In today’s retail climate, staying competitive with giant companies is tricky for independent brands. The major players are competing for customers with the cheapest products and fast service, which has allowed them to remain relevant, growing a crowded marketplace over the years. However, for a smaller business, the in-store environment is a required field that needs to be conquered to succeed.
Details matter
As more and more consumers are using virtual channels to make their purchases, in-store experiences have become crucial and of great value to take advantage of the physical presence of shoppers. So now more than ever, how your brand is presented in-store is fundamental.
Retail automation is on-demand
Supermarkets are now responding to the on-demand world of retail automation to accomplish tasks faster, giving consumers a quick and seamless experience. According to a Statista report, the global retail automation market is expected to be worth 23.58 billion USD by 2026.
As you might expect, one of the things that retail automation involves is fewer employees in-store. Digitization of the in-store experience will continue to grow over the years, but there are things technology cannot replace. For example, the human element is still key when it comes to detail; with less staff around to comply with merchandising tasks such as restocking, bringing products to the front, and recommending your products, the customer experience with your brand could be affected.
Here are some tips to keep your brand identity strong:
1. Multi-channel consistency
As technology’s role in how consumers interact with brands continues to grow, interaction is now conducted across multiple devices through many selling channels. This includes social media and mobile applications, to put an example. Thus, customers expect a quality experience and a smooth transition between channels to purchase from each.
That said, brand compliance and consistency are essential to succeed across different channels, as it profoundly impacts customer relationships and interactions. In addition, transitions between channels and devices need to be seamless, allowing customers to swiftly switch devices and channels without accessibility and brand identity getting disjointed. Otherwise, it might cause customers confusion and frustration.
2. Build personal relationships with customers
Retailers are no longer just product suppliers. In today’s climate, building relationships with consumers based on memorable experiences is key to success in retail and marketing. According to a study by Hava’s Group, almost half (48%) of all content provided by brands is judged not to be meaningful to consumers, and 66% of consumers expect more meaningful experiences from brands.
Sure, discounts and rewards are always nice, but nothing is as compelling as offering stellar customer service and the exceptional customer experience in the long term. Offering a product or service that best fits a customer’s needs and providing well-communicated brand values can shape the customer experience almost as much as the product itself.
Brand compliance is crucial when ensuring a solid brand image in-store. But monitoring compliance can be challenging; ensuring it meets standards with the help of a field team that checks every store across the country is difficult and costly, even for the bigger brands.
Custom-made retail audits are what your business needs to keep consistency!
SmartSpotter offers a crowdsourcing service that will help your business effectively check stores across Australia by combining an unparalleled app and dashboard with a crowd of experts on standby all over the country, ready to spring into action when our app alerts them to an assignment.
We can ensure that your brand keeps consistency both in-store and across all channels, building personal and strong relationships with customers cost-effectively.
Want to know more? Contact us!
