| | August 20188CIOReviewt a click; that's the new golden rule, where every retailer or marketer is trying to bring every transaction to a single click. This is the defining change of the Digital era. While IT technology and modular con-struction techniques, took retail global by creating new and efficient ways of managing retail stores across borders, the age of e-commerce is all geared up to take retail into every bedroom. Today, one can make a pur-chase, without stepping out of their bed, thanks to the on-line retail portals. The big question is `What is the role of Brick and Mor-tar stores in this Digital era?' The key to success is in the integration of both offline and online retail, in complementing each other rather than competing, both online and Brick and Mortar stores have their own virtues and challenges, the balance of both is per-haps inevitable. Online platforms are potent at creating cost effective market penetration and give consumers a con-venience of shopping like never before, resulting in higher sales at lower costs. But in the same breath we also have to admit that they take away the fun of shopping.Shopping on your phone is quite a different experience from the experience of stepping into a mall, where every window is sending out subliminal message, vying for your attention. On stepping in a barrage of sensory stimuli sur-round you, from the warm lights to the soft aroma and a friendly `How can I help you, Ma'am?' The feel of the fabric on your finger tips to the racing heartbeat when you step out to show him that cocktail dress, the `you look ravishing' that just jumps out his mouth when you put on that diamond chocker. These emotions are generally more powerful decision influencers, than price or sales push. As any anthropologist would testify, human beings respond to emotional stimuli more than anything. So the appreciation of a friend or loved one sometimes becomes more joyous than the ownership of the merchandise bought.The role of a Smart Shop would be more, customer rela-tions and brand communication as compared to sales driv-ing, these shops, would act more as experience centers and not sales platforms. So clearly the focus would shift more towards product presentation and less on SKU per Sq. ft. Communication of the brand identity and product differen-tiation would be the key objective, from the stores design to fixtures and personal all engaged in doing just that.Smart Shop should look more like museum or art gal-leries, where the concentration is more on giving person-alized attention and enhancing the experience. Providing AIN MY OPINIONTHE SMART SHOP INSYNC was founded in 2010, as the research, product development and distribution wing of Safe Enterprises. INSYNC's vision is to create a globally distributed shop fittings solution, which is ingrained into every facet of the design and development, of both product and methodologies.By Huzefa Merchant, Founder, Insync Shop FittingsROLE OF RETAIL STORESIN THE DIGITAL ERA!
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