While online shopping has grown dramatically in recent years, the retail industry is facing a new wave of challenges based on the maturity of technologies. Today, the companies are striving to bring more simplicity and convenience to their customers, particularly through the mobile shopping experience. The emergence of AI, Bigdata, Chatbots, AR, VR and other disrupting technologies are helping retailers to go beyond the limit and minimize the gap between online and offline shopping.
In this article, we are going to discuss about how such ground-breaking technologies is disrupting the retail world and augmenting the customer experience like never before.
- Augmented Reality applied to Decoration – Augmented Reality (AR) is an incredible and one of the fastest growing technologies out here. The feature that highlights this technology is – it has the potential to attract new customers while retaining the old ones. With just a smartphone in the hand, you can visualize or re-design your space to see which piece of furniture or which paint color looks appealing in your home before you buy it. This is the reason folks over here are eager to adapt this technology as they feel safe and more assertive with it. With the Augmented Reality feature, retailers are getting chance to attract their target audience by means of multiple traditional and non-traditional interactions. Moreover, AR also gives the power to retailers to create a new digital experience that will enrich the customer relationship with the brand while adding value to the shopper experience. However, this technology is still in the hands of major retailers. The good news is that Nina Stocklow, Senior Marketing Manager at Phoenix Media has come up with a new project that effectively breaks this barrier. Any salesperson can now add AR functionality directly to the mobile version of their site, creating an AR experience at the click of an icon.
- Chatbots for better Customer Service – What can be better than a retaining loyal customer? Well, retailers are concerned not only about acquiring new customers but also retaining them. To achieve this goal, retailers are using marketing strategies and offering extra services that delight customers. For example: If a customer want to return a product and can’t find the nearest store, they refer their problems to the customer service. The most popular ways to contact customer service are by email, live chat and phone. However, chatbots are revolutionizing the way customers solve their problems by providing online service directly from a messaging application on a mobile device where little or no human workforce is involved. Moreover, retail companies can use chatbots as “personal buying agents” for their customers. One of the most cited examples is Amazon’s Alexa chatbot, which finds items ordered by customers and places a purchase order. The fact is with the use of chatbot you are more likely to build customer loyalty with the brands. And, also, it will help you to avoid headaches in the process and improve the relationship through agility.
- Machine Learning for Product Search Tool – Everyone is aware of the fact that technology is evolving at a breakneck speed. Also, the retailers with physical stores are aware that a key to the long-term success is their ability to deliver the best online and offline shopping experience to their customers. Today, almost all consumers are equipped with smart a phone which makes free-text searches faster and provides better user experience by highlighting top categories upfront. Webkul’s technical project manager Ratnesh Kumar introduced a new technology that allows consumers to take a photo of any product in the store and instantly find details, information and reviews about it. This creates a more engaging and convenient in-store shopping experience.
Wrapping Up
These are just some examples of the gratification that customers receive with the use of these technologies at the point of sale and in digital marketing strategies, which translates into the greater attraction of new customers, increased sales and brand loyalty. With the emerging technologies, you must keep yourself up with the technology. You need to figure out what works best for your brand and leverage them. Moreover, the retail industry is going to be omnichannel in the future. So, the goal is not only to sell products or to reach customers but also to learn about those technologies clinically.