Tech Guest Viewpoint: Physical Security Elevates Customer Experience
By Steve Sell, Director of Marketing, Retail, Tyco Integrated Security
The shift towards an omnichannel retail environment is no longer a theory; it’s a reality that customers are expecting higher levels of customer experience and savvy retailers are responding to as fast as they can. As the lines between brick-and-mortar, online and mobile shopping continue to blur, retailers must deliver an exceptional customer experience across all channels.
Top retailers are already implementing new strategies, including integrating security solutions like RFID technology into store operations, to meet evolving demands for seamless, multichannel customer experiences. By providing almost 100% inventory accuracy and the ability to pinpoint the location of merchandise, RFID can enable retailers to most efficiently leverage their inventory pool across all channels and enhance customer engagement.
Here are a few key ways that new security technology will play a vital role in driving omnichannel strategies and success:
• Connect to the point of purchase with dynamic fixtures: When store fixtures are attached to digital touchscreens they can display related marketing information for instant one-to-one shopper support. The display updates in real-time to showcase the specific product information and personalizes the customer’s experience in the store.
• Connect with the shopping experience with smart fitting rooms: Fitting rooms can be equipped with in-room digital displays which read the RFID-tagged merchandise customers bring into the space. The system can now act as a virtual personal shopper and offer suggestions on accessories and other items based on the customer’s previous search and purchase history. The digital display captures all customer engagement data for in-depth analysis, providing the retailer with an added layer of intelligence.
• Connect with better service through connected associates: With customers connected to information in real-time, having store associates connected via tablets to help guide the shopping experience can make a significant impact on the customer experience. When associates have mobile access to real-time inventory data, there is no longer the need to say “please wait while I check in the backroom.” Instead, associates are empowered like never before to effectively answer customers’ item-level inventory questions. Additionally, tablets can help the business organize and manage all in-store customer and product requests, capturing associate-level interaction data for use in performance analysis.
Security and retail technology leaders have an opportunity to innovate and think beyond the traditional return-on-investment from physical security and loss prevention solutions using these new technologies. The increased value of an integrated security solution in an omnichannel retail environment is the data and insight it provides across all levels of the business to strengthen operations and retail performance, improve profitability and personalize the customer experience.
Retailers that stop to explore these new realities and leverage emerging data to draw business-driving insights and deliver a positive customer experience across channels will be better positioned for success in this “here now, experience now, buy now” omnichannel environment.