TALKING
‘‘ business
Despite non-essential shops reopening in England and Wales in recent months , it is likely that the seismic changes within the retail industry caused by the pandemic are here to stay . Over the past year , many businesses have transitioned online , as brick-and-mortar shops were forced to close their doors . In addition , we have seen digital native brands taking more ground , for example with the acquisition of Debenhams by Boohoo and the online fashion retailer , ASOS , becoming the new owner of Topshop and the Arcadia empire .
The relative digital maturity of the retail sector , thanks to the already flourishing e-Commerce ecosystem , was critical in preventing many retailers from closing entirely during this period . However , shifting towards solely operating through digital channels still presented its challenges , in many cases forcing retailers to reassess their creativity and , in some cases , even their business models .
What ’ s good to see is that research from VMware reveals that this investment is at least starting to pay off . Almost one-third of the British public reported that retailers now deliver a better digital experience than they did prior to the pandemic , indicating the evolved role of e-Commerce stores in not just continuing but in some cases improving customer experiences . In line with this , one-third ( 32 %) of the public have said that they are not missing in-store retail as much as they thought they would . on any of Chanel ’ s lipsticks virtually . Moreover , the app uses Artificial Intelligence to identify the customer ’ s lip colour in an image and recommend a matching shade in the collection , thereby allowing for personalisation and providing the customer with a tailored experience .
Experiences like these not only provide unique and engaging experiences for customers , but instil consumer confidence in buying a product remotely that would traditionally have been done in a store where they could physically see and test the colour .
Balancing security and trust
Data and analytics have played a critical role in the development of these new experiences , enabling companies to personalise their digital offering based on the customer ’ s previous purchases or location .
Matthew O ’ Neill , Industry Managing Director at VMware
But the question that retailers need to ask themselves is how they are now going to build upon consumers ’ increased digital-first habits to keep improving the customer experience and find the right ‘ clicks and mortar ’ balance between tech innovation and the instore experience .
Creating novel customer experiences
Over the past year , we ’ ve seen a growing appetite for more innovative digital experiences in retail . For example , our research found that almost half ( 45 %) of people would welcome an increased use of Virtual or Augmented Reality ( VR / AR ) by retailers to better understand how products might look in their homes .
But it doesn ’ t just have to stop at how it looks in the home . One truly innovative example of digital-first experience is the virtual Lipscanner app , created by luxury beauty brand , Chanel . The at-home application software uses automated reality to allow users to try
The dawn of the hybrid high street is upon us and technology is core to helping in the transition to clicks-and-mortar stores to provide the best customer and colleague experience possible .
Done sensitively , securely and correctly , the ability for retailers to build a consumer ’ s digital identity in this way can empower them in delivering automated , targeted marketing activities and improving the overall customer experience of their brand values .
However , retailers need to balance their appetite for data to inform customer experiences with consumer trust . Indeed , VMware research has revealed that the majority of British consumers ( 68 %) feel scared
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