Why future tech strategies need to look beyond the practical towards a more personal approach.
There was once a time when the personal shopper experience was reserved only for those with a gold-coloured credit card.
A reserved parking space right outside the store, a guided tour of the aisles, try-before-you-buy demonstrations and no need to queue at the checkout.
Fast-forward just a few short years and technology is rebooting the retail experience.
The revolution began with click and collect; then came seamless online ordering and doorstep delivery.
Superfast in-store WiFi connections are now commonplace, and contactless payment is shaving precious seconds off the time it takes us to pay and be on our way.
But, as the retail sector continues to adapt to the slow demise of the traditional high street experience, the power of digital is driving a game-changing shift.
It often starts on the sofa, but garden-variety online shopping is no longer the new kid on the block.
Even though the process of making a large purchase often begins and ends without setting foot outside, online browsing can also still be the precursor to a real-life trip to the shop.
And that’s where it’s starting to get really interesting.
The store of the future
Algorithms powering social media platforms are pairing our profiles and preferences to our buying behaviours.
Shoppers stepping over the thresholds of physical stores and connecting instantly to clever wifi networks are being ‘recognised’ and directed via digital signage to areas of the store already known to be of interest.
These advancements deliver for the retailer, too.
They are able to prompt the customer for immediate feedback and the resulting data can inform sales-enabling changes to store layout, staff numbers and the availability of specific products.
Retailers need to invest in digital technology or risk falling behind.
Leveraging unified communications, including video, instant messaging and other collaboration tools, helps fulfil both the needs and visions of retailers by providing the flexibility and simplicity needed to support today’s competitive and ever-changing multichannel environment.
Daisy offers unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) solutions, underpinned by Mitel’s core voice and contact centre platform, to provide all retail businesses the flexibility and simplicity needed to support today’s competitive and ever-changing multichannel retail environment.
The store of the future is coming – and it’s technology that will influence what it looks like and how it operates.
This article was originally published for Retail Week, April 2018