In South Africa, where mobile penetration is around 128%, retailers who can integrate mobile into their in-store experience will most certainly reap the rewards. As these technologies continue to become more sophisticated, consumers expect increased relevance and personalisation from brands, as well as added value to the overall brand experience both inside and outside the store.
To create this experience, retailers must awaken all the senses, using strategic experiential design that includes audio, video, digital signage and even scent. The next evolution in experiential design is an interactive mobile solution that becomes an integrated and purposefully designed in-store experience.
Proprietary apps that are efficient and effective enable brands to deliver high levels of personalised information through a mobile platform. Internationally, department store Macy's has leveraged the power of mobile effectively through their own proprietary app. Consumers can receive in-store savings, manage registries, access the full online catalogue and scan in-store barcodes and QR codes for product details at their fingertips. As reward programmes continue to grow in popularity in South Africa, consider the benefits of having an app where users can keep track of their reward points.
Enhancements in the customer experience do not stop with mobile integration. There's been an explosive growth in the use of digital signage, demonstrating how businesses are using dynamic visual content to capture the attention of customers. Like audio programmes, visuals grab customers' attention and create a specific mood for the in-store experience.
However, digital signage has much stronger potential to engage and inform customers and shouldn't be limited to just in-store adverts. In addition to customised marketing signage, digital signage can be aesthetic content that is visually appealing and doesn't feature any marketing or your digital signage could display your social media dashboard. There's a whole range of possibilities for in-store video and graphics and the only limit is marketing ingenuity.
