As digital technology continues to permeate every aspect of the retail experience, how can retailers best adapt to cater to and meet today’s consumer where they are? In our webinar with ecomdash, we discuss the influence of mobile accessibility on consumer shopping behavior, and the increasingly crucial role smartphones play in the retail environment.
From hybrid ‘click and mortar’ strategies to arming your retail workforce with a mobile POS, our webinar focuses on current technology trends that are driving consumer purchasing, how they impact the retail industry, and how retailers can make the most of these trends. Below, we outline key topics and trends for retailers to take note of and work into their retail business strategies.
The Age of the Omnichannel Consumer
Mobile technology and the digital workplace continue to occupy an important presence in both our personal and professional lives. Given that we spend a whopping 80% of our time engaged with mobile apps, in order to remain competitive in today’s retail landscape, retailers need to pay attention to and keep pace with the digital lifecycle of consumer spending habits. Doing so truly pays off, as retail businesses who employ an omnichannel strategy enjoy customer retention rates that are 91% higher than retailers who don’t.
In addition to mobile app-based marketing (such as creating a custom app for your retail business that offers exclusive discounts and promotions) this includes having a quick-loading website with options for purchase. Why? The latest research reflects that once consumers have researched and identified what they want, they want to acquire it quickly and with close proximity to where they are: search queries with the phrases, “can I/to buy” and “near me” have increased six times in the past two years.
Deploying an omnichannel strategy means you can cater to customers who want to know availability and pricing before they visit your physical store, and provide compelling touch points such as a discount code that they can use in-store or online. Conversely, a robust online presence allows retail associates to look up and help a customer complete a purchase online when the item they want isn’t on premise.
Optimize Your Retail Workplace with Operational Communication Tools
Adopting mobile technology not only allows your retail workforce to respond to consumer demand for an increasingly seamless retail experience, it’s a crucial component of retaining them. Doing so ensures employees deliver outstanding customer service through improving digital fluency, which today’s consumer expects in the retail environment. In the case of a click and mortar strategy, knowing how to adeptly navigate online and in-store promotions to meet consumer needs is an absolute must.
Connecting your retail workforce with a mobile operational communication platform provides the following benefits:
- Mobile accessibility and coordination between departments and teams, from the warehouse to the dressing rooms and customer service, regardless of location.
- Access to upper management which allows for invaluable information transfer from your frontline teams who are directly interacting with your customers.
- Real-time communication for agile responses during busy or peak retail periods, to quickly address customer requests, and to report on current inventory.
- A digital hub for sharing customer-centric stories and feedback, employee recognition to drive retention, and best practices.
Mobile Solution: The Future of the Retail Industry
To successfully meet consumers where they are on their retail journey, it’s essential for retailers to adapt and adopt digital technology in the retail workplace. As tasks become more automated thanks to AI, a mobile operational communication platform will an ideal ally in saving money, reducing inefficiencies, and freeing up your retail workforce to focus more on customers. With better customization to anticipate, personalize, and improve on every aspect of the consumer experience, AI is poised to transform the retail industry.
Say goodbye to long lines at the cash register! We’ll also see an increase of mobile POS (point of sale) devices, which empower retail employees to look up current promotions, check inventory, and complete transactions for customers right on the sales floor.
Learn more about the future of retail and how digital technology will continue to shape the retail industry in the Q&A that follows our partner webinar.
