Mobile apps and shopping sites offer a great deal of convenience to consumers, but retail marketing leaders should keep the customer experience in mind when implementing their mobile options. Merchants have been focusing on enhancing the shopping experience for customers, whether that means making check-out processes more efficient or providing personalized suggestions online.

Many of these ideas come from the classic strengths of physical stores, demonstrating how excellence on-site and online can go hand-in-hand. Forbes magazine encouraged mobile app designers to take some lessons from brick-and-mortar customer engagement strategies. For example, the source explained, local stores often prioritize building relationships with patrons, which can sometimes slip through the cracks during digital interactions.

"Mobile shopping apps and sites need to offer greater levels of personalization, service and support to consumers," Brent Cohler, director of mobile product marketing at SAP, told Retail Customer Experience. "Mobile commerce is about much more than just the payment."

One way a store can improve its engagement strategy is to learn more about its customers, Forbes added. Merchants can collect data for retail customer intelligence to better tailor their apps according to shoppers' needs and preferences. The point is to be flexible and let customers see that their opinions and feedback are being taken seriously.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, February 21st, 2014 at 6:46 am .

Location-based functions on mobile devices offer merchants opportunities to target their retail marketing campaigns and collect information about shoppers' habits. For example, Apple iBeacons could be used to send customers information about products as they walk past an aisle, PC World explained. This is just the beginning, though. Retail technology can take advantage of knowing a shopper's location to provide a whole new in-store experience.

Philips recently created a system using LED lights that can receive location information from shoppers' smartphones, Tech World reported. Using an app, customers can receive directions to help them find specific items in the store. With the lighting system serving as a grid, the app helps shoppers find the products they want and can then make additional suggestions for them. The light-based system could be easier and less expensive for retailers to install than other location-based systems, the source added.

In addition to making it easier for shoppers to find their way through stores, the system provides opportunities for retailers to collect information about consumers. For example, merchants can gather information about the time of day that certain demographics are most likely to shop, according to IT World. This data can be added to the information collected by the store's retail management system to drive data analytics for better business strategies. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, February 20th, 2014 at 9:34 am .

With online sales gaining popularity in the United Kingdom, retailers are seeking ways to keep the playing field level for ecommerce and brick-and-mortal store operations. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is currently pushing to change the way merchants are taxed, The Telegraph reported. The group argued that rate adjustments, such as taxing based on energy usage rather than property value, would help brick-and-mortar retailers stay competitive, explained The Guardian.

"Our fundamental premise is that something significant needs to change that will remove the disincentive we have at the moment to operate from property," Helen Dickinson, director general of the BRC, told The Guardian.

The group outlined three options that would help retailers operate alongside large ecommerce firms, such as Amazon.com, the news source added. These include:

• Rate discounts for merchants who pay UK corporation taxes
• Taxes based on energy usage to replace the business rates
• Discounted rates based on the number of staff employed

The BRC is still refining its recommendations. In the meantime, merchants in the retail industry have found innovative ways to use retail technology to keep customers interested in the store experience and to make shopping more convenient for consumers. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, February 20th, 2014 at 8:07 am .

Canada is at the forefront of mobile payments in the retail industry. According to Venture Beat, 75 percent of Canadian retailers accept mobile payments, such as transactions completed by tapping smartphones. In comparison, the source said, only 2 percent of U.S. retailers have implemented this kind of system.

BC Business reported that 80 percent of the Canadian population is expected to have "tap and pay," or contactless payment, capabilities by 2016. These transactions are facilitated by smartphones and wearable technology, which are gaining prevalence in the country. The speed and simplicity of tap and pay options provide another example of how retail POS systems are aiming to bolster sales by improving the customer experience. Venture Beat mentioned that these options are increasing per-sale purchases, driving Canadian retailers to implement the retail technology and banks to partner with technology companies on applications.

As with all POS systems, security remains a major concern. The tap and pay option might offer some advantages, though. BC Business explained that cyber criminals can't use the applications as widely as credit cards,which reduces the threat of payment information being stolen. According to Venture Beat, these processes can also make use of chip technology that is inherently more secure than credit card systems.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, February 11th, 2014 at 12:07 pm .

