On average, people with access to tablets and smartphones spend 2 hours and 57 minutes on their devices per day. With the consistently increasing amount of time people are spending on their smartphones, most retail purchases are being made on these devices–right? Wrong. According to A.T. Kearney’s ongoing Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study, 90% of all retail sales are conducted in stores, and 95% of all retail sales are captured by retailers with a brick-and-mortar presence.
These statistics may be surprising considering that just a couple years ago predictions surfaced that eCommerce would continue to surge, which in turn would cause the imminent death of retail. At the time, these predictions didn’t seem too far-fetched when taking into account the immense success of giants such as eBay and Amazon, as well as the demise of traditional brick-and-mortar businesses such as video stores and travel agencies.
In attempt to adapt to the shifting landscape of eCommerce, many retailers have invested in digital initiatives to drive eCommerce sales. However, the combination of retailers providing shopping tools optimized for mobility, and users spending more time on their smartphones has not resulted in the predicted correlation between eCommerce and physical stores. With time, findings have shown that digital is not only driving eCommerce, but it is also driving customers to in-store experiences.
Neilsen Norman Group states, "User experience" encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products.” During this time of eCommerce transformation, both retailers and user experience designers have been confining a customer’s experience to either digital or physical–when in fact there are rarely separate.
Although 90% of retail sales are conducted in stores, they are heavily impacted by digital influencers such as social media, blogs, websites, and apps. Nowadays, consumers are increasingly using multiple sources to discover, evaluate, purchase, and return products.
As user experience designers, we should not design for a user limited to a device, but an omnichannel shopper who leverages technology to complete transactions–regardless of whether their transactions are completed in online or in-store environments. So where should we start when bridging the gap between these digital and physical retail spaces?
Let’s start with our user: the modern day consumer.
With the wealth of information at consumers’ fingertips, they have become more informed than ever before. Not only are people using multiple sources for research, they are also pursuing information at all points throughout their customer journeys. This behavior has become so common that 71% of of in-store shoppers who use smartphones for online research say their device has become more important to their in-store experience.
Although the ubiquitous use of smartphones is in many ways an advantage, the inundation of information has resulted in a lack of attention span amongst consumers. As user experience designers we face the challenge of capturing the little amount of attention consumers can offer within a market saturated with competitors constantly looking to capture that same exact attention.
How should we tackle this challenge?
Providing consumers with contextually driven content allows retailers to grab the attention of consumers when it is most relevant to them. Consumers have shown that their preferences of channel of use, method of use, and time of use vary significantly. By taking into account not only the user journey throughout their digital space, but also the role that product plays within the consumer’s journey in their physical surroundings, you are adding value to the customer experience without limiting your product to user specific scenarios.
For example, the shopping app Shopkick uses iBeacon technology and inaudible audio signals to detect app users; then offers them reward points for walking into stores, scanning items, trying on clothes, and other retail interactions. Using technology to capture consumers’ attention when they are within range of retail stores, then incentivizing consumer interactions within those stores has allowed Shopkick to bridge the gap between the mobile and in-store retail experiences.
Providing contextual content may address the where and when aspects of capturing consumers’ attention span; however, we still must address what the consumers need through personalization and customization of experience.
Personalization of experience can range from a smaller scale “Products You May Like” feature within your digital offerings, to offering curated product selections to customers like subscription services, to employees utilizing technology to tailor the customer’s in-store experience to their needs. Personalization of experience on all levels increases shared value amongst consumers, employees, and businesses.
Gaining an understanding of consumer transactions within the greater scope of their day-to-day lives, and not confining the consumer experience to a physical store or device will help user experience designers create the unified experience that is the future of retail. Recognition of the consumer regardless of where they begin and how they interact will create a seamless, and engaging experience at all stages of a transaction.
