Customers should be offered a unique shopping experience.
The new shopping experience – self shopping in retail
The competitive pressure and competition, especially in the retail sector, is constantly increasing these days, as customers have a variety of shopping options like never before. Thanks to the online shopping option, the end consumer can quickly and easily find the cheapest price for the item they are looking for and can shop at any time of the day or night. In addition, the real business world has developed a variety of ways to offer customers a shopping option that suits them - from shopping centers with one-stop shopping to large, reputable retail chains to department stores, every type of store is available. The downside to multiple shopping options is that customer loyalty can decrease, as evidenced by many loyalty cards in wallets. As a result, the individual company's sales are reduced. For retailers today, it is no longer just important to compete on price; in order to be able to survive in the intensely competitive market over the long term, stores must differentiate themselves from others and expand customer loyalty.
Increase customer loyalty through innovative mobile solutions for retail
Retail has been having increasing problems with competing online trade for years. Nowadays, customers can shop online from anywhere, at any time of the day or night, and at the best conditions by comparing prices online in advance and ordering their desired product from the online shop of their choice. The selection in online retail is becoming increasingly larger. Online payment systems as well as simple and convenient home delivery have become extremely attractive for customers. But retail also offers a wide range of products, which is extremely attractive for customers. In order for retail to continue to retain customers in the long term, retail is no longer defined solely by the best price, but rather must create an attractive shopping experience and make this so advantageous for the customer in order to be able to compete with online trading companies. Increasing customer loyalty is a central goal of innovative mobile solutions in retail. It is primarily about individual offers for customers that stand out significantly from the services of other providers. There are also measures to optimize services to create a unique shopping experience that impresses customers. Mobile solutions help to implement these measures. Mobile devices can be used to offer customers advantageous self-shopping solutions that revolutionize and optimize the shopping experience.
In order to remain competitive, it is important that retailers consider the following criteria
Easy to use personal shopper
Mobile devices that are intended to optimize the shopping experience for consumers must be simple to use and easy to carry. The mobile devices are equipped with a few buttons so that both the younger and older generations can use these devices optimally. What the mobile devices have in common is that customers can scan items, view prices and subtotals, receive offers and personal recommendations, create gift lists and do much more while shopping.
The use of a mobile computer gives the customer a completely new shopping experience - example application
In this example of the self-shopping application, the customer first registers with his customer card at the information point in the reception area of the store and thus removes a device from the existing holder. If the customer has already created their shopping list online from home in advance, the shopping route will be displayed in an optimized manner. If the end consumer has not previously created a shopping list, he or she can also start shopping directly on site.
The customer scans each individual product himself before adding it to the shopping cart. He can access and read information about the price, additional information or special offers directly on the device. Thanks to the clear display, the customer keeps track of the purchased products with the corresponding prices for the duration of the purchase. The customer can also change or cancel the quantity as desired using a button function and update it with the shopping cart. If a question arises about a product, you can request a store employee using the call button.
The shopping cart can be viewed at any time during the purchase and can be adapted to your purchasing needs. Once the customer has finished shopping, the customer goes to the checkout with the device. The corresponding receipt with the purchased goods is automatically printed out and debited directly from the customer account. Another alternative to the payment process is to pay the receipt at a permanently installed self-service terminal.