Retail TouchPoints (RTP), RFID Journal’s sister-publication, provides an online network for retail executives, with content exploring how to optimize the customer experience across all channels. RTP covers industry trends, such as “buy online, pickup in store” (BOPIS), personalization, mobile-first marketing and omnichannel alignment, with a focus on merchandising, store operations, IT and supply chain. The magazine has released an eight-page report from senior editor Dorothy Crouch, titled “Designing a Connected Store Journey: How RFID, IoT and Digital Tech Are Bringing Brick-and-Mortar Performance to New Heights,” which is worth checking out
Here’s how RTP’s website describes the study: “While some retailers have successfully created synergy between their digital and physical experiences, it is still unchartered territory for many. But as digital becomes more engrained in consumers’ lives, retailers have a unique opportunity to embed technology thoughtfully into the brick-and-mortar experience to create more seamless experiences for consumers.”
The “Designing a Connected Store” Report
As the report explains, the ecommerce boost of the past few years has forced retailers which had underinvested in digital experiences to shift their resources to mobile and online initiatives. With the COVID-19 pandemic having somewhat abated, however, “omnichannel retailers are eager to lure shoppers back into their brick-and-mortar locations.” One challenge retail businesses face, according to the study, pertains to the need to foster “connections between their newly enhanced digital offerings and their in-store shopper journeys, in ways that speak to customers’ desire for convenience, curation, personalization and strong customer service.”
Many companies seeking to enhance customer engagement, transparency, communication and personalization have turned to radio frequency identification and other Internet of Things technologies. Such solutions, as the report shows, are helping retailers “get granular with their observations of store traffic and customer purchase patterns, as well as offering the latest in connected packaging.” You can download the full report at the Retail TouchPoints website.
Rich Handley has been the managing editor of RFID Journal since 2005. Outside the RFID world, Rich has authored, edited or contributed to numerous books about pop culture. You can contact Rich via email.