DIGITAL SIGNAGE HELPS OMNICHANNEL TO SHINE

08 Aug DIGITAL SIGNAGE HELPS OMNICHANNEL TO SHINE

Mark my words, in a few years’ time the ‘omnichannel’ buzzword will roll off the tongue in the same way that ‘tablet’, ‘microblogging’ and ‘impressions’ do today.  Omnichannel is really the next evolution of what we summarise as retail shopping – over time we’ve progressed from the in-store retail experience, to e-commerce (ebay, online shopping), through to disconnected multichannel shopping and now fully integrated, seemless experience across multiple devises and touchpoints.

So, what does omnichannel mean and how does it affect you? Notwithstanding the fact that there is currently much debate about how to spell omnichannel or omni-channel, the following definition can help describe this recent phenomenon:

‘ a multichannel approach to sales that seeks to provide the customer with a seamless shopping experience whether the customer is shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, by telephone or in a bricks and mortar store.’

What this implies is that complimentary technologies synchronise to provide a data-driven, real-time, personalised promotion and branding strategy unique to every customer.

How does Omnichannel differ from Multichannel?

What differentiates the omnichannel customer experience from the multichannel customer experience is that there is true integration between channels on the back end. With a store implementing an omnichannel approach, for example, the salesperson in-store is able to immediately reference the customer’s previous purchases and preferences just as easily as the customer service representative at a call centre or the customer service webchat representative can.

Similarly, the customer can use a desktop computer to check inventory by store on the company’s website, purchase the item later on with a smartphone or tablet and pick up the product at the customer’s chosen location

How does an Omnichannel Retail Experience Work?

Nowadays, customers tend to be looking for information in the physical store and at the same time they are getting additional information from their mobile devices about offers and possibly better prices. Using indoor digital signage technologies your favourite shopping centre, or store, will combine the power of the digital signage and retail analytics to:-

1. Collect customer data in real time;
2. Combine this information with other data available from other sources;
3. Analyse the data and generate business intelligence on customer behaviour;
4. Optimise selling strategies;
5. Provide tailored marketing activities unique to the customer

The power of this technology is immense. For retailers this offers a huge boost to retail potential and with the dynamic content of the digital advertising signage reflecting customer behaviour, these tools will develop so that a customer model is generated. Retailers will know who the customers are, what they buy, how often and what content they engage with.

What else is in Store?

As amazing as this all sounds, there’s more!

Imagine taking digital signage screens and combining it with advanced analytics and a software toolkit. The digital signage can then be beacon-enabled with advanced Wifi and video analytics functionalities, as well as integrated with social media, mobile apps and website analytics. The solution offers a fully connected experience for personalised dynamic content.

With the combination of Wifi analytics, video analytics and beacons, retail will be able to organically provide relevant products and services to customers based on demographics – for example, a pink swatch watch to a young girl or a mariner’s watch to a middle aged man. Read more about facial recognition here.

A retailers dream? You bet!  This integrated marketing approach is a win, win – the customer gets a personalised customer journey that will dramatically enhance the shopping experience and the retailer maximises sales and ROI.

A Boosted Store Experience

Digital signage is playing a key role in transforming retail environments and enabling an omnichannel experience that benefits both retailers and customers. This extends the usefulness of in-store digital advertising and when coupled with retail analytics, is highly beneficial as it:-

1. Allows for fully integrated marketing;
2. Unifies the online and offline ways that people engage with brands;
3. Personalises customer journeys;
4. Builds loyalty through engaging and interactive retail experiences;
5. Provides real-time data and customer insights.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you build an omnichannel experience that boosts ROI and customer experience. Call Tim Webb on + 61 8 9274 5151 or email: tim@yapdigital.com.au.