As the vaccine rolls out and more shoppers feel comfortable resuming old routines, retailers will need a way to incentivize their return while adapting their operations to a landscape changed by months of convenient online transactions. Enter mobile technology: smartphones can bridge the gap between online and in-person shopping to offer a next-generation experience that combines the best of ecommerce and brick-and-mortar.
Mobile is set to play a major role in the great reopening. Even before the pandemic, 45% to 50% of retailers had planned to prioritize a mobile app or point-of-sale experience in 2020, according to data from McKinsey. However, just rolling out mobile technology isn’t enough — retailers need to fit their efforts to shoppers’ emerging needs.
This Retail TouchPoints Tech Guide will reveal some of the major trends in mobile, including:
- Enhancing the power of BOPIS: The right mobile app can help eliminate the friction-generating frustrations that can appear between ordering online and in-store pickup;
- Preparing for the great reopening: Mobile devices can serve as reassuring contactless enablers and convenience-driving tools to ease shoppers back into brick-and-mortar habits;
- Powering next-gen experiences with 5G: Now is the time to explore the new possibilities this technology enables, from expanded AR use cases to entirely new in-store experiences; and
- Using third-party apps as an introduction: Not every retailer is ready to dive into the deep end of proprietary mobile apps, but existing tools like Facebook Messenger can help them prepare.
Download the report now!