By October 2012, smartphones had reached 50% of the U.S. market. According to an October 29, 2013, report by The Nielsen Company, the third quarter of 2013 closed with overall smartphone penetration of 64.7%. Smartphone reach was even broader among young adults with 79% of those aged 18 through 24 using smartphones. A majority of your customers are now armed with smartphones and those always-on, always-connected mobile devices are transforming their shopping habits.
This trend had already begun to shape the retail market before 2012. Indeed, a survey conducted in May of 2012 by Motorola Solutions revealed that, faced with the increasing influence of smartphones, 74% of retailers were convinced that “a more engaging in-store customer experience is going to be business critical.” 83% of retailers “recognized that shoppers can easily find a better deal elsewhere, making customer service as important as ever.” Even more telling, 61% of surveyed shoppers “felt that they were better connected to consumer information, including coupons, competitive pricing and product availability, than store associates.”
But there’s hope for retailers. 66% of shoppers reported making more purchases in stores with helpful associates and 67% noted having better in-store shopping experiences when sales teams were equipped with “the latest mobile technologies.”
Okay, the numbers are decisively convincing. Shoppers are better informed than ever before – especially within the all-important 18-to-24 age group – and they want to be engaged by sales associates and managers who are as well, if not better, informed. But, how do you get from here to there? The best route is a mobile solution that integrates quickly and affordably into your legacy infrastructure. Fortunately, L-Tron partner Zebra Technologies excels at producing just such affordable, easily integrated customer-engagement solutions.
Zebra Commerce delivers customer engagement through five key ingredients:
- Sales Assist: Facilitate customer access to detailed product descriptions, images and options with mobile devices.
- Mobile Checkout: Use mobile devices to scan product barcodes to confirm pricing and to account for promotions and customer loyalty cards, then complete the checkout process with the same device – from the location most convenient to the customer – eliminating the requirement that your customer queue in traditional fixed checkout stations.
- Item Locator: Use the same mobile devices to research inventory and locate the specific item desired by the customer from within floor displays, from the stock room, or even in other stores, all while maintaining face-to-face engagement with the customer.
- Item Search: Search item availability by style, size, color, or by any other critical criteria, wherever the desired item is located within your supply chain.
- Registry: Make wish-list registration a satisfyingly dynamic, on-the-spot process via the same mobile devices. Confirm creation of the registry item when the customer is most motivated – while he or she is shopping!
Bottom line: Your customers are armed with mobile devices. Shouldn’t your sales team be equipped as well?