Recently, the retail headlines reminiscent of: full of empty storefronts and abandoned shopping center doomsday scenarios. But then apply the Mark Twain, reports of the demise of the relevant retail trade was greatly exaggerated. Not a disaster taking place, but by the technology and more efficient business model driven transformation. E-commerce and in-store sales and interaction for consumers to become more seamless and convenient.
Really happened in the store is to promote a new series of purchases: Buy Online, select stores; online booking, store delivery; online purchase, return to the store. All these types of workflows require a store, people can try a physical place or buy products.
Science and technology, especially as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) predictive analysis, and other intelligent mobile technology, is symbolically dismantle the wall of the store. With the technology infrastructure becomes more powerful, agile operations and the ability to create compelling retail store experience (each experience have been enhanced through technology) can overcome the wave of store closings.
How emerging technologies will impact in-store retail and e-commerce? The following are five smart technology can help achieve the reconstruction of the retail chain:
First, the artificial intelligence AI just the right advice
Customers preferences and patterns. When AI trained to understand the data and make a good prediction, retailers can achieve a new level of service.
Suppose you are a clothing retailer. Based on an application of artificial intelligence (AI) can display customer-specific lifestyle or professional needs, and these data combined with information on customer preferences or buying behavior. So, when a customer came in, you know she is a avid hiker in office work, you can put forward different proposals to her, these recommendations both for her personal life, but also for her professional life. Plus she signs data, the recommendations will become more accurate.
In department stores, this technology can be pre-filtered broad array of choices - such as when to buy sofas online, just slide to the right, you can record your preferences, pop satisfy your taste to match the style, color and size recommended. AI algorithm remembers each customer's preferences, in order to better adapt their style in the future.
In addition, the following use cases:
• Provide a map indicating the location and products for customers to navigate, to help find the goods they need, and to share expertise customers;
• scan the customer's face or body, to provide personalized recommendations cosmetics, clothing and so on;
• AI can achieve complete self-checkout customers to go and choose the right product, in the process, the entire store of sensors and cameras will track customers and their purchases of goods, then automatically charged when leaving the store through the accounts, it helps to create quick and seamless shopping experience, so that customers do not need to wait in line.
• AI machine chat to help customers get an indication of a particular commodity or check whether there is inventory. The robot can even detect the customer's mood and remind mall staff to assist customers;
• AI Robot helps you missing goods on the shelves of large retailers scanned, the need for replenishment, and the need to replace the price tags and so on;
• allow customers to order food directly by AI, send text messages or voice customers can order directly;
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Second, the Internet of Things IoT stimulate the right type of participation
Most of us welcome when entering the retail store, but when we need to staff the service, she was gone. Things sensor combined with a digital device capable of "birth" real opportunities for interaction between staff and retail customers. Things drive system will monitor the customer's location in the store, remind the clerk when customers seem to need help. These systems can also track traffic patterns, which may contribute to the improvement of product classification and layout, and helps prevent customer churn. Sensing and alarm networking technology finally eliminates the blind spot in the shopping process, and retailers to know when and how to better attract customers.
Can be seen in the near future, store owners and managers will be able to get all feeds all the data elements of their own, with AI Artificial Intelligence Platform can filter all the data, and then help them understand where they should focus on, and transformational change in the conduct of their business.
In addition, through an appropriate platform of things, retailers can obtain other retail brands do not have the advantages:
• mobile shopping APP, to facilitate customers to buy a single point, delivery;
• Mobile payment solutions, combined with a variety of payment methods including payment of treasure, micro-channel payment, UnionPay payment;
• optimize inventory management, future warehouse will be open, warehouses can supply specific needs;
• tailored digital marketing, each and every customer to the store, the system will develop its own service record.
• You can think of the traffic line of action in the shop, and each time stay in front of the shelf, every interaction with the goods, all with digitally recorded and real-time monitoring of sales opportunities and track store sales miss, thus improving sales conversion rate;
• Customer preference analysis, retail customers can be learned through APP level of consumption, shopping preferences, customer location, and make the best products recommended to clients;
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Third, the block chain will change the competition rules
Although its function is also exploring application is still being tested, but the block chain technology for all aspects of the supply chain from procurement, inventory control, etc. have to pay for prospects. This distributed books allow companies to monitor their products at each step of the supply chain, ensuring higher authenticity, ethical sourcing (an enterprise committed to ensuring that legitimate sources of procurement of goods and raw materials) and product safety. When lowering inventory levels, the technology can trigger re-ordered to help retailers make sure they never lose sales because the product is out of stock.
