Mobile seems to be everywhere you look and is changing the way people interact and use information. You can now find information instantly from practically wherever you are and at any time and this is changing the face of retail.
Gone are the days where you could only shop when retailers were open. With the introduction of the Internet, people are able to shop from home, or on breaks at work, allowing people to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, mobile is able to offer even more convenience as customers can shop wherever they wish - from home or on the move - and they can use even more channels to connect to the Internet such as a traditional PC, laptop, tablet and smartphone to do so. This improves the customer experience as it allows shoppers to fit shopping into their busy lives, using whichever device they wish. Retailers must recognise this growing new channel and respond appropriately.
An article in Tech Advisor, The promises of "Omni-Channel" retailing, proposes that location, product, price, quality and service are no longer differentiating factors for retailers and there are five new factors which are relevant today in a mobile environment. These are:
- Connecting - shoppers connect to the Internet or mobile to find product information. This needs to be available to both the shopper and staff in the shop.
- Predictive - retailers must look at customers and predict in real time, rather than relying on historical data.
- Personalisation - making a personal offer to each shopper in real time.
- Context aware - making the offer at the right time and the right place whilst in your store or nearby.
- In-store experience - shoppers today are looking for information, product details and product comparison and this should be enabled within the store.
These five factors focus on real-time information, knowledge and treating customers personally with tailored offers. Even better, it focuses on ensuring that staff within a store are equipped with as much knowledge as a customer. This helps ensure customers find what they are looking for in a convenient and speedy manner.
An article in The Guardian, Omni-channel retail: joining up the consumer experience, states that retailers are able to improve engagement and convenience through omni-channel retail. They, as well as many others, argue that it is important for retailers to provide a consistent experience across all channels that shoppers may use as if retailers fail to offer this, they may lose that customer completely.
The retail experience within a store cannot be undervalued. By visiting a store, shoppers can have a face to face interaction, compare products more easily and have questions answered quickly. However, showrooming is becoming a more prominent trend within retail where shoppers go online via their mobile phones to compare in-store prices with competitors’ prices. This is why it is crucial for retailers to adopt an omni-channel approach to guarantee they price competitively and also ensure the in-store experience is first class, as well as the customer experience across all other channels.
Mobile is certainly changing the face of retail and it is vital that the importance of this channel is recognised by retailers to secure their continued existence. Find out how retailers can enhance the mobile shopping experience or read our Retail section to find out more.
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