Last year, Snipp published a guide to Shopper Marketing Tech Game Changers. We saw more brands embracing omni-channel technology, personalized showrooming in-store and location-based tech, and relevant rewards and content awarded to consumers.
In 2017, technology has continued to evolve as the in-store experience remains a vital component for reaching consumers. Studies show that even amidst e-commerce
- 85% of retail sales are still taking place in-store.
- Mobile, of course, has a huge impact, with 82% of shoppers consulting their phones on products they are about to purchase in-store.
Innovation in technology is ever-changing and continuously creates more and more opportunity for brands to personalize experiences and engage their consumers.
IN-STORE CONNECTIONS
Despite the rise in e-commerce and mobile shopping, the large majority of consumers still prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar retailers. Location-based marketing and tracking technologies allow retailers to influence traffic throughout their stores – in turn providing offers or information to consumers that will lead them to point of purchase. Whether it is connecting with the consumers roaming the aisles via their mobile device, or gathering data to increase personalization for future marketing, innovation in technology has undeniably enhanced in-store shopper connections.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
A growing number of retailers are now deploying a new tactic to help boost sales and give a uniquely exclusive experience – Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the context of retail, AI is a mobile and web-based intelligence platform that enables prospective shoppers to ask product/retailer questions and instantly get responses, and enables brands to collect useful information about their consumers.
RETAIL REALITY
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are right at the intersection of retail and technology. Applications using either technology stand to eliminate customer pain points, elevate customer service, and create a differentiated, personalized customer experience. The successful incorporation of VR and AR into retail models also has the potential to vastly change the way retailers are thinking about stores of the future.
CASHLESS PAYMENT TECHNOLOGIES
In today’s fast and busy world, time management is more important than anything else. Retailers are looking to introduce innovative systems to create better in-store shopping experiences for consumers at the point of purchase. For retailers and brands looking to create engaging promotions in a cashless world, mobile innovations, like digital rebates, have created ways for consumers to continue engaging with a brand post-purchase.
Example: Snipp RebateCenter – Rebate promotions have formerly been associated with a cumbersome mail-in process, both time-consuming and inconvenient for consumers and businesses alike. With Snipp technology, businesses can manage multiple rebates across brands within the RebateCenter, and consumers can upload their receipt digitally, check the status of their rebate online, and choose the cashless payment method for redemption.
SMART LIFESTYLE TECHNOLOGY
As shopper technology evolves and becomes increasingly integrated into every day life, brands are embracing wearable technology in their marketing. A well-established tactic that builds brand affinity through its motivation and encouragement of healthy lifestyles, these technologies also have the potential to bring consumers into stores by sending targeted product ads based on lifestyle choices through the accompanying mobile apps. The technology goes far beyond the wrist-based wearables that first come to mind; companies like Samsung have begun thinking about ways to make the clothes on your back as smart as the phone in your pocket.
Snipp Interactive