• Consumers can always grasp the product in which part of the process more clear;
• Customers can check the block chain of support information for all product traceability, verify that the true and reliable products, effectively solve the problem of trust
• to ensure the transparency of the transaction and can not be altered, reducing the possibility of human fraud;
• an effective solution to the problem of privacy of individual consumers, so that consumers can enjoy more peace of mind services;
• Based on information open environment to create a chain of blocks, each service provider can reduce the alert, increasing the possibility of cooperation with each other,
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Fourth, the move is the best facilitator
With 5G is introducing, for the connection provides new and enhanced features, other technologies such as artificial intelligence AI and mobile devices will become more powerful. Customers are already using their devices to query the price, collect information and shopping. You can send promotional offers based on location, etc. directly to the device, to guide customers into the store.
Retailers can further leverage these new paradigms. For example, they can develop chat robot, digitally provide information and answer questions, and encourage in-store purchase. If the product is out of stock, inventory control and automatic ordering can accurately tell customers: when their goods arrive in-store or sent to their home. Equipment shops and e-commerce transactions will become the merger portal, rather than as an opponent present.
• by mobilizing the internal affairs process, so enterprises to maintain effective and efficient internal interconnection state, in order to achieve cost control and efficiency improvement, retail management requiring fast response;
• use the Internet to deliver real-time, retail business suppliers, businesses to provide online services to create efficient and convenient partnership;
• The electronic means of payment and mobility, making people's consumption has become more convenient and invisible;
• In the future, consumers buy goods through any mobile retail platform, and through the recent distribution outlets, will be able to receive the goods in a very short period of time;
• communicate with each other online and offline, also achieved socialize;
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Five, CRM systems provide deeper insights
Retailers can take advantage of the cloud platform CRM systems to help them get business growth. Whether the final delivery at the store or by mail parcel delivery, now, most of the online shopping experience are often the beginning. That's why retailers use reason across all channels to create a personalized customer experience where Yihai software cloud CRM solutions such as retail. CRM system is suitable for retail help retailers will give top priority to customer needs, listening to customer needs and respond immediately. CRM sales staff, partners and employees can easily access critical information needed in order to provide the right type of products and services, help build customer loyalty. For example, after using the software retail Yihai cloud CRM solutions can be realized:
• through the network, social networking, and mobile phone stores to create a seamless shopping experience. Achieve comprehensive order management functionality, customers can buy goods at any time, while allowing retailers to sell goods at any time and order fulfillment;
• raise awareness through intelligent positioning and promote customer purchases: the use of a single integrated platform for all display, search and social advertising.
• in a more intelligent way to carry out marketing: by e-mail, mobile, social, networking, scalability to create personalized journey;
• transformation of digital commerce and reinvent the store: create a seamless shopping experience through the network, social networking, and mobile phone stores.
• save money, promote real-time conversation. Promote genuine dialogue with customers through preferred channels.
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Overall, these technologies will provide data, insights and interaction to change the retail store and help deliver compelling customer experience. By better proposals and to truly understand the customer's needs. Retailers can win customer loyalty and develop new cross-platform way to help their business grow.
In order to take full advantage of the power of these advanced technologies, retailers will need a safe collection, sorting and integration of large amounts of data cloud platform. Yihai software such as intelligent CRM solutions for the retail industry, combined with CRM systems and mobile social networking, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and physical networking (IoT) and other technology, all aspects of its business intelligence platform into a single. So that every customer can obtain exclusive custom service experience, allowing retailers to customers anywhere, anytime effectiveness, improve the overall consumer experience, improve customer loyalty, boost corporate earnings growth.
(This article is part of the consolidation from boutique retail consulting firm Clientricity, LLC founder and CEO Bryan Amaral's Record of interview)
To learn more, visit the official website Yihai softwarehttp://www.frensworkz.com/