This week, I launched a new series focused on the biggest digital trends impacting various industries. First up was healthcare, where technology is gifting patients with greater access to quality care through telemedicine—and arming caregivers with even more life-saving tools like wearables, predictive data, and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Now we move to retail, where a similar wave of empowerment has hit the industry—this time, on the side of consumers.
Whether retail is ready for it or not, consumers have become hooked on the real-time, personalized world of the modern digital landscape, and they expect their retail providers to follow suit. Today’s digital consumer is a demanding beast. They want what they want, and they want it now. (And that’s just today’s shoppers; don’t even get me started on Generation Z, which is actually expected to become the next big retail disruptor.)
Today’s retailers have never had more demands—or more opportunities—to reach their customers in new and exciting ways. Retailers are no longer selling things. They’re selling the experience of buying those things. And it better be a good one. Says one writer, “We can no longer be a little bit digital.” It’s an all-or-nothing train, and retails who refuse to hop on now will be left behind. The following are a few of the biggest technologies currently impacting the industry.
Mobile
I still remember the first time I learned I could walk up to any associate—literally anywhere in Nordstrom Rack—and pay for my purchases. Now that seems like old hat, with Amazon Go offering customers the chance to purchase items without checking out at all. Today’s opportunities in mobility run the gamut from mobile-armed sales staff to mobile-enhanced product reviews, mobile-responsive websites, and discounts on demand via apps while shopping in store. A recent study showed 82 percent of smart phone users consult their phones in the store while deciding what to buy. It makes sense that those shoppers can now use mobile pay—from a growing number of providers—while they’re at it.
Mobile wearables are also shaking up the digital world. Now customers can walk stores with virtual reality (VR) goggles and try on items without ever touching them physically. Not only is it faster and easier—it’s fun for the customer, and one more way to get him or her in the digital or physical door.
Smart Beacons
Another smart way to capture customers: smart beacons. Smart beacons work with Bluetooth to alert retailers when customers are in the vicinity of their store or signage so they can communicate with them at a targeted time or range. In fact, smart beacons take targeted marketing to a whole new level. What better time to send a customer a coupon or discount code than when they’re standing outside your door?
Smart beacons also allow for immediate data collection to determine the effectiveness of one’s marketing campaign. Do promos usually work better at a certain time of day? Among certain age groups? With certain product types? With smart beacons, retailers no longer have to guess—or devote tons of time, money, or analysis—to finding the answer.
Artificial Intelligence
We can’t mention data collection without also mentioning artificial intelligence (AI). Grounded in both big data and automation, artificial intelligence is allowing retailers to understand their customers’ personal preferences and anticipate their needs and purchases before they do themselves. And in today’s world, retail is all about personalization. AI is the powerhouse that recommends products you might like to try … sends coupons for things you’ve already purchased … and in some cases, even redesigns entire web home pages instantly based on user social media profiles. AI also allows for even more streamlined loyalty programs, replacing archaic and clunky human tracking systems with real-time sensors and buying history to reward customers for loyalty as soon as they click “buy now.”
That’s not all. In the future, AI will likely replace human consultants in the retail world. Shoppers will no longer waste their time searching for an expert on the floor. AI can be an expert in everything, helping shoppers find exactly the product they need, be it the right wine for dinner, the right computer for their profession, or the most flattering clothing for their body type.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
One of the biggest hurdles of getting customers to buy online is that many shoppers prefer to hold, touch, or try on their purchase in real life. Both VR, mentioned briefly above, and augmented reality (AR) are helping to close the gap on that problem by empowering consumers to “experience” the object without ever holding it in their hands. While many consumers still lack access to VR or AR tech, it’s clear that the technology holds tremendous potential, especially for those who live far away from the object they are hoping to purchase. Imagine test driving a car or purchasing a new home without ever even stepping inside. VR will make it possible.
As with every industry in this era, it’s important for retailers to embrace change. Not all technologies will be right for their product or clientele, but if they design a flexible digital strategy, they’ll be better equipped to try new technologies as they come along—which is, essentially, exactly when their customers want them.
In the interim, we’ll likely see many retailers continue to struggle with an “omni channel” existence, trying to determine the perfect balance of physical presence and digital touch. It’s not a new problem, but it’s one that will continue to evolve in challenging and exciting ways as the digital transformation continues to unfold.
Additional Resources on This Topic:
How the IoT Will Change Retail
Four Technologies that are Changing Everything for Retailers
Amazon GO Set to Disrupt the Retail Shopping Experience
Virtual Showrooming, VR, AR, and the Future of Retail
This post was originally published on Forbes.
photo credit: FootMassagez iPad and Mac – Credits to https://costculator.com/ via photopin (license)
Daniel Newman is the Principal Analyst of Futurum Research and the CEO of Broadsuite Media Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise. From Big Data to IoT to Cloud Computing, Newman makes the connections between business, people and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology projects, which leads to his ideas regularly being cited in CIO.Com, CIO Review and hundreds of other sites across the world. A 5x Best Selling Author including his most recent “Building Dragons: Digital Transformation in the Experience Economy,” Daniel is also a Forbes, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post Contributor. MBA and Graduate Adjunct Professor, Daniel Newman is a Chicago Native and his speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.