Despite a rough January, merchants can look forward to retail industry growth for the coming year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2014 economic forecast, retail sales are expected to increase by 4.1 percent in 2014. This is up from the organization's 2013 projection, which anticipated a 3.7 percent growth. Improvements in the economy and job market are contributing to this trend.

"Measured improvements in economic growth combined with positive expectations for continued consumer spending will put the retail industry in a relatively good place in 2014," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

However, the NRF noted that merchants still face a number of challenges, including debt ceiling debates, healthcare expenses and the effect of weather trends. Harsh winter weather is believed to be the culprit for disappointing January sales, according to The Wall Street Journal. The news source attributed a 9.6 percent decrease in sales to the "polar vortex" weather, which kept many shoppers indoors.

At the same time, the NRF predicted a growth in ecommerce this year, and retailers can use online retail marketing strategies to help overcome Mother Nature's obstacles. For example, merchants can use retail customer intelligence to send targeted ads for items customers might need during winter storms. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, February 11th, 2014 at 3:53 am .

To expand your retail marketing and sales opportunities, you can create an online presence using ecommerce software. However, getting customers to browse around the site is one thing – you also want them to make a purchase. According to Smashing Magazine, researchers estimate that 59.8 to 83 percent of shopping carts are abandoned. While a number of factors influence whether consumers complete their transactions, here are two ways you can prime your website to encourage sales:

1. Trustworthiness for sensitive info. Your website should use best in class payment services, but you also need to make these features clear to consumers. Smashing Magazine recommended using visual cues to reassure shoppers. For example, you can set apart the payment fields with background colors, borders and security icons. According to Econsultancy, consumers look for security trustmarks, but you should use only authentic logos and not use them excessively.
2. Intuitive layout. CPC Strategy emphasized that clear navigation can play a key role in converting customers. You should provide a linear check out process, taking customers from page to page rather than forcing them to jump around to enter payment or account information, advised Smashing Magazine. Avoid ambiguous terms like "continue shopping," which customers could interpret as going back to browse or going forward with check out.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 10th, 2014 at 7:29 am .

Retail marketing includes efforts to draw in new shoppers and hold on to existing patrons. Loyalty programs can be a component of this strategy and retail customer intelligence can enable merchants to tailor these initiatives to their consumers' preferences.

According to a McKinsey & Company study, as reported by Forbes, retailers could do more to make their programs worth the investment. The study found that heavy investors in loyalty programs grew at the same rate or more slowly than other companies since 2002. With the right strategy, however, merchants can turn their loyalty programs into assets that engage customers and drive sales.

McKinsey & Company recommended incorporating loyalty programs into the shopping experience, instead of running them almost as afterthoughts at the cash register. Similarly, Business 2 Community advised retailers to make sure their loyalty programs cut across all store operations, creating a seamless omnichannel experience. Merchants can tie in their online branding by taking social engagement into consideration, the source added.

Creative approaches to loyalty integration, such as adding a mobile payment component, can also foster loyal customers without putting too much emphasis on the program, McKinsey & Company said. Overall, retail reports and data analytics can help merchants design stronger loyalty programs that offer the right incentives for their consumer base.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, February 10th, 2014 at 3:26 am .

Mobile POS (mPOS) systems give customers convenient options for checking out in the store and can provide employees with additional information to assist shoppers. IHS Technology found that mPOS shipments rose by 50 percent globally in 2013, reaching 8.4 million units, according to Retail Solutions Online. These numbers illustrate the growing trend toward using retail technology to improve the customer experience.

Why mPOS?
Mobile hardware for retail transactions can include tablets, smartphones, dongles and other portable devices. These gadgets enable store clerks to be available for customers without being bound to a register counter. Therefore, they can quickly help a customer while stocking merchandise or help drive sales by assisting shoppers who are examining products. Today, many of these devices are similar to the platforms store associates are already familiar with due to personal use.

"Retailers increasingly are embracing tablet- and smartphone-based systems to check out customers, providing an alternative to the cash registers used by large- and medium-sized merchants, or the informal systems—such as cigar boxes—employed by the smallest businesses," said Wincey Tang, digital ID & IT security analyst at IHS. "The wide availability and low-cost advantages of mPOS card-reader accessories make them a feasible payment acceptance solution for any business owner."

