A majority of retailers are planning to use new technologies to identify customers via their mobile devices and “other emerging technologies,” according to a recent report from BRP Consulting.
The finding comes from a synopsis of BRP’s “2017 Customer Experience/Unified Commerce Benchmark Survey”, which found that within three years, 63 percent of retailers “plan to use mobile apps to identify customers in their stores.” With the continuing ascent of mobile commerce through services like Apple Pay and PayPal, and the rising use of mobile devices in general, the survey results suggest that retailers are racing to keep up with consumers who are increasingly glued to their phones.
Elaborating on the findings, BRP suggests that stores need to find a way to bridge the online and physical worlds for customers, such as by enabling interaction with knowledgeable associates, who may be “simply human or a combination of AI and human characteristics”.
Accordingly, technological infrastructure appears to also be a key concern within the survey’s paradigm, with 76 percent of retailers planning “to enhance or replace their network within the next three years.” Commerce is going digital, even in physical stores.
Source: BRP Consulting
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