As more people shop online and retail becomes more about interactivity, brick-and-mortar stores are incorporating digital marketing and retail apps.
Lots of stores are still using traditional methods, but there are some good examples of retailers using digital techniques in their stores. Stores are adding digital retail, ways for customers to review products and get feedback from people they know on their smartphones while they’re standing in the aisle.
Here are a few other examples of digital retail:
- Smartphones. Customers are using their devices to instantly check prices and availability. They also allow them to get reviews, with one major discounter enabling consumers to text for product evaluations. Of course, small display size and slow connectivity can be a challenge.
- Digital displays. One major department store is using a touch-screen display that lets consumers find beauty products. Another major athletic store is using a computerized program to document a customer’s movement to match it with a shoe that would work best for that person.
The Microsoft retail stores are a good example of how to use digital marketing in retail, but many retailers don’t have the infrastructure in place. Ideally, marketers should connect their digital marketing to their POS systems. When they’re promoting a sale on an item of clothing, they can make sure their digital signs are promoting it. The best way to do this is to program it in the central office and sent it out to the store so that they all feature a consistent marketing message.
Source: ClickZ, April 2012
