5 trends to follow - Challenge online shopping with new experiences
Looking for ways to reshape the shopping experience and keep ahead of the competition? At PPDS, we’re always looking for opportunities to support our customers in staying ahead of the latest trends and, in this article, we point out five new ways of innovating your store to keep up with the growing shift to online shopping.
1. Phygital shopping
Perhaps you’ve already heard about the latest trend in retail where stores are behaving more like websites. That’s Phygital shopping—also known as hybrid shopping. It combines the best of both digital and physical worlds.
Customers enter a physical store that could have actual display items or none at all, then browse through the complete product portfolio via a digital screen. In some cases the products in the store are RFID tagged, meaning they can transfer data to the digital screen for customers to search for their perfect colour, size or model. As soon as they have selected their desired product, the next step is triggered, and a perfectly timed delivery process is set in motion. It offers an immersive experience to customers that means stock in store is rarely an issue.
2. In-store configurators
What can you do if your shop’s floor space is too small to display larger products in great numbers – let’s say cars, for instance? In-store configurators offer customers the opportunity to configure their ideal product while sitting, in comfort, with experts in your store.
With a digital display and smart software the possibilities for finding the perfect product are endless. This solution allows shop assistants to guide their customers through the process and advise them when needed, offering the perfect blend of a website and a brick and mortar shop.
3. Smart screens
What if your digital displays could see who is looking at them? If they could monitor their gender and approximate age? Allowing it to show more relevant ads and content. With the latest technology, we can do just that, boosting sales using visual marketing at its best. With artificial intelligence, your store system can constantly learn and understand better what works and what doesn’t. Of course the gathered data can be used for numerous other applications, too, such as counting visitors or optimising your customers’ journey through the store, and allowing you to place staffing more strategically.
4. Storytelling
People like stories. Every product or brand tells one, which can often influence customer decision-making…their life choices, sometimes. Products are more than just functional objects when we show what they can do for your life or wellbeing. That’s where in-store storytelling comes into play. With video content shown on large screens, retailers can wow customers and enhance brand experience to its highest levels.
5. Safe and healthy shopping
Now, more than ever, we need to provide a safe and secure shopping environment for customers – with clean air and a monitored maximum number of shoppers in store. Using the latest technologies we can automatically count customers and restrict numbers in store to a maximum capacity. At the same time, we’re able to help clean the air using ultraviolet light to kill viruses and germs. This gives customers the confidence they need to return to stores and feel comfortable to shop the latest collections in person.
