The retail experience needs to appeal to consumers across channels. Digitally, social media is one of the best advertising tools retailers can use for engaging with their customer base, especially younger consumers who have more spending power.
Yet in-store experience is just as important as a showroom for customers to try out and interact with products. As young consumers become more tech-savvy, retailers such as ASOS, IKEA and Argos have invested in AR and VR, but retailers need to ensure they are not innovating for innovation’s sake. Retailers should use social media to keep themselves relevant. Athleisure retailer Sweaty Betty has invested in the customer experience with in-store exercise and yoga classes.
The benefit of shopping in-store is being able to take products away straight away, but online stores are seen as offering a better customer experience so an omnichannel experience should be uniform and consistent. https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/09/back-to-uni-retail-industry-inclusion-university-students/
CEO
Martin is the CEO of Retail247. Involved in many large scale and customer focused projects Martin brings a real world thinking, pragmatic approach to innovation and strategy.