As stores continue to reopen, safety will remain the primary concern for store owners and shoppers alike. After weeks of social distancing and staying at home, shoppers will be (understandably) weary in high-traffic environments. Luckily for retailers, technology can help shoppers feel at ease and also facilitate contactless commerce experiences.
While many retailers were evaluating these kinds of technologies prior to the pandemic, it’s clear they’ve graduated from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have.” The future of the in-store experience will revolve around balancing high-touch service and personalization, and extreme efficiency.
“In retail, the issue was always: ‘How do we attract as many customers into our store, and more importantly, how do we keep them in there for as long as possible?’ Because the longer we keep them in the store, the greater the likelihood they’re going to buy more. Well, guess what? That’s changed,” said Sam Zietz, CEO of GRUBBRR, during the most recent episode of Retail Remix. “Now, it’s: ‘How can we get them in and out as quick as possible?’ We’re going to have limited capacity, so we need to be able to funnel people in and process their orders and move on so that we can bring in other customers.”
Check out the full episode now to hear Sam’s thoughts on:
- Overarching trends and concerns that span retail, restaurant and stadiums;
- How associate roles will evolve to balance service and sanitation;
- How technology will help create a contactless commerce experience; and
- Ways to ensure in-store tech doesn’t lead to data gaps in stores.
