Make Your Retail Customer Experience More Interactive

With each passing day, technological advancements have a new and deeper impact on our lives. No sphere of human existence has escaped technology’s pervasive impact – from how we eat, when we go to sleep, and even how we commute. The same goes for how we shop. With a prevalence of digital ‘storefronts’, consumers are just two taps away from searching for and purchasing their desired products. According to research by Statista, approximately 40 percent of all online sales in 2018 took place on mobile phones. In retail, it’s vital that businesses keep their customer experiences interactive so that customers keep coming back.

If you only deal with customers online and primarily operate as a remote business, it’s also essential to have a dedicated customer support team that will guide people as they visit your website and inquire about your products or services. This can be done with the help of tools such as 24 7 live chat support. Businesses need to ensure that all online customers are attended to, preferably while gaining enough information about them to offer personalized customer service.

Customer experience strategies must strike a balance between being technology-friendly and human-oriented – especially in the retail space.

#1. Virtual Galleries

An interesting concept, that is found practically everywhere, is the “virtual gallery”. Whether you are selling luxury cars or hand-painted silk scarves, website visitors can browse through the inventory and learn more about the individual products in real time. Once they are satisfied with the product, people are more likely to make a purchase decision.

#2. Surveys and Quizzes

Hosting a daily quiz or survey activity for visiting customers, whether at the physical outlet or while they are shopping online, can dramatically increase interaction levels. The lure of a gift voucher or a significant discount can be enough to transform a casual “window-shopper” into a repeat customer.

#3. Interactive Displays and Playstations

One way to keep your shoppers in the store for a much longer time is by making their lives easier. Take, for example, stores that offer complimentary playrooms for young children. Stuffed with balls and educational toys, the PlayStation keeps young children busy so their parents can get back to shopping. Similarly, some retail brands set up interactive displays that feature “choose-your-adventure” games, mannequins that mimic the passerby’s movements, or selfie-friendly decorative walls.

#4. Live Chat Solutions

Online retailers require a strong online presence to engage and retain customers. This includes a support team that can field questions and concerns from visitors- no matter the time or place. Live chat service offers an array of solutions that can boost engagement levels with your online visitors while offering round-the-clock customer service. Personalized website-based support solutions are known to enhance customer experiences and result in a higher visitor-to-lead conversion rate.

From social media-ready windows to tap-to-navigate in-store displays, traditional retailers are employing technology to attract new and old customers to the cash register. Once a customer is invested in a brand, say for the product quality or the good value-for-money aspect, they are more likely to spend again in the near future. If the same customer ends up in the online shop, after first encountering the brand off-line and in-person in a mall, the challenge for the retailer is now creating a sense of familiarity.  Through over-the-counter memberships, tablet-based signups, or capturing contact information through proactive greetings, retail brands can customize the website or app-based shopping experience for their customers. Whether a business primarily runs out of a brick-and-mortar outlet or operates online, delivering personalized services with a human touch is bound to result in lifelong customers.