Scandit’s latest study concludes that technology will transform the experience of customers, employees and physical store operations over the next two years. The study indicates that 51% of retailers believe a physical store will be a hybrid online-offline model, while 64% consider differentiation from the competition as one of their biggest challenges. In this sense, 41% believe that technology is poised to improve customer experience, while 36% believe that the future of store operation technology lies in a combination of online and offline experiences.
The study also analyzes the potential challenges of implementing the technology in store operations. For 68%, integration with legacy systems is one of their biggest concerns, while the store associate experience is another hurdle (48.5%), and 45% have issues with older hardware.
“Store associates need fully functional and familiar technology that helps them to improve operations and provide a seamless customer experience. If retail leaders can effectively enhance the online in-store experience, they will be able to differentiate themselves from the rest and become more efficient and competitive,” said Samuel Muller, CEO and co-founder of Scandit.
Differentiation, relationship with customers and systems integration
Creating different experiences is one of the biggest challenges in this field. For this reason, half of those surveyed aim to develop or improve the personal connections needed to drive sales. On the other hand, 18% of those surveyed believe that the future of physical stores will be simply as an interactive hub, providing a brand experience to support online sales.
However, the data suggest that there are still some difficulties in making these meaningful connections. Employee training (39%) is one of their top five challenges, as it is clear that effective training results in highly engaged employees who are able to better serve customers, which is essential for 89% of retailers. .
On the other hand, having easy-to-integrate technology such as smart data capture applications on smart devices instead of expensive scanners allows employees to perform multiple tasks such as real-time data access, inventory management and customer service. , such as customer service. or Mobile POS (mPOS).
The study also shows that retailers need to enrich the customer experience and offer a true omnichannel approach. 52% consider it important to upgrade to legacy technology systems, and 39% say having so many tools to choose from is another major challenge. Inventory and shelf management represent two functions in the store that require technical support for those surveyed (57 percent and 53%, respectively).
63% of industry leaders believe that a data management system will be essential to complete omnichannel in retail. The integration of these systems will allow leverage of valuable information and real-time visibility of offline and online inventory and other fundamental operations such as shelf management and price checks.
