I'm sure you've been there. You're in the changing room but the shirt or skirt doesn't fit. The member of staff is attentive but busy. Do you hang around half dressed, or put your clothes back on and try to find the right size in the store? Or maybe you cut your losses and leave?

Consumers want to enjoy world-class shopping experiences. Technology is playing an increasing part in delivering this with smart mirrors and Augmented Reality (AR) already making their mark.

Retailers are investing in AR apps that allow us to try on clothes virtually on our phones. In a blurring of online and bricks and mortar, smart mirrors are being introduced in more stores. These AR interactive displays allow shoppers to call up different sizes, colours and try on outfits.

If they're happy with what they see, all they need to do is press a button and the items will be waiting for them at the counter. If the store doesn't have their size or colour, no problem, they'll have the item sent to their home address.

Improving the Retail experience

Luxury retailers continuously add value to their offering, pushing the boundaries further on what they mean to their customers. Our Retail partners talk passionately about this whenever we meet.

Having spent months engaging their customers from the comfort of their sofas, retailers are looking for ways to deliver seamless personalised experiences.

They're adding even more theatre so they dazzle their customers when they visit stores to try on new clothes, watches and jewellery.

Technology and amazing staff are a winning formula

When we're in-store, we’re increasingly expecting more from staff. Many of us now want staff to act as guides; after all we’ll have done the research online first.

This is a great opportunity for retailers to up-skill their staff so they can talk us through the technology, especially where we’re using innovations like smart mirrors for the first time.  

To do this, you can enhance the capabilities of your team through training. We work with many of our partners to deliver an award-winning international selling programme that helps them drive higher levels of customer satisfaction and ultimately sales.

Our payments technology automatically recognises international shoppers and lets them pay in the currency of their choice. This personalised transaction is really appreciated by customers who like the transparency.

We’re also able to provide shoppers with a seamless personalised experience which automatically recognises their eligibility for a VAT refund and the level of discount.

We can unify payments and offer an immediate VAT refund – there and then, onto the shopper’s card or wallet.

Use data to increase revenue

Retailers value as many insights they can work with and act on.

With the benefit of accessing over one billion transactions a year, our analysts produce actionable insights that help our partners.

We work with our partners on an exclusive basis providing monthly reports and hosting regular webinars. In any business it’s important to see how well you’re doing compared with your competitors, so we also provide industry benchmarks and tell you about market trends.

We can help you discover the nationalities of your top shoppers and where there are opportunities to generate additional revenue. You can also identify your most loyal customers, how many times they visit your stores and where else they are going. Plus, data analysis can help you decide on the best locations for new stores and assist you with inventory planning.