Over the past year, medium to large sized retailers have seen the gap grow in their ability to deliver the same personalised experience in the physical world as they offer online.
This is all set to change, thanks to the simple provision of free Wi-Fi.
Imagine the following: a customer walks into the store with the weekly shopping list, which probably includes detergent, something for dinner, breakfast cereal, wine, perhaps a birthday present. They hover in front of a world of choice.
“Ping” – up pops a personalised promotion nudging them to buy a specific brand, there and then. Wi-Fi has allowed the store to track, detect, identify, react and connect in real-time.
Finally, here is the missing link in the journey to influence purchase decisions. Retailers can now convert and converse with people in one-to-one communication – in-store while they shop.
It brings with it stronger live retail analytics that offer far reaching opportunities. Traffic paths to and from zones can also be identified within one to three meters of actual position, meaning that retailers and brands can swiftly identify the times of day to staff-up and store areas that are winning (or losing and need review).
On slower days, retailers can encourage shoppers to stay longer by offering a free coffee. On busier days, they can persuade customers to book a shoe fitting and return later, avoiding long queue frustration.
Retailers and brands now benefit from the knowledge of when and where their customers are and can apply that understanding to better organise their store while delivering a hyper-personalised shopping experience.
In 2016, the physical world will mirror some of the best features of the online world. Future facing companies will seize these opportunities, responding to consumer expectation for speed, interactivity and more involved brand connections.
Sarah Todd is chief executive of Geometry Global UK
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