The reality for physical shopping
The emergence of AR and VR technologies prompts a critical question for retail leaders: How can these digital spaces be seamlessly integrated with the physical shopping environment? While physical shopping will endure in some capacity, it’s destined to undergo significant transformation and become more fragmented over time. This is already evident in the evolving landscape of high streets. Different markets will move at different speeds, but physical shopping will still exist far into the future where it adds value, especially for hospitality and the food and drink industry.
This is why, in order to optimize CX, there needs to be a convergence of today’s disconnected experiences, transactions, and operations across different touchpoints. Because, whether on a website or in the metaverse, it’s one thing to have a digital version of your store, it’s entirely another to have a seamless blend of online-to-offline (O2O) environments. By achieving true omni-channel convergence, you can engage with customers across all touchpoints and offer a frictionless experience throughout the buying journey.
From initial browse through to selection and purchase, or from store click and collect to last-mile delivery, this blending creates a borderless world of retail. One where physical and digital environments work in concert to ensure your customers can shop however they want to. But how do you get there? The short answer is: data is key. With the right technology in place to collate and analyze customer data, you can gain sight of the end-to-end CX journey via all channels. This not only gives you the visibility to remove any sticking points, but also understand the key ‘micro’ moments that delight your customers. For example, sending personalized communications, offering convenient delivery slots, or sharing information on the provenance of products at the point of sale So, you can amp these moments up and double-down on personalization to optimize CX.