The World where we breathe has immense opportunities for both the Sellers and the Consumers. Most likely in the near future for a consumer to be physically present will be a thing of past and Digitally everywhere will be new thing. The Rise and fall of Retail stores is a fascinating story to tell but what really is their future ? The possible 2020 future ? With the rise of e-commerce development, retailers have experienced downright the fall of consumer footsteps, which gives them an alarming call of what changes can be seen in the future for them to Survive.
Predicting of how digital world of today will influence the 4 walls of the retailers, we might see these changes forthcoming in 2020 for the Retailers.
Making Every Wall Interactive
The focus of course will be on changing the basic experience of the consumer. Every walk taken will tell a different story of the store. Interacting with things and making them personal will help to engage the consumer more. Touch screens will provide better information of the product rather than asking a sales assistant. No more hiding behind the changing rooms, things like the virtual wardrobe will not only help them see how they look but will suggest what suits them better. Product demo before buying will be useful thought for the consumer as well.
Omni channel Shopping
Its where your customer is. With smart phones getting more smarter consumers wants to shop from anywhere, be it movies or restaurants or their home in bed and for that retailers need to be there. For a retailer they think they might jeopardize their brick and mortar by allowing customers to shop from mobile or facebook or the internet but that actually enhances their experience. Being Omni-channel not only it will provide 24/7 services to the customer but they shall have their retail space as well. Simply waiting for the product to reach your door steps or hop into the store to collect themselves, makes consumer satisfaction to the fullest.
Tracking The Behavior
It’s hard to keep an eye on every customer who walks in but allowing technology to do that might make things more simpler. With technology enhancing smart phones will be used to track behavior of a customers, the number of customers entered, the number of walkbys turned into customers, how often or frequently customers visit or how long to they stay. This will help gather data of customers and generate a heat map of what people love to shop and what they really avoid.
Paying without the Wallets
Cash to credit/debit cards to via NFC (near field communication) payment method will be a major overhaul for the coming future. Safe and Immediate payment method will be a thing that every retailer will provide to its customer and make them cut down the long queues. By mobile applications development of their brands, payment methods will be more transparent. Digital wallets will make the services for retails more seamless. Just like using the finger prints for paying might be changed to simply raising the phone or waving a goodbye.
Technological Pillars
With inventions happening around every corner of the world, the future sees the less of hard work of finding and buying of things and more of sit where you are the get the product delivered. Technology will enhance the way retailers will survive, by providing better payment methods, customer satisfaction level at the fullest, bridging the gap between ecommerce and customer and drawing a map for them to understand the store and product in a much more efficient way. The retail stores will work more like the digital stores.
