Adopting a mobile approach to personalizing the retail experience can build a community of customers who are better informed, more engaged and – most importantly – more entertained.
When it comes to the current state of retail, a certain Bob Dylan song describes it best: The times, they are a-changin.
This is because customer expectations have evolved following the pandemic-induced shifts to digital-centric environments. Advances in the proliferation of e-commerce have incorporated new levels of personalization and convenience into the customer journey. Above all, your customers and prospects increasingly expect a seamless end-to-end shopping experience optimized for their device of choice: the smartphone.
In the last decade, we have witnessed the rise of smartphones from a luxury gadget to a social fixture. This rapid adoption has changed the way customers interact with brands. Be it social media channels, mobile commerce, the smartphone is a powerful tool that serves as a one-stop shop for digitally centric customers.
And the best part? The future is full of opportunities. The impact of smartphones on retail sales has only scratched the surface.
Starting with the staff
Delivering customized customer experiences is a staple in retail. And this mindset can also apply to the employee experience. Empowering sales reps with sales enablement tools that bring personalization to the learning and coaching process translates directly into more effective customer engagement.
With mobile technology, sales reps can take customized training courses—from anywhere, anytime—tailored to their unique learning needs. Those traditional retail training frameworks where reps are stuck in the back room watching how-to videos just aren’t effective. They are static and do not provide useful instructions.
By adopting sales enablement tools that are optimized for smartphone compatibility, retailers can create carousels of different training tips in the form of quick videos, short blocks of text and gamified quizzes that are accessible on any mobile device. The increased level of accessibility and personalization enables reps to take advantage of just-in-time microlearning, flexible learning paths and continuous everboarding to improve their performance.
Oh, and it’s even more fun!
Leveraging this targeted approach to employee empowerment creates a united front of skilled workers all working in concert. Like a well-oiled machine, they have access to timely and relevant information in real time from the palm of their hand. The end result is killer customer-facing sales teams in multiple store locations. Red tape is reduced and employees get the information they need, when they need it, on the device that works best for them.
Revitalizing products
Retail buyers have also become more tech-savvy. Smartphones allow retailers to transform physical showrooms into immersive and interactive digital experiences. Augmented reality (AR), for example, gives customers a 360-degree view of a particular product that can be customized to any style or color.
Want to see if a certain chair matches your dining table? easy. But what would the picture look like on your wall? Done. All on your mobile device, without ever stepping into a store. It relieves the stress of purchasing decisions and frankly makes shopping more enjoyable.
In addition to AR, virtual reality (VR) also aligns opportunities with digitally-centric sales environments. They can engage with products in real-life simulations that reflect personal experience. Given that everyone learns in different ways, providing prospects with the sights, sounds and actions of how a product works allows them to make smart purchasing decisions.
The future is now
Now more than ever, retailers have the ability to increase their customer engagement and deliver impactful experiences for retail customers. Sales associates are now the custodians of personalization, and customers can explore beyond the physical shelf.
Smartphones are becoming a basic tool for our interaction with the world around us. Taking a mobile approach to personalizing the sales experience can build a community of sales reps and customers who are better informed, more engaged, and—most importantly—more entertained.
