There is no doubt about the way technology has embraced every industry and transformed the way businesses are conducted in today’s time. From the tech industry itself to the retail industry, technology has unlocked doors to endless possibilities for customers and businesses alike. Shopping is one of the most popular hobbies and time pass in the world.
Gone are the days when the only way to get what you wanted was by walking or driving the store, standing in line for hours, and paying by cash. Times have changed and the retail experience for the average customer is radically different now.
Technology is equipping businesses with the resources to provide quality products, better services, and excellent customer experience, and save money by being extra efficient. Retail technology has changed the game for every retailer in the industry. If you’re planning to make your big breakthrough in the retail industry, you must know these top leading tech trends of the industry.
Employing AI – Facial Recognition
Gone are the days when retailers had to rely on loyalty cards to identify their customers. To personalize the experience for the buyer, many retailers are adopting facial recognition technology to identify customers. It gives insight into the type of products your customer might like, their budget, and their buying patterns so the staff can accommodate them accordingly. Apart from helping the staff understand the customer’s needs better, facial recognition technology also helps in preventing losses by identifying shoplifters.
Big Data predictive analysis
Data is a valuable asset in today’s modern world. For the longest time, industries have relied on collecting and gathering data to create better experiences. The same goes for the retail industry. collecting data, using it to your advantage, creating solutions, and providing a much more personalized experience is easier than ever with predictive analysis. It’s a more secure way of predicting the future by tracking customer behavior and patterns, and understanding purchasing behaviors in the customer journey.
The predictive analysis enables retailers to make smart decisions about efficiencies, costs, and supply chains.
Virtual And Augmented Reality
One of the best ways to personalize customer experiences is through the power of virtual and augmented reality. Retailers allow customers to virtually try on products and try them on before making a big purchase. Not only is it easier to explore the range of products offered by the brand, but it also provides additional info on the products and services for the customers to make a better choice. And let’s not forget, it’s a fun way to virtually imagine how the product would look on you or your space without spending money.
Internet Of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) connects billions of devices and enables communication among each other. You’ve come across the potential of IoT in smart home technology and how it makes everything ten times more convenient, but did you know the potential it holds in the retail industry? Beacons, tiny wireless devices, enable your phone to pick up the signal that redirects you to a particular product or a particular aisle. It uses the data collected to study customer behavior, wishlists, and buying patterns to personalize and innovate the experiences.
You can also link the beacon to your business app so when the customer opens the app, it identifies the aisle the customer is in and recommends a product they’d like — all this is only possible through incredible data gathering. RFID tags are another example of how IoT is used in the retail industry. Just by scanning the barcode with a smartphone, customers can learn about the range of products available at a particular store, and businesses can update and track their inventory globally.
Refined Recommendations
Let’s be honest, when you’re visiting a store for the first time, it’s easy to get confused about what you want to buy. Finding recommendations is a great way of finding what you need and what you don’t need as well. Recommendation engines funnel down the options to what the customer might like, using the customer’s shopping pattern, purchasing behavior, likes, etc. The more algorithms and data integration with the system, the better the recommendations.
A few good examples of recommendation engines that work perfectly are Netflix, eBay, and Spotify. Retailers can make smarter decisions about their costs, inventory, supply chains, etc. when they know what the customer wants. It’s a great way of benefitting from reduced costs, higher sales, and improved customer satisfaction.
Not much is needed to learn about customer behavior. A good fiber internet or rural internet connection is enough to do the research needed to boost customer satisfaction.
To Wrap It Up
The future of retail is sustained by technology. As technology keeps evolving, the expectations of an average shopper reach new heights. With the help of the right tools and resources, retailers all over the world can easily be empowered to deliver personalized customer experiences that keep the customers attracted. Employing retail technology is the way to go when it comes to establishing a strong brand presence in the market.