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Evolving technological landscapes (whoa, calm down big words) and consumers that ‘aren’t picky’ (they just ‘know what they want’) call for a fusion of experience awareness and foresight. To keep up with the ever-expanding world of in-store tech, here’s the insider scoop on the future of superior customer experience technology (and yes, it’s kind of a huge deal).
Pop quiz. *cue the timer sound*
What percentage of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience?
Is it A. 24%, B. 68% or C. 86%?
And again.
How many buyers make impulse purchases based on personalised experiences?
Could it be A. 13%, B. 32% or C. 49%?
To find out, hang around until the end of this ar– just kidding.
It’s 86% and 49%. (Did you get them?)
…Which are two pretty terrific reasons to find out more about the future of superior customer experience technology.
No need to raise your hand – let’s dive in.
Inside, you’ll find:
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- API
- Digital Signage
- Interactivity
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what is customer experience?
Customer experience (CX) hits play the moment someone enters your store, school, seriously cool art exhibition… you get the idea. It also extends to brand assets like your promotions and advertisements in the community.
As Zendesk puts it: customer experience is “everything related to a business that affects a customer’s perception and feeling about it”.
Customer experience can be broken down into:
- Discovery – elements of surprise and delight
- Engagement – interaction with others
- Delivery – solutions personalised to the user
But it hasn’t always been this way. So to truly understand what’s coming up, first we must look into the past *twinkles fingers*. Give a little wink to the origins of customer experience. Then, uplevel intentionally, moving forward.
The History of Customer Experience
Jump on your electric scooter and zoom back to the 1850s.
Big cities sprung to life with the introduction of the modern department store.
50 years later? The world welcomed newly formed suburbs with shopping centre-lined streets, ft. specialty retailers. These new kids on the block challenged city-based department stores.
But it wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s that large discount chains (think: Kmart, and Coles, for example) entered the scene.
The 1990s saw the introduction of ecommerce, which shook up the retail space.
And today, with price comparisons so easily accessible, consumers are now willing to part with more pennies for an elevated in-store experience.
How Changing Consumer Expectations Call For Tech
As technology continues to advance, so too does the evolution of consumer expectations.
Check out a few examples of how this relates to different industries.
- In-store processes
Take a fast food restaurant, for example. 74% of consumers say an easy-to-read menu is their top priority. Not only that, but a customer experience featuring digital signage makes it feel 35% faster. Such in-store processes now not only require ease, but elevated presentation through digital inclusions, too.
- On location engagement
A museum, on the other hand (go on, give it a high five), relies on engaging visitors with informational content almost immediately. The focus here is on education, inspiration and entertainment.
- Checkout strategies
Beauty store? You’ll want inspirational graphics, short how-to videos and product placement that seamlessly blends into its surroundings like a buttery bronzer. Injecting personality and an elevated experience without in-your-face upselling is proven to work time and time again.
ICYMI: Today, consumers demand a speedy, clear and seamless checkout process. Alongside an elevated experience (no pressure). That’s where technology arrives to create superior experiences across the board.
1. application programming interface (api)
API has quickly become a hot topic in the tech and customer experience worlds.
You only have to take a peek at Netflix, Facebook and Spotify algorithms to see its powers in action.
While API has achieved significant online success, the future of CX sees it integrating with in-store customer experiences, too.
App configurations
Through configurations with POS systems, customer accounts and digital signage, API allows personalised experiences to be crafted in real time.
For example, when integrated with apps, API provides insights into online product views, customer search terms and purchase histories. This can be designed to then automate personalised welcome messages, for example, when the customer walks back into the store after a length of time apart.
Cashierless stores
Relying solely on API, Amazon’s cashierless stores encourage browsers to ‘just walk out’. This technology tracks items and charges the customer’s bank account as they leave the store. With stores continuing to open across the globe, is this the future of retail experiences?
2. software
Digital signage software continues to innovate alongside consumer demands.
After all, that’s why existing features in leading digital signage software (like content creation, quick updates for scheduling and widget integration) came on board.
These work to set the tone for your interaction through things like ambience, the presence of information and feel-goodness (yes, we made that last word up. Yes, we’re running with it).
Dynamic updating
As for the future of software, dynamic updating is on the radar of many developers, including (spoiler alert) Fusion Signage.
This allows you to update content in real-time based on surrounding factors. These could be based on inbuilt rules or triggers that interact with who walks into the store, the time of day or weather events – just for starters.
The future of tech ft. dynamic updating would no longer rely on uploading images and videos through manual scheduling. Rather, you could curate content based on a series of rules and triggers. And it’s closer than you may think.
Automatic content creation
With the way the world’s going (and developer talents), the automatic creation of content is edging closer on tech horizons.
In the not-too-distant future, expect fewer steps to go live with strategic digital signage based on expertise and digital signage best practice – on your behalf.
For example, simply select your inputs (like screen location, time of day, images or videos) and your screen will *ping!* with digital signage content specific to your tailored inputs. Watch this space!
3. interactivity
Interactivity is an upcoming trend in Australia and New Zealand across retail stores, museums and art galleries through installation pieces. All in the name of creating superior customer experiences through technology.
With electronic systems that create a communication channel between user and tech, limitless potential for interactive experiences arises. The most popular up-and-coming interactivity is in touchscreen digital signage.
Check out the following videos to see interactivity in action.
the future of superior customer experiences calls for innovation from your business, company or store. the best time to get in flow with these changes was yesterday. the next best time is now (like, right now).
Did this piece change your perceptions of CX? As Australia’s friendliest digital signage CMS, we invite you to share with others who may find this useful, too.
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