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What are the customer experience trends grocers should be adapting to and avoiding in 2021?
Customer Experience
What’s next for the in-store experience?
Martyn Jones, Director, VoCoVo, explores the customer experience trends grocers should be adapting to and ditching in 2021.
RETAIL sales in Ireland were surprisingly healthy in 2020 despite challenging trading conditions. In October, retail sales rose 8.1% year-on-year, despite all non-essential shops being told to close. Yet declining footfall and the rise of online shopping means grocers must take a fresh look at the instore experience to address this new balance. So, what is next for the in-store experience, and what positive steps can grocers take? With footfall declining but sales figures showing strength, grocers need to adopt a multi-channel approach to continue being of value to shoppers. Becoming a multi-channel store means blending the online and the offline channels and bringing the benefits of online shopping in-store. This can include instant assistance when you need it, easy access to product information and faster service.
Building the multi-channel grocery store
Typical elements in a multi-channel store include online ordering in-store, mobile payments and interactive kiosks. But grocers shouldn’t solely focus on the customer-facing technologies. Successful connected retailers should also consider how connected their staff are with the store itself and with each other. The new blend of online and instore shopping calls for a connected ecosystem of shoppers, staff and systems. This includes connecting staff to make smarter decisions, integrating CCTV with alerts to warn of an influx of customers, and connecting smart shelves so staff can restock efficiently. All of this can be enabled with voice communication technology that connects systems across the store, including staff communication, customer services, workforce management, inventory, and security systems. Staff wearing lightweight headsets can liaise with each other to get instant answers to customer queries. Colleagues can also receive security alerts from smart security devices or from each other, and stock that needs replenishing or products that have been requested by a customer can be brought out from the stock room in an instant without the customer being kept waiting.
Mastering click-and-collect
Click-and-collect is a growing trend, with PwC reporting last year that 17% of shoppers in Ireland had used click-andcollect services and 44% of millennial shoppers were expected to buy this way. These figures are likely to have grown during the pandemic as responsible shoppers strive to get in and out of stores quickly. The trend could also grow more throughout 2021 if those who have switched to click-and-collect during the pandemic have been impressed by the speed and convenience of a service
Self checkout is now a staple of many retail grocery outlets.
that saves them the time of traversing the entire store to stock up on their weekly groceries. As the same PwC report points out, 47% of Irish shoppers said that they expect to quickly and conveniently navigate stores. Clearly, click-and-collect presents grocers with a growing opportunity to fulfil changing customer expectations. Yet executing this service successfully requires more efficient operations to cope with the demand. Whether a store has space for a new collections desk or not, click-and-collect can be facilitated in a seamless manner using call points and keypads. These can be placed on standard checkouts, self-service checkouts, customer service desks and click-and-collect counters, allowing staff to quickly and discreetly communicate to have collection items brought out to the customer with minimal delay. Enabling click-and-collect can also entail moving workers from other areas of the store to pick click-and-collect items from the stockroom or shopfloor and serve at the collection counter. This is where grocers can benefit from smart workforce planning. Software that connects popular workforce planning apps to in-store voice communication technology can streamline workforce planning to cover all in-store services, including click-and-collect. The software converts task notifications generated by the planning apps such as ‘switch from stocking fresh produce to manning the collections desk’ into instant voice notifications and alerts they can access in real time while they’re working.
Time to get experiential?
Experiential retail is seen as another growing trend. Also known as ‘retail theatre’, experiential sees retailers offer entertaining experiences that go beyond the traditional shopping experience and inject a ‘wow factor’ in a bid to increase footfall and keep customers in stores for longer. The redevelopment of Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre in Dublin is expected to include an experiential element. Many retailers will have flirted with technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to enhance the customer experience, but for grocers it will be wiser to swap disruptive tech and get back to basics. Retailers across all categories need to shift towards implementing more critical technologies, such as those that provide real measurable value, including improving staff efficiency and enhancing operations. With customers spending more time online and less in-store browsing, making the most of reduced contact time will be crucial. This is where connected voice communication technology again shows its value, providing more direct channels to staff with exceptional product knowledge and enabling a fully connected workforce that can respond to customers more rapidly.
Food for thought
2020 has been challenging for everyone but it’s been particularly demanding for staff in the grocery sector working on retail’s frontline. In-voice communication technology doesn’t just streamline in-store operations and improve the customer experience, it can also elevate staff morale. Being able to chat while you work with colleagues working in other parts of the store can be a significant morale booster and in-turn this can help stores to become happy and productive environments that shoppers and staff can enjoy collectively.
Customer Experience
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
MARTYN Jones is a Director at VoCoVo, where he is responsible for growing the company’s partnerships, alliances and customer base, as well as expanding its presence across core markets in the UK, EMEA and North America. Martyn joined VoCoVo in October 2018 and has been instrumental in the growth of the business and its global portfolio of clients, including Tesco, TGI Fridays, TK Maxx, Aldi, Metro bank and Halfords. Prior to VoCoVo, Martyn was a freelance business consultant, working with both large corporates and early stage start-ups. He also worked for Solverboard as Head of Sales, Marketing and Product, and for Cyklop International as Business Development Director.
