Customer Engagement
Technology is changing the face of customer engagement in the retail sector. A 2016 customer engagement study by Marketing Tech News, in conjunction with Oxford Brookes Marketing and consumer psychology professor Janine Dermody, surveyed over 18,400 people globally. It aimed to find out why understanding consumer engagement better leads to a significant improvement in retailer-customer relationships.
The study found that only 52% of consumers in the UK tend to use the same retailers on a regular basis. This is, of course, a problem in today’s retail sector – when a customer can use the internet to shop around and find items that you stock at a lower price, how are you supposed to catch their eye?
Solutions for an enhanced shopping experience
VisionID brings you the opportunity to provide an enhanced shopping experience to your customers, in order to increase sales, decrease time spent in the store, and encourage them to spend more – with you.
We work with industry leader Zebra, manufacturer of state-of-the-art Personalised Shopping Solution (PSS) technology, so we can offer you customer-centric digital solutions to making your business stand out.
The MC18 Handheld Computer is a personal shopping device that customers can use to scan items with as they shop. It provides them with discount coupons, will keep a running tally for a fast checkout experience, and can suggest complimentary items as they move through the store.
It’s designed to appeal to the most sought-after retail demographic – the 18-34-year olds – by imitating the recognisable style of a smartphone. The MC18 is ergonomic, responsive, and engineered to make your customer’s shopping experience a superior one.
Embracing change in retail
Implementing technology such as this is a crucial part of customer engagement. You’re providing your customers with something unique, but also functional. The FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) culture phenomenon – spurred on by 70% of all UK residents owning an internet-capable smartphone in 2017 – means that giving people something to talk about is a certain way to increase interest in your business, and engagement with your customers.
In addition, the impending digital takeover has led to a certain ruthlessness in the behaviour of today’s consumers. They expect flawless service, and flexibility into the bargain. The MC18, for example, allows customers to shop more efficiently and reduces physical interactions in store.
Retail technology
Related technology such as interactive kiosks and tablets, located in high traffic areas within your stores, will provide a platform for developing customer satisfaction and receiving valuable feedback.
VisionID offers the Zebra manufactured MK3100, a Micro Kiosk in an ergonomic style with an intuitive user interface. Customers can use its powerful features to access a completely personalised self-service experience. Interactive technology is the future of retail – customers are no longer content with waiting in queues or trailing round stores searching aimlessly for the products they need.
The internet makes shopping instant and intuitive and this is something a retail business needs to emulate if they are to increase customer engagement in store.
Interactive kiosk and tablet technology from VisionID supports a wide range of applications, from inventory checks to professionally produced multimedia displays and even customer feedback capabilities. This is a highly effective way of gathering customer intelligence which you can use to inform your business choices.
High engagement, low loyalty
The retail industry has the highest consumer engagement score across all sectors, and yet customer retention and loyalty rates are low. How, then, can retailers keep customers loyal?
Connect with your customers and deliver a more personalised shopping experience as they enter the store by sending offers directly to their smartphones through beacon technology and marketing software.
By implementing beacon technology with VisionID, your store can feature Mpact, our Zebra Technologies’ mobile marketing platform. It transforms the shopping experience into a personal engagement with your customers through their smartphone.
Location services for your customers can give store employees real-time information on their whereabouts, so they can strike up conversation and open the opportunity for up-selling or cross-selling your products. Personalised offers can be sent to the customer’s device, which may incentivise them to spend more each time they visit.
Customer retention and loyalty can also be achieved using Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technology – in fact, it’s expected that most large stores and buildings offer free Wi-Fi. WLAN technology from VisionID comes in a range of options depending on the needs of your store.
The new GDPR legislations will mean that how this is used (in terms of data collection and erasure) will have to be monitored and you may choose to have your customers access the internet using Federated Identity Management (FIM) technology. This means your WLAN provision can remain free to access by consumers and you won’t be responsible for personal data, as it’s managed by a third party.
Increasing sales
Driving up customer engagement is crucial for increasing instore sales and choosing to implement technology from VisionID will lead that success – it enables your business to gather intelligence on your customers’ buying behaviours and improve their shopping experiences.
Using beacon technology and marketing technology, you can personalise your customers’ shopping experience in order to increase sales and the likelihood of loyalty. Generating your own customer data is essential for learning how to communicate with them not only effectively, but also individually.
Working with VisionID
VisionID offers bespoke retail solutions with customer engagement as top priority. As inconsistent customer interactions continue to erode brand loyalty for so many businesses, the technology we supply your store with is designed to revolutionise the way your customers engage with you.
We can help you sharpen your responsiveness to customers’ wants and build consistency in your interaction with them. VisionID works with leading manufacturers of retail improvement technologies inclduingincluding Zebra and Cisco, whose modern outlook on improving retail experiences have proven both successful and profitable for retailers in Ireland, the EU, and around the world.
If you want to improve customer engagement in your store, but you’re not sure how to go about it, please get in touch. The VisionID consultants are experts in determining what exactly your store needs to improve its B2C communication and we’re more than happy to discuss other improvements you may benefit from.
Give us a call on +353 (0)52 618 1858 or send us a message.
