sure on budgets, affordable digital technology is now a vi- tal component in the quest to reposition retailers’ product of- fering - and turn browsers into buyers.


Retail demands


So, what should retailers be demanding of the technology solutions they consider? Their list may comprise solutions that:


• Connect the benefits of on- line shopping with an in-store experience


• Satisfy tech-savvy consumer needs for a personal, seamless customer journey


• Help differentiation in a com- petitive market


• Deliver a scalable solution for creating a personalised con- nection with product experts • Create interactive experienc- es between shopper and prod- ucts or brands The focus is on getting closer to the customer and inspiring vis- itors with experiences, knowl- edge and services. Shopping is no longer simply functional, it’s about multimedia, multichan- nel experiences. The future is an integration of store, online and mobile.


In-store technology can be


an effective tool to bring these together in the world of bricks- and-mortar. A solution that will bring the advantages of shop- ping online – including trans- parent pricing, access to stock and product information and a personalised, interactive expe- rience.


Reinventing shopping


Physical stores need to rein- vent themselves to become the core of the product experience. The right digital solutions allow retailers to showcase unlimited product variations to the cus- tomer and present them bang on target.


when it comes to investing in technology, however the latest cost-effective solutions have brought retailers of all sizes on to a level playing field. Technology provides the per- fect platform to showcase prod- ucts. Distributor, Ascentae has identified a number of solutions that can help retailers in their quest to differentiate them- selves.


Vgreet gives stores the abil- ity to create an interactive HD showcase. A free-standing or recessed video conferencing solution, Vgreet allows retailers to deploy video and audio while simultaneously displaying con- tent. The personality of each unit is determined by the retail-


STiNO digital communications engage consumers with interactivity.


tomers with human specialist teams who are remotely based. Using video conferencing, cus- tomers can access and speak to the retailer’s product experts.


A wall mounted display, as phones are handled STiNO drives relevant content to the large screen.


sumers, the solution encour- ages interactivity and helps to minimise queues by delivering relevant


swipe of a giant touchscreen. Personalised connect


With interactive digital dis- plays retailers can mimic the behaviour of online sites, pro- viding advice, alternatives and precise product information - all customised to reflect their individual brand. Major play- ers may have bigger budgets


Vgreet lets shoppers connect with a central team of product experts.


er’s specific needs with option- al features including image and data capture, motion detection and contactless payment op- tions.


This flexible communication point offers retailers the oppor- tunity to connect instore cus-


It means interactive access to a centralised expert resource, that can be cost effectively scaled up across huge numbers of stores.


The beauty of Vgreet is that it translates the benefits of on- line shopping into a physical setting. Retailers can display demo videos, product galleries and product descriptions, and let customers pay for goods via the easy-to-use interface. In- creasing engagement with con-


One of the keys to retail suc- cess is drawing the customer in with personalised content – that feeling of being ‘special’ and ‘valued’. STiNO has intro- duced some interesting new features to its digital commu- nications software platform. Proximity marketing, where a customer action is the cata- lyst for a digital reaction, has been around in retail for some while. Typically, the technolo- gies used are radio frequency identification (RFID) or near field communications (NFC). These technologies are limited in what they can achieve. An RFID application relies on the product being in exactly the right spot on the shelf. Every time it is moved, the store staff have to reposition it. And NFC is too reliant on commitment from the shopper to do some- thing, such as scan a QR code. STiNO offers a number of cut- ting-edge options. Proximity sensors - very cost-effective Bluetooth devices - are at- tached to products, which can then sit anywhere on a shelf. As shoppers approach it, con- tent is triggered on a nearby display. When picked up, dif- ferent content, perhaps more detailed, can be displayed. Taken to another level again, lasers can be incorporated to work in a similar way, but the


information at the


content is generated once the laser beam is broken. Precise actions can be programmed to occur in different situations – say when a shopper is 5 metres away, 3 metres away, 1 metre away. It’s a powerful solution, be- cause this type of approach not only allows stores to tailor the content displayed to products or brands that customers are showing an interest in. Addi- tional benefits are that the data collected from them allows re- tailers to plan their stores, their messaging and their invento- ries. How many people picked up a product at location A? How do those figures change if it is moved to location B? If we display message A when it is picked up, how many put the product in their basket? Let’s change the message and see what happens.


Survive and thrive


So, the high street is far from dead. There is no doubt digi- tal solutions can play a central role in building a bespoke ex- perience for customers in-store, providing tailored content, per- sonal interactions, and valuable data in a way that saves retail- ers costs and keeps shoppers coming back for more.


'Lift and Learn' application from STiNO - each phone is sitting on a tablet that gives information once the phone is picked up.


P14 AV News October 2018


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