The retail world has been permanently disrupted and power has passed to the hands of the modern day shopper.  Today’s Retailers need to deliver exceptional customer experience (CX) to win in the battle of market share and brand loyalty.
Despite the rise of online and mobile searches, customers are still flocking to the store for the final stages of their buying journey.  According to Forrester Research, 82% of purchase decisions are still made in-aisle.  Therefore it is more important than ever to grab customer attention and drive engagement at the shelf edge.
We’ve pulled together a 10 point action plan of how to connect with customers in retail.

Connecting with customers in retail – 10 tips

1. Dynamic pricing – Customers demand price transparency and consistency across mobile, digital and physical channels. Update your pricing at the touch of a button with Electronic Shelf Labels & ensure consistent, compliant paper shelf edge labels.  With price battles intensifying, dynamic pricing enables greater agility and gives reassurance to shoppers that they are not being mislead by confusing offers.
2. Personalisation – Beacons can connect directly with your customers via their Smartphones enabling targeted promotions and a personalised customer experience to inspire loyalty.
3. The Internet of Things (IoT) – Modern day customers have driven disruption in the retail market with the use of technology. Embrace in-store innovations and bring technology in-store, such as shelf replenishment, augmented reality and shopping apps to drive loyalty and encourage the customer to connect with you.  Don’t be afraid to be a pioneer and disrupt the market for yourself.
4. Big data – turn insights into real time execution to maximise ROI & capture all selling opportunities. Use experts to interpret the data and unite channels for the big picture.
5. Value added services – Convenience is king to the modern day shopper. Exploit click and collect & ship to store opportunities to bring customers to you.
6. Digitalise the store – Enable access to product reviews and social media to support the customer buying journey.
7. Bring the cloud in-store – Wi Fi and cloud-based applications will meet the needs of the modern shopper and will encourage them to make repeat visits.
8. Empower staff – For omnichannel to succeed shop staff need to be technology-enabled and well informed in order to meet the demands and expectations of shoppers.
9. Improve operational efficiency – adapt business processes to accelerate the sales process and improve the customer experience providing a seamless experience across all channels.
10. Revolutionise your retail space – clear signage, great product range, fast payments and expert customer service will all help to win that crucial market share.

These steps will get your customers spending more in-store whilst encouraging them to make repeat visits in the future.
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Read also: Why customers leave?