The landscape of consumer shopping behaviour is constantly evolving. With multiple platforms like online stores, e-commerce sites & mobile apps and social media shopping, capturing the shoppers’ attention is harder than ever. They expect things to be quick and seamless, whether shopping online or in-store.
For marketers, that’s a big challenge. How do you keep customers engaged while making sure their experience is smooth and seamless? The answer is in new technologies that make shopping easier, smarter, and more personalised. These tools aren’t the shiny, high-tech gadgets you see in commercials. They’re practical, real-world solutions that quietly make a big difference.
In this article, we’ll look at some of these technologies that are changing the way people shop, both in stores and online.
Tech #1: Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs)
What Are They
Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) are digital price tags that replace traditional paper labels on store shelves. Instead of manually changing prices and promotions, these labels can be updated instantly with the click of a button.
How They Work
ESLs sync with a central system to update pricing and product information across thousands of shelves. Retailers can make changes quickly, reducing manual work and ensuring pricing is accurate.
Strategic Benefits for Marketers
- Instant Pricing Updates: Price changes or promotions can be adjusted in real-time, across all locations with ESL’s. Stores can quickly roll out price changes across the store or even across thousands of locations at the same time.
- Consistent Messaging: ESLs help ensure that the same prices, promotions, and product information are shown both online and in-store. This is important for customers who expect a consistent experience across all platforms.
- Personalised Offers: ESLs let retailers change prices based on things like demand, time of day, or stock levels. For example, if an item is running low, its price can go up, or if it’s about to expire, it can be discounted to clear it out.
DisplayData’s smart labels are part of this shift – providing frictionless, data-driven pricing and product information right where customers engage. Retailers can roll out real-time updates across thousands of shelves, aligning promotions with live inventory and online campaigns.”
How Marketers Should Respond
Marketers should use ESLs to deliver personalised, timely offers. Work with retail partners to integrate dynamic pricing strategies, keeping offers consistent across all platforms.
Tech #2: In-store Heatmapping & Footfall AI
What It Is
Heatmapping and footfall AI use sensors and cameras to track how customers move around the store. These tools capture data on where shoppers spend the most time and which products draw the most attention.
How It Works
Heatmapping tools generate visual maps of customer movement inside the store. These maps show which areas are the busiest and which are being ignored. Footfall AI takes it further by using data to predict how customers will move and make decisions in the future.
Strategic Benefits for Marketers
- Optimising Product Placement: Heatmaps give insight into which products attract the most attention, allowing retailers to adjust product placement and improve sales.
- Enhancing Store Experience: By understanding how shoppers interact in the store, retailers can adjust store layouts or display strategies to create better in-store experiences.
- Targeted Marketing: With footfall data, marketers can tweak in-store campaigns to target the most visited areas and boost conversions.
How Marketers Should Respond
Marketers should use heatmap data to optimise store layouts and in-store promotions. Platforms like Fyma.ai can create maps and strategies on customer behaviour, help improve the overall shopping experience and integrate this into online strategies. Retailers can use this data to boost sales and improve customer experience.
Tech #3: Smart Shopping Carts & Scan & Go Tech
What They Are
Smart shopping carts and Scan & Go systems are designed to make shopping quicker and easier. With smart carts, customers can scan items as they put them in their cart, and with Scan & Go, they can pay directly through their phone without having to wait in line.
How They Work
Smart carts use sensors to track items in real-time. Some also have built-in screens that show the total price of your items. Scan & Go systems allow customers to skip traditional checkout lines by scanning products on their phone as they shop.
Strategic Benefits for Marketers
- Speeding Up Checkout: These technologies eliminate long checkout lines, improving the customer experience by making it quicker and easier to finish shopping.
- Real-Time Personalisation: Using data from smart carts or Scan & Go, retailers can send personalised offers or discounts during the shopping process.
- Customer Loyalty: Streamlining the shopping journey increases satisfaction, which can lead to increased customer loyalty.
How Marketers Should Respond
Marketers should think about how these systems can be used to offer personalised promotions in real-time. They should use customer data from these systems to offer relevant deals in real-time, boosting loyalty and improving customer experience.
What Marketers Should Do Next
So, what should marketers do with all this new tech? Here are some key steps to consider:
- Use Real-Time Data: Work with retail partners to use these technologies in real-time. Marketers should look at how ESLs, heatmapping, and Scan & Go can be used to optimise customer experiences instantly.
- Personalise the Shopping Journey: These technologies give marketers a wealth of data that can be used to create more personal, relevant shopping experiences. Marketers should use this data to send the right offers to the right people at the right time.
- Collaborate with Retailers: Marketers need to collaborate with their retail partners to understand how these technologies work in practice. It’s important to have a strategy in place for how to integrate these tools into overall marketing campaigns.
Conclusion
New technologies like ESLs, in-store heatmapping, and Scan & Go are changing the shopping experience. They’re making the shopping experience faster, more efficient, and more personalised. They provide data and tools that help marketers create more personalised, efficient, and consistent customer journeys.
By using these technologies, marketers can stay ahead of the competition, respond faster to consumer behaviour, and deliver better shopping experiences, both online and in-store. Now’s the time for marketers to embrace these tools and make them a core part of their strategy. The future of retail is here and it’s data-driven.
Ready to stay ahead of the curve? Partner with Global Consulting Network to explore how cutting-edge retail technologies can transform your business.
