In-store App Experiences Recommended to Keep Customers Engaged without Any Caveats

Deciding to introduce something new to the in-store experience? Ask yourself the reason first. In-store experiences are doorsteps for more sales, more revenue, and more visitors who are finally converted into customers. The retail industry has been experiencing fierce competition than ever. While consumers have plenty of options as to where they should spend their money in retail outlets, in wholesale stores, lavish shopping malls, big showrooms, online e-commerce sites or subscription services etc. You must give them compelling reasons to look at you, stop and shop.

• Every customer service associate/representative must go from being just a salesperson to being a consultant, expert or even a friend.
  • Allow customers to have some fun – Allow them to experience the products. Kids can play while the moms can make their purchases. Toys are great fun, but most of them can be horribly expensive. What if you get the toys on rent, make your kids play and then return them. What if your kids are allowed to play with toys in the mall and you can peacefully get your purchases done? What can be better than this? There are special areas in stores with tables and chairs where kids can play. Others have large paper cardboards, colors, and pencils where kids can make drawings. This helps children stay occupied while their parent’s shop.
  • Stores like Amazon, Max, and Shoppers Stop have introduced click and collect and they ensure that their physical and digital stores work in close synchronization. Modern consumers make use of multiple channels to make their purchases. Besides purchases at physical stores, they also use their mobile phones to research and study about the products before making a purchase. Giving them the best in-house experience so that they can come and stay with your mode of promotion plays a significant role.
  • Bring your website in-store. Make your customers browse your website, scroll through the products within various categories, within the store. Let them try, touch, and see for themselves and ascertain before making a purchase.
  • It becomes important to redefine the checkout experience as most of the customers walk away without making a purchase if the payment line is too long. Introducing various modes of payment, especially in the peak sale season, introducing a new till system, ipads as your POS that work just in the same way as traditional till system goes a long way in handling customers and treating each one of them in the same way. Customers always look a way out to overcome long checkout line. A mechanism to scan and go, in-app checkouts are increasingly proving to be an innovative and tech-forward way to make a purchase.
  • Providing some retailtainment will not only attract lots of foot traffic, but it can also help in gathering some attention by the press in real time. Big retail chains like Walmart and Starbucks invite celebrities to perform within, sign autographs, make people play contests and give away goodies in real-time. More attractions like real life “mannequins” that people don’t get to see usually, make people step into the store, check out various clothes and finally make a purchase.
  • Promoting a sense of belongingness and community like holding sewing classes, art and craft classes, workshops and camps for children in a crafts store can promote the brand and make shoppers keep coming for more. It is the in-store experience that counts and have a long-lasting impact than the product itself.
  • Creating immersive experiences – People like to come to a place where they can meet other people and be surrounded by the stuff that inspires them. Some stores like shoe retailers make use of virtual reality headsets to bring out the brand in a unique way.

Jumpin’ Over

Parents with small kids are hesitant in heading towards retail outlets frequently. What occupies their mind is to how their kids will be managed while they shop. This even enables them to make decisions in jittery. Most retail outlets have started promoting activities that keep the little ones busy while their parent’s shop. This has now become one of the ways to provide an exclusive in-store experience, which is satisfying and gratifying at the same time.

Buying more toys for kids to amuse them does not reaffirm their happiness and neither we need so many ‘toys’ as we grow up. If the cost of living and income prevent us from purchasing toys and things for our children, then parents get drifted towards imagining things, being more creative with rough stuff and make them believe that they are just as rich as the toy-laden.

In-store and offline in-store purchases have to be easy and convenient for shoppers. While this solution might not look right for every retailer in case the users don’t have the mobile app or the store does not have an active user base, but it’s worth keeping on your radar.

Top mobile app development companies have to figure out what suits them best and how they can create magic via apps and enhance in-store experience to the next level – It is important to know what customers need, their purchase behaviors, what attracts them, what can increase foot traffic and finally what can convey your delight across!