Stores still account for 90% of purchases. 92% of cross-channel buyers prefer physical stores for interaction with the product (vision, trial, etc.) and 72% prefer the point of sale for its convenience (no shipping costs, loyalty card, geographic proximity, …). Stores are real allies in any distribution strategy since they are widely appreciated by buyers. Additional advantage for physical points of sale, conversion rate are 20 times higher than in e-commerce!
(sources of figures: Fevad, BVA, Mappy, Insee)
Find out which connected services to offer in-store to improve the customer experience. What are Internet users looking for in their shopping trips? Which digital devices are valued by the customer?
Understand the added value of stores for consumers
- Physical store: a better shopping experience…
In the minds of the French, shopping remains a very pleasant moment lived in a physical place surrounded by friends and family. It is above all a social experience, a privileged moment of sharing, discussion, and relaxation. This is why the shopping center remains the preferred shopping location for the French according to Ipsos (30%). Department stores such as Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and shops in the city center are also ideal places for shopping. The Internet only comes in fourth place among favorite places. The point of sale therefore still has a bright future ahead of it. It is still necessary to know how to adapt it, optimize it and add experiential services that are increasingly expected by buyers.
Source: IPSOS
- …but additional experiential services to be created!
Although physical stores are indeed the big winner of the favorite places for French people to shop, consumer demands have evolved. They expect more services, more features, more benefits from the in-store experience.
Consumers are looking for a better experience. Although the primary purpose of a store is shopping, consumers are looking for something more. This "little extra" can for example be a discovery workshop, a moment of tasting, a learning experience, entertainment. Beyond the shopping itself, all the added value of the physical point of sale lies in its ability to offer additional additional services. It is these services that are widely valued by buyers. The benefits that consumers are looking for are pleasure, discovery, …
Source: IPSOS
What digital devices for what benefits perceived by consumers?
How to optimize the in-store experience? What additional services to offer?
- The most popular digital devices allow you to learn or save time
The first step to optimizing the point-of-sale experience is to better understand consumer perceptions of the digital services offered in-store. For this, we must understand what are the perceived benefits of digital devices in stores as well as the obstacles to their use.
According to a study carried out by Keley Consulting, the main digital devices used by customers in stores are:
- Interactive digital screens (walls, showcases, terminals, etc.): 38%
- Barcode readers (automatic payment): 37%
- Payment with mobile phone: 15%
- Augmented reality applications: 8%
- Virtual reality headsets: 8%
- 3D holograms and projections: 4%
Source: Keley Consulting
- Strategic thinking: offer digital devices with benefits for the customer
The use of all of these devices leads to different benefits. The question is which benefits are most important in the minds of consumers.
Note that very often, the devices that are used the most are those that save time in the purchase process.
The strategy here, before thinking about digitizing your point of sale, is to list the most important benefits and think about how you will be able to provide these benefits to your customers. In this way, you will only put in place devices that will clearly enhance the customer experience.
Main benefits perceived from the use of digital devices in stores:
- Pay faster: 53%
- Learn about a product: 53%
- Locate a product in the store: 37%
- Use their loyalty card: 27%
- Get discounts: 24%
- Get advice: 23%
- Having fun: 23%
- Discover the news: 21%
- Wait: 12%
Source: Keley Consulting
Be careful, however, to fully understand what are the obstacles to the use of digital devices in stores. Although the benefits are obvious, some negative points remain to be covered.
Buyers are not yet in a 100% positive state of mind when it comes to connected tools. 59% prefer contact with a seller, 42% do not want to use this type of tool so as not to destroy jobs and 32% are afraid to leave their personal information. On the other hand, certain brakes related to technology are also mentioned: complicated interface that wastes time or devices that do not work well.
Source: Keley Consulting
