Drive sales with clienteling and smart POS

With customers demanding a more personal shopping experience, clienteling allows retailers to take that personalised service to the next level. Shoppers want face to face interactions in store but with the convenience, efficiency, and recommendations they’ve enjoyed online.

Smart POS terminals allow retailers to not only offer this, but they also redefine the role of the retail associate. Equipped with comprehensive shopper data, associates can develop a 360 view of the customer while simultaneously developing more sophisticated, long-term relationships that increase spend, volume and loyalty. At the same time, associates can also gain new insights, which can be fed into CRM systems.

Research shows that 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalised experiences.

Unlimited inventories mean never having to say “no”

There’s no greater frustration than losing a sale because an item was unavailable. Thanks to the visibility integrated inventory management systems provide, associates can now say ‘yes’ more often than ever before.

With a clear picture of all available inventory, shoppers can create the cart they want, regardless of where the items are located. As such, products can be purchased from anywhere; in-store, other stores, warehouses or online, facilitating a fluid and connected customer journey across all virtual and physical touchpoints. Aligned to this, products can be picked up at the store closest to them or alternatively, they can choose to have them delivered to their door.

Consumers are embracing new ways to shop

The pandemic created enormous demand for new ways to shop and to pay, and yet despite the easing of restrictions, removing friction from the shopping experience remains a key expectation of today’s customer.

The acceleration of Click and Collect has been marked. In the EU 43% of consumers have used the service. The figure is even higher in the UK because more retailers offer it. Consumers like the option to check online if an item is available in a local store. They can then buy it if they wish and collect in store, sometimes in a matter of minutes. 

Click and Collect, along with Click and Reserve and Click and Deliver, open up a retailer’s entire inventory to customers and supports online conversion rates. In addition, it generates greater in-store footfall, allowing for up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. We’re also seeing that product returns are falling with Click and Collect, which is another important factor for any business keen to cut its carbon footprint due to deliveries and returns.

More personalised payments

When it comes to paying, we know that shoppers want greater control. The best way to achieve this is through personalised checkouts. For example, if a shopper has worked with an associate to fill their cart with a mixture of online and in-store items they’ll expect to pay with a single transaction. 

Customers want to pay with their preferred method; card, digital wallet or increasingly Pay by Link. Ensuring the payment moment is as convenient as possible is crucial but recognising the upsell and cross-sell opportunity this provides is also important. 

The aim is connected commerce, where software, payments and technology deliver a consistent, convenient and richer personalised experience. This goes beyond omni-channel and unified commerce. At Planet we want to deliver, ‘feel-good connected commerce” based on a true understanding of the customer journey.

As Dale Carnegie pointed out all those years ago, taking an interest and showing you care “can” win you new friends.

https://www.epsilon.com/us/about-us/pressroom/new-epsilon-research-indicates-80-of-consumers-are-more-likely-to-make-a-purchase-when-brands-offer-personalized-experiences