Session Spotlight: Google and Store Transformation

Smart retailers are using technology and collaboration to make their stores match the needs of the modern customer. Spenser Paul, retail specialist for Google, reviewed how retail is changing and what retailers can do to keep pace in the SPECS session, “Transforming the Retail Store with Technology and Collaboration.”

Paul began the presentation by explaining how retail traditionally shifts every 25 years, going from the premodern era before World War II to the consolidation of the 1990s and 2000s.

“The latest shift is being driven by mass adoption of mobile technology,” said Paul. “Mobile is no longer a fad; it’s here to stay. And it’s transforming how you interact with every piece of work and how your customers interact with you.”

Paul said that customers armed with connected mobile devices do not come to the store with the same goals as customers of yore.

“Customers want a frictionless experience and purposeful personalization,” said Paul. “Nobody goes to the store anymore saying, ‘I don’t know what I’m looking for.’ And the store experience must reflect that.”

Thus, Paul advised retailers to create immersive physical spaces that break the divide between the digital/online world and the physical one, such as providing store associates with mobile devices.

“Sixty percent of shoppers believe they know more than associates,” stated Paul. “Associates need to function differently in the digital era and create a sense of community in the store.”

To that end, apparel retailer All Saints is simplifying the distribution of corporate information by giving store associates tablets that allow them to be electronically trained at scale, rather than requiring managers to visit stores. In addition, its vendors connect to headquarters using Nexus tablets with their own Gmail accounts.

Retailers can also use digital signage to cost-effectively and dynamically deliver content to customers, replacing printed paper signs.

“Retailers can easily deploy a message across all stores instantly,” explained Paul. He cited Chico’s as a retailer using digital signage exactly for this purpose.

Paul added that retailers can also use self-service kiosks, such as the centrally located Google Chrome kiosks used by Sears Hometown and Outlet stores, to provide customers with access to product data.

The speaker also explained how retailers can use digital connectivity to improve back-end interaction. Leveraging a centralized digital document-sharing tool like Google Drive, retailers can eliminate confusion that arises when different partners in a project email different versions of a document back and forth.

“Online structure makes sharing a lot easier,” explained Paul. Fast-growing Tory Burch, which is experiencing 100% year-over-year growth, uses Google Drive to help maintain control of its rapid growth.

“How do you keep pace with opening three stores a week when 200 individuals have a say in each project?” asked Paul. “Tory Burch got every person the same version and instance of Google Drive and went to one place and organized projects by specific folders.”

As a result, companies like Tory Burch can make sure all internal, as well as external, stakeholders are accurately communicating in real time.

“Whether you’re building or remodeling, you need to coordinate with numerous outside vendors who have different needs,” Paul said