Digitisation continues to reinvent the in-store experience

The State of the In-Store Experience 2021 report has been released, and found that 48 percent of shoppers still prefer to shop in-store.

In an article, CEO of Raydiant, Bobby Marhmat, outlined what brick-and-mortar stores can introduce in order to outpace their online competitors.

When all other factors are equal, the physical shopping experience still holds an element of appeal that e-commerce does not. Constraints such as convenience play a part in whether or not a customer decides to shop online or in-store, with the efficient and time-saving aspect of online shopping adding to its appeal.

Shoppers admitted that it was the speed and convenience of online shopping that drew them to it over brick and mortar retailers.

The digitisation of retail stores, therefore, is becoming increasingly important to a shopper’s experience. Self checkout, for example, is popular with customers, with 85 percent saying that they saw it as a faster way of purchasing goods.

Further convenience driven features such as in-app purchasing, curbside pickup, buying online and in-store pickup adds to a more attractive and seamless shopping experience for the customer.

Another key factor in a shopper’s decision to go online or not is personalisation.

75 percent of shoppers stated they felt uneasy about the privacy of their in-store and online shopping histories. But 42 percent also said that a lack of personalisation in their shopping experience could prevent them from buying.

Access to personalised discounts will result in the customer associating the store with savings. However, the importance of clearly defined privacy policies will also benefit brands.

“The lines between e-commerce and in-store retail continue to shrink ever-thinner,” writes Marhmat. “Those who will dominate in-store retail in the next decade-plus will achieve a clever balance between increasing digitisation and the timeless appeal that the in-store experience provides.”