“The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed” – William Gibson
Rebecca Minkoff’s first Connected Store in New York City is an example of the future, in plain site. Retail trends for 2015 pivot on blurring the line between digital with physical engagement. Retailers take notice, the future is already here.
Bring online paradigms into the store.
Retail stores are really good at providing customers immediate gratification, interaction with physical products, and personalized service. Trends show online purchase is going up and in-store foot traffic is going down. To compete, retailers need to differentiate themselves and provide a brand experience in every store.
Technology enables distinction. Smart brands are blurring the line between digital and physical, by adding digital, in-store experiences that reduce friction and increase customer satisfaction. While some brands choose digital installations for an immersive experience, the vast majority are delivering their in-store, digital experience through mobile. Mobile is the platform for personalized communication with your customers.
Engage consumers with in-store, mobile experiences.
It’s the low-hanging fruit in the brand-experience equation. Shoppers have their smartphones with them while they shop and they use them.
Retail is another example where we’ve seen a massive shift in behavior thanks to mobile. One in three consumers report using a mobile phone in a store versus asking a store associate. Overall, 82% of smartphone users consult their phones while they’re standing in a store deciding what product to buy. One in 10 of those end up buying a different product than they planned.1
So, create a mobile app and win in retail, right? Remember that thing about mobile being the platform for personalized communication? People are finicky. An experience can be made or destroyed by cadence, relevance, or perceived value.
Here are a few insights for how to create a successful mobile experience:
Don’t waste people’s time with spam. Know your audience and what they want. Meter your messaging so that you don’t become noise. The challenge is to find the path where you deliver value without causing fatigue.
Serve your customer in their moment of need. Forrester coined the phrase ‘Mobile Moment’ and defined it as “a point in time and space when someone pulls out a mobile device to get what he or she wants immediately, in context.”
Mobile moments redefine every customer relationship. If a customer wants information or service in a mobile moment, that is your moment to shine. Be there, and your customers will come to depend on you, deepening their loyalty and providing valuable information that your company can use to further improve the relationship. To succeed in your customer’s mobile moments, you must understand their journey and identify their needs and context at each potential moment. Then design your mobile application to quickly provide just what’s needed in that moment.2
Transform product warehouses into experience centers.
Retail is transforming from product warehouse to experience center. Shoppers are informed, have high expectations and are eager for personal experiences.
In these micro-moments, consumer expectations are higher than ever. The powerful computers we carry in our pockets have trained us to expect brands to deliver exactly what we are looking for – the moment we are looking. We want things right, and we want things right away. In fact, 69% of online consumers agree that the quality, timing, or relevance of a company’s message influence their perception of a brand.1
Mobile can deliver personal experiences that are informed by location, preference, and history. When retailers deliver value to their customers, they exceed customer expectations and build advocates.
1. Outside Voices: Why Mobile Advertising May Be All About Micro-Targeting moments 2. Win In Your Customer’s Mobile Moment
April 2015
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