RETAILOBSERVER.COM MAY 2018
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Jeannine Ghaleb Consumer Electronic Trends
T
he particulars may change but the fundamentals of
successful retail remain the same: give your customers
what they want, when they want it, the way they want it –
and keep them wanting more. Customers are still people who
still crave a greater sense of community and connection than
digital can provide. This presents independents with a golden
opportunity to provide the kind of memorable, real-life in-store
experiences that build loyalty and generate sales.
Let's take a closer look at how you can exploit the latest
trends to connect better with your customers in 2018.
• Use technology and data to personalize the shopping
experience from start to finish— Technology and data are a
necessity in retail today. Whether you want to target your
consumers on social media, drive them to your website, get
them in your store or earn their repeat business, it's all about
the technology. You need it to collect and analyze the right
data to figure out who your customers are, their preferences
and dislikes, and then adapt as needed to deliver an
exceptional experience. The goal is to treat each consumer
differently: there is no single formula for a great customer
experience.
You may not have the budget to implement artificial
intelligence in your stores, but you can arm your sales
associates with tablets and smartphones. Consider adding
mobile POS technology so customers never have to wait in
line to check out – the quickest way to ruin an otherwise
excellent in-store experience. One popular option lets your
2 0 1 8 W I L L B E A N E X C I T I N G Y E A R F O R I N D E P E N D E N T R E T A I L E R S
W H O A R E N ' T I N T I M I D A T E D B Y T H E L A T E S T R E T A I L T R E N D S . Y E S , T H E
M A R K E T P L A C E I S I N C O N S T A N T F L U X , S H I F T I N G B E T W E E N I N - S T O R E ,
I N - P E R S O N A N D O N L I N E , B U T Y O U C A N M A K E T H I S W O R K F O R Y O U . T H E
P A R T I C U L A R S M A Y C H A N G E B U T T H E F U N D A M E N T A L S O F S U C C E S S F U L
R E T A I L R E M A I N T H E S A M E : G I V E Y O U R C U S T O M E R S W H A T T H E Y W A N T , W H E N
T H E Y W A N T I T , T H E W A Y T H E Y W A N T I T – A N D K E E P T H E M W A N T I N G M O R E .
WHAT'S NEXT
IN RETAIL?
Retail's demise has been greatly exaggerated
