Retailers in the 21st century have been the key carriers of elevating the standards of customer experience. In a marketplace that is flooded with a wave of infinite products, it’s the retailers who have to bring in customers with the attractive option of unique customer experiences.

The relationship between the customers and retailers has evolved with the dawn of digitization, and with it, comes higher expectations. The customers in today’s day and age are looking for a seamless connection of the digital and physical experience whenever they visit a retail store. Hence, it has become quite an uphanded task for the retailers to optimally utilize the various technologies present at their disposal in the world.

But, how much technology is too much? Which technologies garner the best results for offering irresistible customer experience? What to choose? These are the questions that the retailers are consumed by nowadays. But fret not, as we bring you the best and proven technologies retailers can utilize to their full potential for elevating their customer experience. Let’s explore.

Omni-Channel Retailing: Combining the physical and the digital experience of the customers is the perfect blend of customer servicing and engaging customer journeys. Omni-channel retailing has become a very popular trend amongst the retailers, especially in 2020, to bring down the human interactions in the establishments while still providing excellent services to the customers.

Customer experience software is one of the primary tools that help retail businesses in achieving the true potential of the omnichannel approach. A customer experience platform can help customers in availing services on the go in the establishment, while also providing feedback at the same time.

Cashier-Less Registers: One of the most impactful uses of technologies across multiple industries, including the retail segment, has been the use of cashier-less registers, or automated receptions. Customers can self-check-in and out, fill in their information in the customer experience management software employed at the reception, and also find ways to avail of many other services as they enter a retail store.

Kiosks: No automation in a retail establishment is possible without this technology. Kiosks are smartphone or tablet devices with one purpose – To help customers navigate around the establishment. Kiosks are employed at fixed locations in the retail shops or establishments with the customer experience survey software embedded in them to capture customer insights and feedback. These kiosks help the customers in availing targeted services at the place they’re present in, seamlessly.

Smart Shopping Carts: This is a very recent trend, but effective nonetheless. Smart shopping carts are general carts, with sensors that detect the items you’re putting in them. These sensors are equipped with visual computer algorithms to determine the exact products put in the cart, and it helps the shoppers in keeping a track of the amount of shopping they have done at any point of time in monetary terms.

Augmented Reality: Augmented Reality, or AR, has been a frontrunner technology that has been employed by businesses all across the globe for offering convenient and unique customer experiences. Through AR, customers can easily identify the type of products they want by putting it in any environment digitally, to see how they look. For example, a customer can check at a retail store through AR how a piece of furniture would look in their drawing-room. This technology has proven to be a key player for retail businesses and eCommerce businesses so that the customers don’t have any second thoughts before purchasing a product and can be completely satisfied with their experience.

Virtual Reality: Where there is AR, there is VR as well. Virtual Reality has also played a significant role in boosting the customer experience for retailers. Customers can just put on a VR headset, and explore through the retail stores. For example, a customer can stroll a clothing store virtually to see how a particular piece of clothing looks on a mannequin. There are many other applications of VR in retail, such as trial testing a product.

Innovative Delivery Systems: Retailers have evolved with the times, and direct home deliveries have become very popular nowadays. Especially in a time like this, contactless delivery options have shot up in demand, and their applications have proven to be worthy of being considered by retailers to incorporate in their operations. Drones, for instance, are the talk of the moment for contactless deliveries.

Robots: Robots play the role of the unknown players in the retail industry. They are generally utilized by the retailers in processes that are repetitive and can be handled by specifically designed algorithms. They are mainly used in the supply-chain management part of the process, where they improve the productivity in distribution.

Conclusion

The aforementioned technologies have proven to be the most effective for improving the customer experience for retailers. Smartly incorporating them into your operations can bring fruitful results for you too, and all you need is a customer experience software to ensure that it all works smoothly and efficiently.