A new route around the retail environment
In the retail world, shoppers have a multitude of channels available to fit their needs. From in-store, to online commerce, or via an app on their smartphone, consumers move instinctively across retail brands and their channels of preference. To captivate today’s savvy shoppers, retailers need to create a seamless experience across different touchpoints that will keep them engaged and connected to the brand, either online or in the real world.
According to Hotcow’s recent shopper research, 62% of consumers plan their shopping list before going in to buy, whilst 26% decide on the spot. Consumers will go online to look for the best deals and find product information, however, shoppers still want to be able to touch, try, test and feel the product before they buy. How can retailers turn this planned shopping mission into something that will disrupt behaviour and engage consumers to make them feel inspired to buy?
Shoppers go to physical stores to look for inspiration, advice and product experience in order to make a purchase decision. They will be in-store, but will also be online, connected to their mobile devices. To make an impact on this journey, retailers need to create something interesting that will grab consumers’ attention and encourage them to stop, listen and engage with the brand.
As highlighted in Hotcow’s research around product trial and purchase, 87% of consumers feel inspired to buy after a sample or product experience. Experiential marketing near the retail environment can cause great intervention to the shopping missions, which is predominantly linked to a purchase. A great example of engaging out of store campaign is the virtual shoe fitting from German brand Goertz. Using a digital billboard powered by Kinect technology, the brand created an interactive retail installation where consumers could choose any model and see how the shoes fit in real time. The experiential campaign was cleverly integrated with social media and their online store, allowing participants to scan the QR code on screen and have their shoes delivered on the next day.
Other great example that shows how mobile technology is blurring the lines between online and offline retail is the Adidas NEO Nuremburg store in Germany. The brand set an interactive storefront display to fully function as a 24/7 virtual store. Passers-by can interact with the digital display by touching different hotspots on the window to find additional product details, and by entering a simple URL into their smartphones they can purchase items directly from the window.
Creating a seamless shopping experience is an enterprise challenge that requires ongoing commitment to making every touchpoint exceptional. With an unexpected, hassle free experiential approach, you can have the opportunity to truly engage and inspire consumers with a range of experiences that will satisfy shoppers needs with great communication and interaction.
Check out Hotcow’s website for more thoughts on how to integrate experiential marketing into your retail strategy.
