Page 63 - Images Retail January 2018

IN FOCUS

they make the pre-purchase nutrition plans or laundry Omnichannel presence higher convenience in all
stage less transactional and pick-up services, or even in order to be available at parts of the journey and with
focus on providing customers one step further in off ering every customer touch point, the aid of technology, retailers
with exposure to their product personalised food plans based whether it is online/offl ine. are off ering faster and more
or service in physical locations. seamless experience in the
Th ese retailers take a longer- checkout stage. For example,
term approach to making Perpule 1Paya mobile app,
a sale instead of relying on enables mobile app based
volume. For example, Zivame self-checkouts and queue
a leading online lingerie store management solutions for
launched its fi rst fi tting room offl ine stores which enables
store, to bridge the gap and the consumer to transact
provide consumers with the seamlessly.
touch and feel of the product.
Launched in Bengaluru, the Last Mile Re-imagined
store allows women to come Th e consumers’ quest to
and get themselves fi tted for shorten and simplify the
the right measurements and shopping journey, provides
then place the order online, at a great opportunity for the
the store. last mile. Th eir willingness
to spend money to save
Instant Gratification Blended store format off ered by FreshMenu through their off line store at Kempegowda time drives innovation. Th e
International Airport, Bengaluru.
With information available openness and fl exibility that
at the touch of a button, on genetic testing. Companies Value For Money the internet age has ushered
consumers expect answers such as, HealthifyMe off er For most consumers, value in translates well to the new,
quickly and easily to satisfy personalised meal plans, for money means looking ever-changing reinvention.
their ever-changing needs. weight-loss coaching and for low prices, however, with Companies such as Flipkart
Traditionally, the gratifi cation even customise solutions for increasing disposable income and Amazon are off ering
of the shopping experience consumers on individual basis. this viewpoint has evolved. products at dedicated pick-
would occur in-store after Today’s urban consumer is up centres. Th is convenient
a customer had decided Blended Store Formats looking a quality of products service adds to the array
upon a purchase and Gone are the day of “stack along with durability and of options available to the
leaves the store with the it high and watch it fl y” are willing to spend that consumer, to simplify the last
product/service. Consumers philosophy, stores can no extra buck. Some of the best mile of the shopping journey.
now have a diff erent longer looked at like self- retailers manage to off er high In conclusion, the
expectation throughout the service warehouse. Greater quality goods alongside the framework for Shopping
buying process; they have consumer engagement price competitive. Th e Future Reinvented Mega trend
expectations from customer enabled by technology also Group announced their Retail and its sub-trends allows
service even before a purchase provides opportunities 3.0 plan to include opening companies to identify and
is made. For example Dunzo, for creative new models 10,000 member-only easy day evaluate various areas, which
an app based personal to thrive. Selling via social store. Th ese stores will off er a can be developed further by
assistant, off ers services like media and social messaging higher discount on a variety infusing the brand experience
product purchase and pickup/ (s-commerce), internet- of products with the added in order to connect with the
drop exemplifi es this trend by enabled subscription convenience of ordering customer.
off ering instant response to programmes, pop-up through applications such as Each ‘stage’, ‘node’ can be
service query even before the shops and other innovative Whatsapp. assessed in isolation and
money is spent. methods off er ways to measured. A company may
tailor the transaction to the Seamless Checkout only need to target one or
Personalisation product being sold and to Checkout is the last stage of two ‘nodes’ to achieve an
Given the evolution of the consumer. For example, the purchase stage, and lesser enhanced brand experience
the shopper, Brands are online food delivery platform the time spent more valuable and customer engagement.
searching for new ways to FreshMenu opened its it is for today’s consumer. However, it does work best
engage with consumers fi rst offl ine restaurant at Smart phones are becoming to consider the shopping
and build brand loyalty, of the international airport in a must-have device for journey holistically. In my
which a growing number is Bengaluru. Th e 70-seater many and slowly the default opinion, we have seen that
through personalisation. Th is restaurant and all-day cafe screen for brand engagement companies that are good at
personalisation could be in is following the trend of B2C and digital commerce Omnichannel engagement do
the form of a service such as online start-ups creating transactions. Consumers seek this better than others.

JANUARY 2018 | IMAGES RETAIL | 63