Omnichannel Commerce, Part 2: Taking the Shopping Experience to the Next Level
For brick-and-mortar retailers to survive an increasingly online world, they will have to create a retail experience that blends with customers’ online experience. The challenge is finding the best way to combine e-commerce with in-store shopping to create a connected retail experience. Pioneering retailers have already begun introducing digital technologies, such as virtual fitting tools, virtual product aisles, interactive digital video displays and eye-catching LED Video signage in their stores and front windows. Consumers are delighted when online browsing compliments the in-store experience—and vice versa.
Although online mobile shopping is gaining momentum, bricks-and-mortar stores are likely to remain the dominant way to generate revenue for the foreseeable future. Even Amazon, which started out as an exclusively online store, is starting to open physical locations. Still, to remain relevant, bricks-and-mortar retailers will have to leverage digital technologies to enhance customers’ shopping experiences and exceed customer expectations. In-store tablets and kiosks, virtual/augmented reality, interactive hangers, location-based-services (LBS) and even 3-D printing are all digital technologies being used to increase shoppers’ convenience, gamify the retail environment, improve customer/product matching, and provide a wide range of other shopping applications. Digital Display technologies are at the center of these changes, and given the strengths LED displays—including flexibility, curvable frames, good color and pitch, and excellent weather ratings—stores should really consider them the ideal signage needed to achieve optimal results.
While most of the experimentation with digital technologies has been done by higher-margin or bigger-ticket retail stores, we can expect more widespread adoption soon. Retailers such as John Lewis and Tesco have touchscreen kiosks that allow customers to browse for products and order items while they are in the store; retailers like Oasis have gone the iPad route—as have a number of other retailers. The alternative is having customers look products up on their smartphones, meaning they can also look up the competition’s prices and availability. Digital signs can keep customers’ eyes off their phones and on the options right there in the store.
Digital video displays allow retailers to connect with content management systems for quick, seamless updates, with either universal or local content. They can assist customers, update prices, share content screen-to-screen, create shareable wish lists, and run loyalty and “just in time” promotions. Digital signs thus enhance customer satisfaction by promoting engagement, improving the shopping experience, and helping make it mobile.
Retailers are using technology to deepen customer interaction, connect via social media or apps, and improve customer information and services. As customers and retailers both come to see real benefits, we can look forward to more widespread adoption. Digital technology in bricks-and-mortar stores helps enhance customer experience and is definitely here to stay. Wise retailers who not only adopt digital signage early but also want to keep running costs down while providing high-quality images will look to LED displays for ideal solutions. Specializing in LED, PIxelFLEX provides high-quality solutions to your digital signage needs. We are happy to work with you to help bring you into the future.
To learn more about integrating digital display technology into your stores, visit PixelFLEXLED.com/retail today to talk to one of our experts.