INTELLIGENT MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
Analytics
The adoption of smartphones gives
retailers an opportunity to leverage
their existing Wi-Fi network to extract
actionable location data. In-store
experiences are dramatically improved
through the adoption of the most
advanced location-based solutions that
allow for an array of analytics. This results
in better customer experiences as well as
operational effectiveness.
For example, a customer would be
frustrated when after joining a loyalty
programme, they discover a favorite
product is always missing from the
aisle. With analytics from your loyalty
application, you can focus attention on
items your best customers purchase to
keep them stocked.
By providing visualisations, dwell
times and other metrics, analytics can
tell you whether temporary displays are
attracting purchases, or are an annoying
traffic impediment, so you can take
appropriate action. Clearly, the faster an
underperforming display gets remediated,
the faster sales get made. Longer term,
visualising what works best, in which
locations and at what time of year, can
help you replicate successes to maximise
daily and seasonal sales. Beyond the
personalisation and relevance benefits,
here is yet another reason to deploy
Bluetooth Low Energy enabled location-
ready infrastructure: You can rapidly take
advantage of new experience innovations
already in the pipeline to keep you ahead
of your competition.
Navigation
Map-enabled, indoor, turn-by-turn
navigation via a customer’s mobile
application is swiftly becoming a
competitive differentiator as customers
can get easily frustrated when looking for
particular retail outlet in a massive mall
for example. A frustrating experience
could be the ultimate deal-breaker.
Find-a-Friend
More sophisticated location solutions
go further by offering assistance
empowerment, also known as location
defined text. If the associate is occupied,
they can respond with an availability
estimate while also suggesting the
consumer continue shopping because the
associate can find them.
With location-based services, all
employees – including minimally-trained
seasonal workers – can quickly assist
customers or restock goods, minimising
two perennial productivity drains.
When an associate needs help, find-a-
friend works the same way for them.
Reducing these types of frictions can also
significantly lower employee frustration,
leading to less turnover and improved
brand affinity. Moving forward, location
awareness will be key to other innovations,
such as deploying bots for shelf scanning.
Ahmed Ibrahim Mohamed, SE Manager
Aruba, HPE.
By providing
visualisations,
dwell times and
other metrics,
analytics can
tell you whether
temporary
displays are
attracting
purchases,
or are an
annoying traffic
impediment.
sharing. With this capability, customers
can consult your shopping application
to visually find nearby associates if they
want help. Clicking an associate’s icon
enables sending that individual a pre-
Asset Tracking
The latest location-based solutions offer
specialised sensors for tracking high-value
items and inventory, ranging from carts
and ladders to POS devices and pallets of
goods. Easy-to-use mobile applications
ensure that staff can quickly configure
asset tags and then locate the physical
assets within an indoor location.
Here is an example of how asset
tracking is helpful. When customers
encounter an empty merchandise slot,
they frequently consult an associate and
learn the item just arrived. Then, your
associate walks the length of the store,
where they are confronted with several
possible pallets. Equipping pallets with an
asset tracking sensor enables associates
to pull up a goods list for each pallet and
retrieve the wanted item, rather than
returning to the customer a dozen minutes
later empty handed.
This is just one-way asset tags can
assist with personalised and relevant
customer service. Others include quickly
locating a ladder to get items off of a
shelf or finding a cart capable of handling
bulky merchandise.
Beyond these applications, location-
based services can offer many more
benefits. In addition to staying competitive
today, deploying such infrastructure will
reap rewards as innovations evolve for
years to come.
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