Here’s Why Focussing On Customer Engagement In Retail Is Rewarding

Customer Engagement is what drives the retail industry largely and it is also a differentiator amongst modern marketing techniques

At a time when the retail world is surviving on technology a few retailers are wondering about how they can carve a niche in this highly competitive & humongous industry. Customer engagement facilitated by technology is the best thing to happen in the retail industry and it’s going to remain afloat through sustainable business model, that PinCarts curates for it’s retail associates.

PinCarts is a technology start-up that works closely with brand retailers to devise a business model that’s two way beneficial: for the consumers and for the retailers themselves. There could be multiple ways to engage with the customers, throughout their journey that begins at ‘finding’ and (perhaps) ends at ‘checkout’ (or perhaps never ends). Through this business model, retailers enjoy customer loyalty over a long period of time, in addition to: fruitful business conversions, enhanced footfall and business analytics — all of which is executed by PinCarts. Customer engagement has now become a keyword in the retail world, in the gaming, entertainment, service, hospitality — nearly all the ‘worlds’, where there is a direct customer interaction happening. B2C interactions are no longer limited to find-buy-sell-repeat cycle. The focus has lately shifted — positively — to seeking-and-providing (or selling) and ‘experience’ per se; it has also been observed that consumers are less hesitant now, than before, to actually ‘pay for’ and ‘opt-in’ for services that promise a user-optimized and relevant experience that moves beyond buy-sell.

About 60% of offline shoppers have engaged in a relevant beacon triggered marketing communication and about 30% of those have utilized it right away.

Customer Engagement Through App — Product & Store Discovery

Mobile inventory allows customers to find whatever shoppers are searching for at the right moment though PinCarts’ App

Because PinCarts realizes the significance of customer engagement in retail, we know that the very first step in a customer’s shopping journey is ‘finding’ and it begins (in more than 50% of the cases) from their mobile screens. Statistics have time and again reinstated that more and more shoppers consult their mobile phones and the associated digital channels to find, research and discover the product they wish to buy. Given this, it only makes a lot of sense, to develop competent mobile apps, that will give them the information they seek at the time they seek. In other words, this means, to create ‘relevance’. Leveraging our very first concept on this, called as ‘discovery and targeting platform’ — the mobile application of PinCarts will empower consumers in an effective way: it will give them access to the offline inventory, product descriptions and offers of nearby stores before they plan to visit. That way, shoppers can browse store inventories, find the exact location and distance of the store, call up and even book a cab — all on the App. Decision making for consumers thereby becomes simplified; in turn, retailers get meaningful insights about the in-app browsing activities, knowing what the customer is seeking. Retailers can also push customized marketing to the application user base at the right place and right time — thereby achieve potential business conversions. In future, retailers can also engage with app users, by giving recommendations, suggestions, offering customized deals and promoting brand loyalty or time-sensitive offers for this group of their customers. As it has been observed,

more than 30% of offline sales happens via recommendations.

You see the value of having an app here?

Related post: The Age of App-timizing The Consumer Experience

Customer Engagement Through App — In-store Shopping Assistance

Navigation inside the store, through the mobile app of PinCarts — provides customer convenience to find their way to the right product and also amongst shop-in-shop stores in malls.

To make sure that the customer is not ‘lost’ or ‘disoriented’ or ‘ignored’ once they enter the brick-and-mortar store, PinCarts’ Bluetooth beacons will connect with shoppers via their Bluetooth enabled smartphones and guide them through ‘indoor navigation’ feature of the App. This will enable ease of movement between aisles inside store, amongst the various sections. As the shoppers move about, with the application on, retailers can gain vital data about customer’s journey, capturing their interests and also push product descriptions on the app for a product/item they are currently interacting with. Shoppers can also have a quick comparison between products inside a store, the respective offers and thereby decide what to buy. If a consumer shows interest in a certain product- say an apparel — but abandons the idea to buy, the app can assist to complete the purchase by showing sizes, colours or variants available and even customize the offer for them. This not only converts a valuable business for the store, but also helps build trust amongst the buyers.

This is all possible thanks to the App.

Future Possibilities of Customer Engagement in Retail

The future of retail looks very promising in terms of customer engagement and consumer experience, with many possibilities already being explored or ideated on Omnichannel platforms. Yes, physical and digital go hand-in-hand to achieve the perfect consumer engagement that is sought by the millennials. It is motivating that the consumer is not only aware of the importance of being engaged, but is also willing to invest time, energy and money into it. So is true with the retailers. Taking cue from this, retail technology experts and technology inventors have come up with amazing ideas to keep the consumer engaged as long as they wish to — which also draws us toward the concept of Omnichannel marketing — means a 3600 approach to connect and engage with consumers of one’s brand.

Digital signboards displaying multimedia content relevant to a shopper’s purchase is also being explored in various stores, in several nations. This marks a positive futuristic approach to build stronger retailer-shopper relations in a sustainable manner.

Wikipedia defines customer engagement as

a business communication connection between an external stakeholder (consumer) and an organization (company or brand) through various channels of correspondence. This connection can be a reaction, interaction, effect or overall customer experience, which takes place online and offline.

It is undebatable that customer is the king and is true for the retail sector, since it thrives on brand loyalty, brand awareness and consumer-publicity — all of these are made possible only through your consumers. A loyal customer will convert more and more customers for your business — even though this may be an age old concept, it is true even today. For today’s tech-savvy and smart consumer, who is product-aware and brand-conscious, it is imperative to live up to their expectations when they visit your stores, to seek an incredible shopping experience. Also, surveys have repeatedly proved that offline shopping will always be in vogue and sought-after, and that lines have blurred between online discovery and offline purchasing.

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