Top 5 In-Store Revolutionary Customer Experiences Shoppers Love

The race to capture customers’ imaginations is on. As consumers choose to invest in experiences rather than products, businesses that provide extraordinary consumer encounters have a strong advantage over the rest. By creating an unforgettable customer experience, they boost brand awareness, increase sales and embed trust and loyalty. In this post, we want to identify the game-changing experiences shoppers can’t live without.

 

Interactive displays & smart mirrors

Whether AI displays are used for digital storytelling, window shopping or assistance and advice, interactive displays can engage customers’ imaginations and facilitate an omnichannel experience.

They can blur the boundaries between online and off-line shopping, and create a seamless customer experience. AI can also make the experience highly personalised and consumers can easily receive recommendations or engage with the community.

Some retailers offer completely interactive fitting room mirrors. With their help, customers can change the lighting, request new sizes or items, or get stylist help and advice. Whilst in other stores, the mirrors encourage shoppers to engage with the local community, so they can view different events and classes or discuss lifestyle and health.

 

Experiential shopping

Retailers who generate a strong emotional response from consumers usually see an increase in brand awareness and loyalty. Experiential shopping campaigns can include everything from product sampling, through to stunts, events or experiences. Campaigns can be fully immersive, such as special ‘concept’ stores or more subtle. Either way, they must aim to bring brands to life, so they interact directly with the target audiences.

Tokinomo is a great example. This motion-sensor activated device uses light, sound and motion to create a lasting and unique experience for the shopper. As shoppers walk past the product, it becomes animated – either moving to the music, speaking to the shopper or lighting up. This leads to an unparalleled sales lift for the brands using the device. Tokinomo also collects data about how many people walked past and the numbers who interacted with the product.

 

Product personalization

Customization is now considered a key part of adding value to a transaction and improving customer experience. One study by Deloitte discovered that consumers would be happy to pay up to 20 per cent more for personalized products. Whilst this trend is more easily harnessed online, with email campaigns, personalized offers and tailored experiences, there are still ways physical stores can leverage the power of personalization.

Personalization can be built into the experience in a number of ways, such as ‘building’ their own products before purchase or customizing items with logos or embroidery. Some retailers offer a showroom-only concept, where AI is used to gather data for personalized targeting, so consumers can try out bestselling products in physical stores.

 

Social shopping

Social media and shopping are converging. Now, social shopping is enabled by the ‘buy now’ buttons, which allow people to navigate seamlessly to the appropriate sales channel. In fact, Instagram has even launched a dedicated checkout feature, allowing users to buy products directly from a brand’s post without having to leave the App.

Retailers are bringing social media marketing in-store, blurring the boundaries between physical stores and online experiences. Community is also central to this idea, so consumers are encouraged to share pictures that drive promotions and campaigns, both online and in-store. Some retailers use in-store tablets, so that shoppers can search products. With the help of these tablets, shoppers can find and buy what they see online and browse the brand’s social feeds.

 

AR

Augmented reality is continuing to change the world of bricks and mortar retail. It also continues to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping by driving footfall and leveraging sales. AR technology allows consumers to virtually try on shoes, clothes and make-up, to ensure they like the look of a product before buying. It also allows shoppers to scan information in-store and find out new product information, such as colour options, pricing and reviews or even see models wearing the products.

 

Georgina Rodgers is a journalist, editor and copywriter with over 17 years’ experience. She specialises in content for lifestyle, business, tech, education, health, culture and celebrity sectors. She has authored 15 non-fiction titles and five Sunday Times top ten bestsellers, both under her own name and as a ghostwriter