Overcoming low usage
Retail Solutions Online reported that even though more merchants are purchasing mPOS systems, up to a million units are going unused. The IHS study indicated that smaller retailers are more likely to falter in their adoption of the technology, whereas larger merchants have begun to implement the resources successfully. One of the roadblocks to the transition can be acclimating staff and customers to new types of interaction. In addition to training employees to use the devices effectively, it can be helpful to consider new routines and workflows that take advantage of the technology.

Focusing on the benefits of mPOS systems can also give merchants a bit more incentive to put the product to good use. According to Merchant Warehouse, Accenture determined that retailers have observed the following positive results from using mobile systems:

• Increased sales from on-the-spot purchases and reduced shopping cart abandonment
• Better inventory management through greater awareness of seasonal and trending demands
• Provide better immediate information to customers about products, pricing and purchasing

NCR Hospitality noted that mPOS systems can provide opportunities like making sales during special demonstrations and signing customers up for loyalty programs. The source explained that a hybrid approach using both traditional POS and mPOS can be effective and offer more flexibility.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, February 7th, 2014 at 12:23 pm .

Merchants are implementing innovative retail technology, such as mobile point of sale systems, to improve their marketing strategies and enhance the customer experience. Both online and in stores, technological solutions can help retailers offer personalized services, provide consumers with information and make shopping a more efficient process.

An important component of successfully integrating retail systems is employee training. In a recent Wall Street Journal blog post, Michael Hickens described a shopping trip during which poorly implemented technology detracted from his experience. The store associate used a tablet POS system to take Hickens' information and complete the sale. While Hickens noted some opportunities the tablet could have provided – such as personalized suggestions for items that would go well with his purchase – the employee struggled with the basics on the tablet, taking time and causing frustration.

"I think it's important particularly when you're talking about higher-end, commission-driven environment, that sales associates don't become a point of resistance in adopting the technology," Steven Dennis, president of SageBerry Consulting LLC, told Luxury Daily. "When it's obvious it saves them time, closes more sales, efficiently solidifies relationships with clients and it happens to save money for company, then it's a win-win."

Simple, integrated POS solutions can help create a smoother transition, and retailers should make sure their employees are prepared to use the new resources.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, February 7th, 2014 at 9:58 am .

Retail customer trends reveal that consumers still choose brick-and-mortar store locations for a significant portion of their shopping. Even if they do their research online first, many patrons want the in-store experience, especially for specific items like apparel and home goods. Customers greatly appreciate the convenience of online shopping, so merchants are finding ways to provide time-saving options in their stores to meet consumers' expectations.

According to Advertising Age, a key strategy for retailers is to ensure their store operations match the convenience and information resources of online channels. Shoppers value time-saving technology that can help them make informed decisions faster and complete their transactions with minimal inconvenience. Here are a few examples of retail technology that merchants can use to give customers an efficient store experience:

• Virtual try-on: Advertising Age mentioned that some stores are offering apps that show customers how they would look in new clothes, drawing on fashion advice from style bloggers. Other stores have body scanners or virtual dressing rooms that make it easy for shoppers to find the right size or explore options that are not in stock but can be ordered. For example, Bloomingdale​'s offers customers the option to try on outfits in 3D virtual dressing rooms, which allows them to see their look in real-time and solicit feedback from friends on social media networks. 
• Payment options: From self-updating Bitcoin tags to digital wallets, retailers are offering customers more choices for payment types. Apps can allow gift card owners to pay by tapping their phones. While Bitcoin hasn't become mainstream for retail purchases, the BitTag technology shows a move toward expanded self-checkout options, CNN reported. Shoppers can shake the tag and then pay with their phones.
• Mobile POS: With tools like mobile POS systems, store clerks can help customers check out anywhere in the store, reducing time spent waiting in check out lines. Some POS software empowers employees with instant access to product information, enabling them to serve as a valuable, real-time resource for shoppers who have questions about additional stock or alternative models. In-store kiosks can also provide some of the information access that consumers enjoy while shopping online.

Overall, these trends point to a need to incorporate technological advancements across channels. While the specific options are different in stores and online, merchants can work toward the same goals – convenience, information, empowerment, engagement – to provide customers with a better overall experience, regardless of the channel they choose.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, February 7th, 2014 at 6:28 am .