BT opens concept store to meet the needs of digital consumers

BT has opened a digital experience concept store in the UK to show retailers how they can transform their physical stores to meet the needs of digital consumers.

Branded as ‘Alexander Black’, the concept store features fashion, homewares and grocery departments plus an in-store café and more than 40 digital solutions, with the aim of meeting the digital consumer challenge and in the process driving operational efficiency, reduce cost and increase sales.

The aim is to show retailers how to transform their retail space for a new type of consumer, ‘the digital consumer’, who BT states are accustomed to a personalised service and rich information they get online and who expect a similar and consistent experience when shopping in retailers’ physical stores, too.

“People still really like shopping in physical stores but they want it to be much more like it is online: easy, personalised and entertaining,” explains Hubertus von Roenne, vice president, global industry practices, at BT’s global services division.

The ‘Alexander Black’ concept illustrates five journeys that a retailer needs to consider in their quest for digital transformation of their physical stores: Seamlessly engage digital consumers; Mobilise digital store teams; Digitise store operations; Secure the digital transformation; and the use of data analytics to drive business insight.

The concept showcases digital touch points such as a shop window display to show how retailers could interact with shoppers out of hours, a memory mirror with a 360 degree view for trying on outfits, intelligent merchandise labels, a nine-screen video wall to deliver engaging content, and a mobile app for the café.

The ‘Alexander Black’ concept store is part of the Customer Innovation Showcase located at Adastral Park, BT’s global research and development hub.

Image: courtesy of BT