TROLLEY USING IPAD

Digital is Transforming How We Shop

Food shopping is something we all have to do, but can it be better?

In many ways, it’s already improving and becoming more convenient for shoppers. Supermarkets are rolling out pick-up services let busy professionals place orders ahead of time, and grab their food on the way home from work. And if you don’t have time to pickup food, most supermarkets have a delivery service you can enlist!

In-store, we’re starting to see more integrated digital technology solutions and secure touchpoints like tablet enclosures, which help supermarkets can cross-sell services, offer personalized deals, guide shoppers around the store and increase sales.

Interesting initiatives are popping up in supermarkets worldwide, here’s what we can expect to see more of in the future:

Getting personal💚💚

You walk through your local Waitrose, shopping list at the ready. Instead of pulling a crumpled piece of paper, you have your shopping list pulled up on your mobile device. Your usual items have been saved in a handy app, along with extra items you’ve added for the week.

As you approach the bakery aisle there’s a notification on your phone reminding you to buy bread, and lucky you, a half price deal on your favourite loaf of sourdough bread.

Location-based personal offers and promotions, served up to shoppers on their smart phones have been made possible with technology like Apple’s iBeacon. While they haven’t reached their full potential, beacons are being used by select grocers to deliver geo-targeted promotions to shoppers.

Many grocers have already begun rolling out beacon technology in-store, understanding the potential for brand advertising and an improved consumer shopping experience. Expect to see more beacon adoption in the coming months.

Supermarket sweep💚

Have you ever spent ten minutes searching for an essential ingredient for your dinner, only to end up having to ask an employee for assistance?

This will become a thing of the past as way-finding apps become the GPS systems for supermarkets. Delivered via smart phones or even on tablet kiosks installed on walls or aisles, the days of search for the right items can be a hassle. Now, digital technology can step in and speed up the process.

China’s Shanghai Lotus store has been helping shoppers navigate aisles with its ‘cartsmart’ platform that’s mounted onto shopping carts via custom tablet enclosures. Paired with a free smartphone app, shopping list syncs to your device, guiding you straight to your desired items while highlighting discounts and loyalty point offers.

Accenture Interactive’s creative technology studio, Chaotic Moon is developing a similar concept, which will bring this offering to other markets. “The shopping cart is one aspect of retail that hasn’t really evolved, even though it’s still a large part of the in-store experience. That makes it a key component in bringing modern, connected technology and possibilities to retailers,” says a Chaotic Moon spokesperson. “This revolution will transform how shoppers decide what products they want, how fast they get them, and how often they buy them.”

In-aisle inspiration💚💚

Not everyone is a cooking fanatic, and even for those who are, it can be a struggle making decisions with so many options and discounts to choose from.

Digital recipe books packed with tasty ideas can provide shoppers with interactive product information and recipe inspiration, a creative way to combat choice paralysis and highlight featured items.

This is exactly what was offered to shoppers at a Brazilian supermarket in São Paulo via tablets installed on trolleys. The ‘Recipe Cart’ campaign (run by Hellman’s) used NFC readers to show shoppers how nearby ingredients could be mixed with mayonnaise to create new meals.

According to Hellman’s, the campaign saw mayo sales increase by almost 70%. Such success could take this idea beyond a branded marketing campaign to offer up thousands of recipe ideas to customers.

Stuck on a wine to compliment your chicken risotto dish? In the wine and spirits section of Waitrose, customers are invited to relax and learn more about their quality drink selection on desk mounted tablet and iPad kiosks.

The Golden Rules of supermarket super-tech😂😂😂

Don’t make the mistake of throwing digital tech into the aisle without considering the end user experience – apply these principles when integrating new technology solutions, in-store:

• Usability first – focus on ease-of-use is key; new technology must be simple, interesting and straight-forward for the end user; the aim is to make shopping easier, not more complicated
• Get permission – Clear opt-in and opt-out options for data collection ensures customers don’t leave the store disgruntled. Even with major advantages offered to willing to participate shoppers, not everyone wants to offer up their personal details and shopping habits
• Be relevant – Targeted mobile promotions should be exactly this: targeted. Being bombarded by irrelevant deals is annoying, and could deter rather than encourage buying
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• Like any retail store, supermarkets must ensure that the focus of their technology initiatives are based on transparency and clear consumer benefits.