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Advancements in technology aren’t only driving omnichannel retail – they’re also impacting how brands can enhance their in-store experiences. From equipping sales associates with mobile devices containing customer data to installing technology that scans shoppers’ bodies to determine which products fit them best, the possibilities are vast. However, customer-centricity should be at the forefront of all retailers’ efforts to personalize their shopping journeys.
Chris Rigg, Retail Director at Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports, recently discussed the importance of brands maintaining a brick-and-mortar footprint during an Endless Aisle podcast episode with Marcus LaRobardiere, NewStore’s Vice President of Marketing. Chris and Marcus also addressed how technology can elevate in-store experiences for shoppers and demonstrate retailers’ commitment to customer-centricity.
Read below for key takeaways from Marcus and Chris’s conversation, and click here to listen to the full podcast episode.
Why In-Store Retail Experiences Remain Critical
Although many consumers opt to make purchases via online or mobile channels these days, a true omnichannel experience also encompasses in-store shopping. Some retailers may have believed that the pandemic’s effects would result in consumers moving away from wanting in-store experiences, but that has not been the case.
Shoppers still want to experience the adventure of finding new items in a physical location and then walking out with those products after paying. To reach the widest audience possible, retailers should ensure they keep up-to-date stock in their physical locations and maintain their brick-and-mortar presence.
“People still want to walk into a store, have a great experience, pay, and walk out with that product – and there’s a reward and value in it for them,” Chris said. “There’s a real desire to do something you are passionate about, and part of that journey is coming into a store and [experiencing] it.
“One of the great learnings after the pandemic was that things are different, but things are still pretty much the same as well,” Chris continued. “We came out of the pandemic and our strategy was…it’s going to move into the full omnichannel world. Stores will be experiences; there’ll be less product in there; it’ll be more showrooming and showing the great brands we’ve got and people will be happy to purchase through technology in store or purchase at home on their app.
“That hasn’t not happened, but what the last six months has shown me [is] a lot of people want to walk into a shop, drop their cash, [and] walk out with their latest jacket or snowboard. We got slightly caught out by that because we had to work very fast to make sure our stock holding was where it [needed] to be [and] make sure we had the right people in the shops to sell those products. Going forward, we are probably more positive about brick-and-mortar retail than we were two years ago.”
Evolving the Customer Journey
Brands should ensure they evolve their customer journeys to adapt to both digitally savvy and more traditional shoppers’ needs. However, they must also keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to maximizing the customer journey, as each shopper has different needs.
“I think we’ve seen evolutions of shoppers’ journeys,” Chris said. “A shopper that is time poor, maybe cash rich, wants to walk into a shop and buy something because they need it tomorrow.
“If someone’s thinking about a longer-term purchase, they might research that online. They might actually buy it online and get it in two weeks. We can’t say what a consumer’s behavior [is] because everyone is vastly different than how they shop.”
Retail and Technology’s Symbiotic Relationship
Retail and technology will always maintain a symbiotic relationship, especially as brands seek to attract consumers around the world. Not only does technology allow for brands to compete in the global marketplace, it also enables retailers to further personalize in-store experiences with innovative features, like virtual try-on options.
“I think retail is going to be intrinsically linked with tech forever, and that’s only going to grow,” Chris said. “There’s some great innovation out there, which we continue to look at. We’ve recently been trialing foot scanners within our stores – partly from a customer experience point of view – but partly from a CRM data collection point of view.
“The logical step would be that you’ve been in our Ellis Brigham store, and you’ve had your foot scanned, and you have a 3D avatar of your foot. Now we should be able to apply that to any model on our website and get something that fits your foot. The technology’s not quite there yet, but it’s pretty close. And your ability to scan a body or a foot and apply ‘perfect fit’ to it is going to be [a] massive jumping forward in retail.”
Why Understanding Customers’ Needs is Critical
One pitfall that retailers should avoid is adopting certain technologies because their competitors are doing so. Any new technology vendor or platform should address customers’ current needs. If customers feel that their needs are being solved, they will be much more likely to increase their average basket size with the retailer.
“Understanding your customer’s needs is really key,” Chris said. “I could go and spend millions now, just phone up various companies, put retail tech solutions in, but without a need to do it. And that’s how we’ve always challenged it as a business. We will go out and we’ll talk to people about what’s out there and then we’ll look at it and go, ‘Well, actually, does that satisfy you?’
“The business has to accept that things have to innovate. And then you’ve got to find a way you can test it. You have to go back to your customer, back [to] what is the customer journey…what do they gain from this? If they’re gaining something from it, they’re going to spend more money with you.”
How Clienteling Drives Better Retail Experiences
If retailers choose to integrate the right technologies for their audiences, they will eventually gain a more holistic understanding of each customer. In turn, this will help sales associates do their jobs more efficiently and engage in better clienteling. Clienteling enables sales associates to provide more customized shopping experiences as a result of seeing a 360-degree profile of each consumer.
By investing in engaging in-store experiences and equipping staff with technology to further personalize the customer journey, retailers will be able to grow their existing client base and attract new audiences. Ultimately, leveraging technology to facilitate stronger customer connections is key – while ensuring that the human element remains present.
“I’d like to believe that human interaction will stay with us in some way,” Chris said. “Our job at the moment is to use tech to make that experience as good as possible.”
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