As technology moves forward, physical retailers can’t sleep on the idea of interactive customer experience. In order to remain relevant in a world where consumers are opting for the ease of online purchasing, delivering a great customer experience is the one thing brick and mortar has over online stores.
New technologies make it easier to add new dimensions to the in-store customer experience. But brands need to remember this: what they think makes up a good interactive customer experience might actually be different than what customers consider a great experience.
The first question retailers should ask as more brands adopt a digital experience in their stores is, “Are you thinking big enough?”Customers have rich digital lives at both work and at home. They’ve come to expect the same type of experience everywhere they go, including when they shop.
Fortunately,digital is the natural progression of the in-store customer experience. Although they are becoming more common, customers can still be wowed by a great digital experience. Many brands have integrated digital in a way that enhances the customer journey and turns the physical store into a desired destination. Here are two brands that we’ve worked with to create customer-pleasing digital experiences: Levi’s and Macy’s.
Levi’s—Market Street
The Levi’s retail location on Market Street in San Francisco is the brand’s flagship store. In the heart of the tourist are a filled with foot traffic, Levi’s has to stand out from nearby competitors to draw in passersby. The brand wanted to not only dazzle shoppers, but to share its rich heritage and history, while at the same time showcasing new products available for purchase.
For this iconic brand, we designed a digital experience that delivers“wow”. Dynamic signs fill the exterior windows with vivid displays. The energetic content attracts lots of attention. And while the signs cover the entire window, they are see-through LEDs, so they don’t impede the natural light coming into the store and compromise the experience once shoppers enter.
The digital experience is a success. People routinely stop to take photos next to the displays. And the signs draw people inside to see what’s going on.
Macy’s—Herald Square
The Macy’s store on Herald Square in New York City is also the brand’s flagship location. The digital experience, called One Below,begins the moment the customer enters the store and is a concept designed to complement the tech savviness and lifestyle of the millennial generation.
It’s a combination of passive, interactive, and experiential content that resonates with and delights the younger shopper. This one-of-a-kind customer journey includes a touch wall and a photo op wall and delivers promotional and brand messages across the network. The digital experience in Macy’s Herald Square has taken the customer experience to a new level and helped the store maintain its reputation as a destination for shoppers.
Meeting High Customer Expectations
Technology has evolved, but so have shoppers. Younger generations of shoppers are not just looking for the best price—they want the best customer experience. They have high expectations for what’s going to accompany their in-store journey. They want brands that share their own values, and won’t buy from brands that don’t align with those values on at least some level. As a retailer, if you can deliver on those expectations, these are customers who will remain brand loyal.
We’ve highlighted two examples of interactive customer experiences that involve several different types of digital signage technologies. However, meeting your customer’s expectation of a better experience doesn’t necessarily require solutions this robust. If you’re considering digital signage as a way to improve the interactive customer experience in your locations, focus on what will actually enrich that customer experience instead of implementing technology for technology’s sake. Also, an interactive customer experience like this is often best planned with a partner. If you’re looking for someone to partner with, we’d love the opportunity to talk more about how you can better meet these shifting customer expectations.
