I had written a few weeks back about the power of contextual creativity and how it can enhance customer experience. I also mentioned that the day is not far off, where technology will fuel mass customization and set new benchmarks in customer experience.
It was interesting to read this article by David Polinchock on how Metro Future Store at Rheinberg , Germany is crafting this experience.
They are using RFID, wireless networks, personal shopping assistants(PSAs) to do this. PSAs will display personal shopping list. Electronic price tags will enable the store to change the price every hour, if needed! Smart shelves will identify inventory status real time and prevent stock- out situations. Loyalty card members get shopping carts loaded with PSAs which contain mobile computers and screens on the handle bar. It contains information on their recent purchases. PSAs will communicate with local wireless LAN servers to upload shopping preferences and even have customized marketing messages. PSAs have a barcode scanner attached with it. They simply give this terminal at the counter where the bill is printed. Members walk-out with the shopping cart, no need to offload the items to the conveyor belt.
Cynics also blame us for seeing too much into the future. But, there is data to prove this otherwise. What's interesting is the feedback from customers on such an experience.
Look at the results:
- 30% more customers visit the store
- Number of regular customers increased from 30% to 43%
- 54% said they were satisfied. Up from 20% before these changes were done
Surely, this is what the future innovation in retailing is going to be made of. Such and similar technologies will definitely transform the customer experience. It is the only a question of using them imaginatively.