French consumers still appreciate physical points of sale. However, they believe that some improvements would improve the customer experience. Requests are listed by a Shopper Track study. They revolve around greater price transparency, faster checkout, personalization and humanization of the relationship.
Improve physical spaces according to consumer expectations
Consumers continue to do their shopping at physical points of sale. Thus, the latter remain essential points of contact in the purchasing process. However, some elements require improvement and are sticking points when it comes to retail. Among consumer expectations regarding physical stores, 5 points are addressed.
#1: Slow receipts
It seems that the speed of payment in store is still and always the most important point of friction. Indeed, according to a study by Shopper Track, 34% of individuals have already abandoned their purchases because of excessively long queues at checkout. Consumers express their expectations in terms of innovative solutions to eliminate the queue.
Solutions such as "virtual tickets" avoiding them having to queue at the cash desk would be widely accepted by consumers. 22% would also like to benefit from mobile applications allowing them to scan and pay for their purchases in a few minutes. During the visit to the store, the consumer simply has to scan his products. He then pays from his smartphone and avoids going through the checkout.
#2: Insufficient price transparency
Second point of friction for consumers: the lack of clear information on prices. This lack of transparency is very badly experienced by buyers. They believe that it is the duty of the store to label the products correctly, to offer legible and visible information, whether in terms of prices or promotions. According to Shopper Track, 60% of consumers would like to have QR codes, for example, for more transparency between the prices charged on the internet and in stores. Transparency is also important on stocks. These should be updated in real time according to consumers.
#3: Lack of digitization of contact staff
Shopper Track also reveals that 28% of French consumers would like the staff in the stores to be more competent in the sense that they can provide the same benefits as those offered on the internet. In other words, consumers want sellers to be able to give them access to online reviews, the ability to check stock in real time on a tablet. Consumers are very supportive of salespeople using tablets to provide them with the information they need. Please note, this does not mean that the latter wish to be recognized (loyal or volatile customer, purchase history, areas of interest, etc.) by salespeople using technologies such as beacons.
#4: The scarcity of human contact
Physical stores are very important in order to help the consumer to finalize his purchasing journey. Indeed, a hesitant individual will always go through the “store” box in order to test, verify, try a product. He wants to familiarize himself with the product and try to appropriate it before buying it. Even if the purchase is made on another channel, the physical space plays a special role in the decision making.
#5: Lack of personalized experiences
Consumers are now widely accustomed to personalized experiences on the web. For them, it has therefore become quite normal to be offered personalized offers and services. In this sense, 47% of them expect personalized discounts that reward their loyalty. If you don't provide that kind of in-store profit, you might be missing out on a big target. Try to integrate digital into your store and always remember to offer subscription to the newsletter at checkout, for example. You can also encourage buyers to visit your Facebook page in order to benefit from exclusive advantages.
In conclusion, consumers are finally expecting much more than what one might think in physical stores. Learn how to be satisfied with visits from potential customers to your store and not be frustrated when they leave empty-handed. Indeed, just because they don't buy today doesn't mean they won't buy on your website when they get home. Your physical store helps consumers move forward in their decision-making process. Once the visit to the store has been made to test the product, you have surely erased certain barriers to purchase in their minds, which is a very good point for you!
