The retail industry is rapidly changing. With a large focus on e-commerce, many people wonder what brick and mortar establishments will have to do in order to survive. The easiest answer to this question? Listen to the customer. After all, they’re known for being right.
People are beginning to lean on online shopping for its ease and convenience. Shoppers now have 24/7 virtual access to basically anything they want at the touch of a button. When a shopper is online, they are able to quickly compare which stores have the best deals and the most variety. When they physically go to their favourite store, they are not able to do this. There is no way for them to know if they’re actually getting the best deals on what they’re shopping for.
What retail store customers really want is:
1. Personalized customer service
“Enhancing customer loyalty is critical in today’s competitive environment, however, to do that successfully requires retailers to quickly and easily identify the customer and access pertinent preferences and order history to create a personalized experience for each customer seamlessly in every channel.”
Perry Kramer, SVP and Practice Lead, BRP
Customers want the in-person service they can’t get online. For retail, this is the most important factor when competing against e-commerce. According to BRP, 79% of shoppers say personalized service from a sales associate is an important factor in determining where to shop. Customers are more willing to share their personal data if it helps provide a better experience.
The best way to ensure customers get the in-person service they deserve, is by integrating advanced indoor location-based services into their apps. By using this type of technology, retailers can get the detailed analytics they need, in order to allocate the appropriate number of staff to areas customers spend the most time in, or optimize their sales displays to attract shoppers to a particular section of the store. This is especially important in big box retail stores, which tend to be large, and difficult for shoppers to navigate.
2. An easy way to find what they’re looking for
Shoppers ultimately go to the store to buy or potentially buy an item. But it’s impossible for a client to buy an item if they can’t find it. Providing easy access to any item a shopper wants is a must for retail stores, if they want to compete with the online experience.
Retail customers want to be able to find what they are shopping for easily. Implementing an indoor GPS solution in-store, lets shoppers find exactly what they’re looking for without all the frustration.
3. A way to see and compare the best deals
Who doesn’t love a great deal? Shopping online gives customers the ability to see all the available store offers and promotions in one place. An e-shopper can even compare deals between stores with the click of a button. This was not previously possible for customers of your traditional brick and mortar stores.
But with an indoor navigation platform like Mapsted, shoppers now have the ability to browse a highly personalized feed right on their smartphones while in the store. Using location and behavior-based triggers, shoppers can receive the latest store events, deals, and new features exactly when they need them. Using an indoor navigation platform will ensure shoppers receive the best possible customer experience, that will keep them coming back for more.
Not all indoor navigation platforms can satisfy these customer needs. Mapsted is the only all-in-one platform that provides seamless indoor navigation, hyperlocal intelligent marketing, and real-time analytics.
Integrate Mapsted’s next-generation indoor location-based solutions into your app, and give your customers what they want. What they really want.
Ready? Reach out and get ready to take your in-store experience to the next level.