By Derek Dykens, Cisco
Flu season is upon us and catching the bug is not all that
has shoppers concerned this winter. Standing in long lines, not being able to
find an associate to help or arriving to the store only to find a product out
of stock are too often still a reality during the holiday season. It is no surprise
that shoppers are in search of effortless experiences that provide much-needed transparency
and can save them time. And we all know that when experiences cut the friction
out of the shopping equation, customers are more likely to come back for more.
Similar to the flu shot, putting your shoppers’ concerns to
rest is possible if the right measures are taken. Retailers are continuing to
push the limits when it comes to technology, but they must also elevate the
moments that matter the most in a shopper’s journey. Here are a few areas to consider
this holiday season:
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Ramp Up Consumer Engagement
Where Needed
Holiday shopping can be a make-or-break experience
regardless of which channel customers are spending their time in. The stores
are more hectic than usual, web sites often appear to be slower than normal and
shoppers are typically already feeling impatient because it’s that time of
season. So, why not make life a little easier for them?
Provide shoppers with the tools they need to get answers
fast. This could be building location-based services into a mobile app to quickly
locate products in-store, or by enabling chat functions seamlessly into the
online experience. Solutions such as these allow you to give shoppers expert
opinions when needed and recommendations in real time. By digitizing retail business
processes and deploying application performance monitoring in critical areas,
you’ll be able to create superior and impactful digital customer experiences.
Increase Associate Effectiveness
And Simplify Store Operations
Store associates are your best asset when it comes to
elevating the experience and providing real-time feedback on the moments that
matter most. Finding ways to make associates more effective through mobile
tools, in-store collaboration and training are proven to make a positive impact.
When store associates feel empowered and have the right tools at their
fingertips, the customers will take notice and ultimately spend more of their
dollars as a result.
Keep things simple when it comes to store operations and
digitize as much of the business as possible through IoT (Internet of Things)
technologies. A smarter store makes for a faster, more efficient store
ecosystem for customers and associates to enjoy.
Secure Customer Data And
Prioritize Physical Security
It is important that data security is top of mind with
thousands and thousands of transactions happening every second this holiday
season. Securing customer data is a critical component to keeping shopper’s
confidence and trust. Data breaches are going to happen — however, retailers that can
quickly detect, contain, remediate and respond will be the ones that find customer
loyalty unscathed.
And to no one’s surprise, crowds will be out in full force,
which means physical security is more important than ever. Having eyes in the
stores from afar will ensure customer and associate safety is maintained. By
deploying analytics at the edge, you can improve the visibility and safety of
the store. Enabling you to see where customers are spending time, the video
insights can also be used to improve the overall operations.
Click here
to learn more on how to make digital retail across all channels a reality and
make the retail moments that matter most contagious.
Derek Dykens is the
global retail business development manager at Cisco. As a trusted advisor, he partners
closely with some of the largest names in retail on their strategic business
priorities and helps identify ways to impact the customer experience through
analytics and technology, while streamlining processes within store operations
including the supply chain. He is based in New York City and has a passion for
emerging technologies as well as disruption within retail and the world.
