Here are just some of the ways in which the introduction of tablets is making an impact in the retail world.
(i) POP Marketing
The bricks and mortar retail environment provides an opportunity to engage consumers at the point at which they are making purchasing decisions. We’re talking about POP (Point-of-Purchase) marketing.
Tablets secured in Bouncepad iPad Kiosks can be used by retailers to present special offers or promotions that will boost sales.
Tablets also provide an effective data capture tool for marketing initiatives such loyalty schemes, competitions or surveys. And with a host of apps (such as Stamp.It for loyalty) lowering the barrier to entry for this kind of activity, independents can have access to the same tools as multinationals.
Brand storytelling is growing in popularity in retail, with tablets being used to deliver customer story videos or product origin exploration tools.
Social media marketers can use digital touchpoints in the store environment to encourage people to check into or tweet about a destination store.
(ii) Enhance the Customer Experience
Enhancing the shopping experience is an indirect way of influencing purchasing. For example, providing gaming or web browsing devices in ‘time-out’ areas increases dwell time and entertains bored shopping companions who might otherwise encourage an early exit.
Digital content is also being used to address common shopper frustrations. Product selector tools, quick reference price, colour, size and stock availability checks and online ordering all help to ‘save the sale’.
Similarly, with the ability to buy an infinite array of products online, today’s demanding consumers expect a wide range of product and customisation options in traditional retail settings. However, too much choice and too little time can make for an overwhelming experience which ends with them leaving empty handed.
Help customers to choose by offering tools that speed up the selection process and enable them to find the product that suits their individual needs. Nude Skincare helps shoppers identify the right products with a tablet based skin healthcare check presented on the Bouncepad Flex, and German cosmetics retailer Douglas helps shoppers to find their perfect nail polish shade with the help of Bouncepad’s iPad kiosk.
(iii) Combat Showrooming
Showrooming, when consumers visit a store to experience a product hands-on then buy it cheaper online, has become common practice, with 20% of consumers admitting to engaging in this practice regularly (Source: L2 Intelligence Report 2013). And price isn’t the sole reason in-store shoppers reach for their handsets; a desire for product information, reviews or stock availability drives them to augment the physical shopping experience with their phones.
Forward thinking retailers are starting to combat the showrooming problem by giving consumers access to the information they were previously missing in-store. For example, install tablet kiosks in store to drive customers to your own product information, review platforms or price matching initiatives.
(iv) Ditch The Dumb Signage
Digital displays have grown in prominence over the past decade, but with growing constraints on retail floor space and increasingly sophisticated consumer expectations, they need to do more do earn their keep than one-way broadcasting.
Consumers expect to be able to explore digital content. Once their curiosity is piqued, they expect to be able to easily take the next step to keep learning. You only need to look at the way a child taps at a television screen to see how our expectations have evolved.
Tablet-based signage executions are allowing retailers to deliver these kind of interactive experiences and promote in-store purchase by addressing common purchaser questions, cross selling products, and inspiring emotional buy-in with editorial style content.
(v) Take Payments
The tablet kiosk is taking over from the traditional cash register. It frees up space, is cost-effective and allows your staff to multi-task, altogether making for a streamlined, intuitive system. To see Bouncepad clients successfully using tablets as tills, read our article Bouncepads as Cash Registers.