The Power of Social In-Store
How social walls are improving the retail experience
“By synthesising your brand image and e-commerce together on a social platform, the influence on consumers purchasing those products can increase up to 102%”
Karen Budell, Platform Marketing at Google
With over 72% of the online population now actively using social media on a day to day basis and on average a new user every 15 seconds (Brandwatch), there is no denying social platforms are still on the increase. Retailers have started to find new ways of utilising this interaction to maximise sales and customer engagement, such as the use of social walls, an interface designed to bring a range of social platforms into one location.
But does the presence of online social content actually improve the in store experience? Join us as we identify 10 of the key benefits of introducing social walls to your physical environments.
1. Start the conversation
Social media allows users to voice their opinions on all sorts of content. By bringing the content to the store, customers will not only talk about your campaigns and updates, but help spread the word about your newest store feature. Since the wall will integrate multiple platforms at once, users also see content they might have originally missed, keeping everyone informed and aware of your product offerings, events and campaigns, helping incorporate your customers into your culture.
2. Engagement is key
In store experience is becoming more and more of a consumer demand, so implementing eye catching products and unique features will set you apart from your competition. Social walls are an effective way of showcasing dynamic, interesting and engaging content to add to the physical customer journey. This method can also influence your sales, as Platform Marketer, Karen Budell, from Google explains that by synthesising your brand image and e-commerce together on a social platform, the influence on consumers purchasing those products can increase up to 102% due to more customer engagement.
3. Involve the offline
With the majority of the population online and socialising, it can be easy to forget the market which prefers to stay off the grid. Having an online presence in store will ensure your content and campaigns aren’t being missed by any of your customers. Even those with an active social presence may not subscribe to all your channels, so by providing opportunities to explore content on multiple feeds you can spark the interest of your customers and gain some new followers.
4. Connect your customers
Social walls give your audience the opportunity to connect directly with like minded people, with options to show user created content and collaborate on showcasing your brand’s culture. If your audience sees their content displayed in your stores, the experience becomes more personalised, strengthening customer loyalty and retention.
5. Real time reactivity
Obsolescence is becoming more and more common in society, due to how fast we are progressing with advancements in technology. Therefore our desire for new information is speeding up, hence why it is so important to provide customers with content as quickly and easily accessible as possible. Stories and posts update almost instantaneously, so no waiting around to see the latest campaign or trending topic. Additionally, removing content is also done in real time, meaning moderation of what is posted on your walls can be controlled and censored when necessary.
6. Tailored to you
Creating a coherent display with your brand guidelines ensures your customer journey remains streamlined, with full control over the size and shape of your display, the design of the interface, animated effects and how users interact with the wall. Content can also be tailored with content specific to certain profiles or hashtags and the additional option of user created content, relating back to a more personalised shopping experience.
7. Location, location, location
With the ability to have multiple social walls in several locations, it is also possible to tailor your content on each device. Promoting a festival in store can remind customers to purchase some wellies, or a concert where they’ll need a new outfit. The hashtags you assign can reflect the events happening around your stores, meaning content displayed is more relevant and therefore more relatable to the customer, creating that personal touch and driving purchases.
8. Simplicity saves time
Organisation of your social walls promotes a simplistic approach with our cloud based MESH platform. Benefitting from centralised control will allow complete adaptability of all devices from one computer, meaning analysis and maintenance can be handled efficiently.
9. Sell through the social
More than half of UK and US shoppers are now converting previews into purchases through social media, due to the maturing trust in the platforms and showcasing the products in a more realistic way (Internet Retailing). Retailers are finding more ways to combine the interaction with social platforms and the opportunity to sell their product base as social commerce expands. One iota social walls enable users to interact with their favourite products from social media posts, leading them straight to the marketplace. Having the accessibility and simplicity of a new selling channel with a fast checkout increases your conversion.
10. Analyse your activity
With the rise in social media usage, businesses have turned their attentions to harnessing this customer data, through social media analytics. Analysis of your company profiles over various media channels allows you to fully understand your consumer market. In order to make this process even simpler, your business can implement social walls to receive all this information in one interface, allowing staff to understand favoured content, your most interactive stories and trending customer topics. Retrieving this data from multiple platforms quickly and effectively will mean less time flicking back and forth through tabs and more time discussing how the data will affect your business strategy.
If you’re interested in introducing social walls to your store experiences, or would like to discuss the benefits further, send us an email at info@itsoneiota.com or visit our website.
