How Retailers Can Connect Personal Mobile to In-Store Digital Experiences

With 80% of shoppers using their mobile devices in stores, it might be tempting to assume that stores have cracked the omnichannel experience.

In fact, the opposite is true. Shoppers are using their personal mobile devices in-store because they want on-demand access to product and inventory information and suggestions on similar or complementary items. They’re looking for richer item info and a deeper brand interaction. They want more from their physical shopping experience, but the majority of retailers haven’t delivered it.

Retailers need to connect the personal mobile experience shoppers are having in your store with the digital in-store experience they wish they could have. In fitting rooms, at greeting points and across the sales floor, iPad-based kiosks (like the Interactive Kiosk) are hubs for delivering the type of information customers are seeking on their phones. If they’re stuck in a fitting room, the touch of a screen gives them additional sizing and color options. These are vital pieces of information considering  84% of shoppers have trouble getting help in the fitting room.

On the sales floor, a quick scan of an item tells customers whether their size is available in-store or at another location; and interactive software helps them search inventory based on the item type, size and color, so they can quickly find what they want and view similar items as well without having to use their personal mobile devices.

 Shoppers who have already started placing items in an online cart can access that cart, coupons and loyalty programs at greeting kiosks and then use the kiosk to find the item locations throughout the store.

All this is done on a large, bright and attractive screen – infinitely preferable to the small screen of a personal mobile device like a smart phone. Plus, by equipping kiosks with store-specific user software, retailers can control the quality of the experience and keep the customer engaging with the brand’s preferred shopping channels rather than shoppers turning to third party apps..

The in-store digital environment retailers can create with an iPad-based kiosk system is more convenient for the customer, and better for the brand, as shoppers are increasingly immersed in the current shopping experience. Tablet kiosks complete the cycle of omnichannel shopping, drawing customers into a physical experience that fulfills their need for rich digital content while satisfying their preference to touch and feel items before they buy them.