Some shoppers continue to prefer self-service while others want store associate assistance and engagement. This includes equipping associates with innovative technology to answer questions and enable a faster check-out experience. Across the retail environment including online, mobile and in the store, technology solutions are helping retailers enable and improve every aspect of the shopper's experience. Some key facts from the stud include:
Boosting Sales with Technology-Equipped Store Associates
"¢ Eighty percent of retail associates agreed that improving in-store communication between staff and managers would have a significant positive effect on shopper satisfaction.
"¢ Forty-five percent of shoppers would buy at least 50 percent more merchandise from retailers that provided better customer service.
"¢ Almost six in 10 shoppers (58 percent) have a better shopping experience when store associates use handheld mobile computers to provide pricing and product availability information. More than 65 percent of store associates agreed that they could better serve customers with these technologies.
"¢ Retailers can recover 68 percent of out-of-stock (OOS) incidents if they are prepared to offer shoppers the option to order the items before leaving the store and shipping the items to their homes.
"¢ Sixty-one percent of store associates offered purchase and ship options beyond traditional in-store purchases. Approximately 35 percent of store associates were able to offer online or mobile ordering with in-store pick up for OOS items and 30 percent could ship OOS items bought in-store to shoppers' homes.
"¢ Mobile point of sale (MPOS) solutions enhanced the experience of 48 percent of shoppers while 52 percent of retail associates recognized the positive effect of mobile checkouts.
The Mobile Shopping Experience
"¢ Fifty-four percent of all store associates still report that shoppers are better connected to product information than they are, but retailers are closing the gap as this figure dropped 5 percent from last year.
"¢ Sixty percent of surveyed retail associates recognize the positive effect of mobile loyalty account access on the shopper experience.
"¢ More than eight in 10 (81 percent) Gen Y shoppers and nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of Gen X shoppers used their personal mobile device for shopping-related activities.
"¢ Forty-five percent of shoppers reported using their mobile device for mobile coupons, representing a 7 percent increase from last year. But, 43 percent of shoppers reported dissatisfaction with the availability of mobile coupons.
"¢ Less than one-third (29 percent) of shoppers reported finding information faster on their smartphones than asking a store associate for help.
Eduardo Conrado, senior vice president of marketing and IT at Motorola Solutions, said: "Retailers have better equipped their stores and associates with technology in a meaningful way during the last six years resulting in a better shopping experience and a significant leap in in-store shopper satisfaction. By enabling more associates with technology and offering self-service shopping options, retailers are not only increasing sales but also driving greater customer satisfaction."
