Four ways to innovate your customers' shopping experience

Now, more than ever before, retail brands need to become more customer-centric and analytically driven using customer data. Here are a few tips on how to do just that:

1. Provide relevant offers

   A 2014 Infosys survey reported that 78% of consumers said they'd be more likely to purchase from a retailer again if they provided offers targeted to their interests, wants or needs; and in a 2012 Accenture study, 64% of respondents said it is more important that companies provide relevant offers, as opposed to 36% who said companies should stop tracking their online activity.

   So for the past few years already consumers have warmed to the fact that customer data insights are actually more of a positive thing for them in the long run!

   There are a lot of ways for you to use your customer data to provide relevant offers; you can send targeted newsletters based on categories that customers choose themselves on sign up, or create deals that centre on most popular products (based on views or sales or both). You can also use your social channels such as tracking Pinterest pins to identify trending products! You can even run fun competitions that require customers to create wishlists or share their favourite products so that you can, in future, target these products to them.

2. Use your digital channels to test interest

   Customers typically search online before buying a product in-store so retailers can use their digital channels as well as technology to test the interest in new products. Some retailers are even merging online and in-store shopping experiences by using interactive touch screens in fitting rooms or integrating with social media channels like Instagram for images and reviews of particular products that they like on a large screen.

   New technologies like sensors and Wi-Fi signals can enable a retailer to track who comes into their stores, which parts of the store they visit, for how long, and other customer behaviours, giving retailers excellent customer data with which to enhance their customers experiences.

   Exclusive Books used their Digital.co.za/project/exclusives-stickers/ Stickers campaign to drive customer data; their campaign provided extensive insight on what products were popular as well as a way to directly target products to the customers that wanted them. This campaign was so successful it won a Silver pixel at The Bookmarks Awards.

3. Try new technologies to engage with customers

   New technologies like iBeacons, kiosks, and sensors in-store are create additional opportunities for retailers to engage with customers. Augmented reality allows for interactive fitting rooms, enabling customers to "try on" clothing items without ever having to change their clothes. Self-service devices or in-store apps could mean that customers can have items sent directly to fitting rooms and pay for them in seconds.

   It's all about creating a unique customer experience in-store and on your online store - wherever customers interact with your brand they must feel like they not only walk away with quality purchases but with a lasting experience they'd happily recreate again and again.

4. Drive targeted, real-time marketing

   Consumers are able to make real-time decisions even on higher price items using their mobile phones and the internet, so retailers need to work in real-time to quickly convince potential buyers. Using customer data to drive targeted real-time marketing, tailored and localised offers to consumers will increase your chances of a positive purchase. Applications that use geo-location can provide the perfect instance for real-time marketing by sending targeted offers at the point of sale in-store.

If you're a retailer and looking for new and innovative ways to impress your customers and increase sales, then contact Digital.co.za/ Realm Digital so we can help you stand out from the rest.