Assisted Shopping-The New Age Shopping Experience

Scientific inventions and technological advancement has transformed modern society. Personal interaction has been replaced by chatting online, the meeting place being cyber space rather than a room, market or home. Cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are constant companions and hence provide the means to stay connected at every point in time. They place a world of information at our fingertips and allow us to find what we want when we want it. The world’s leading retailers have also realized the phenomenal potential of the Internet and the power of the cyber market and how it is helping businesses expand. Ecommerce is helping rewrite the rules for profitable businesses and the world’s largest retailers are eyeing a chunk of this business as well. But online shopping is unable to give the customer a “feel” of the product she is buying, and there are thousands of customers who prefer to see before buying. This is why the traditional market place will always have takers and retail stores will continue to function. The ideal solution then is a blend of ecommerce and retail stores. Hence retailers are making an attempt to bring all the benefits of ecommerce to the local retail stores in the market place. This is being made possible by an investment of millions of dollars in newer technologies which are being referred to as Assisted Shopping. Assisted shopping is based on a very simple concept but requires the use of highly advanced technology to develop the idea. It provides the retailer with the opportunity to interact with the customer from the time she steps into the shop, offering suggestions and advice, discounts, coupons and offers. The customer benefits by getting the best deals and the retailer is able to sell more.

The Assisted Shopping Process
The process begins as soon as the customer walks into a store and swipes her loyalty card and then checks out a wireless handheld computer. The system will instantly recognize the customer and her preferences and her buying habits at the store. As she walks down each aisle scanning and bagging each item as she goes. Once her shopping is completed, she docks the handheld computer, pays her bill and walks out, without any queues to wade through. she benefits from special offers the store may have kept for her based on her spending habits and other discounts which ensure that she returns to the store instead of going elsewhere. The process will soon see more additions to ensure that customer satisfaction increases and they remain loyal to the store. Soon the customer will be able to get the exact location of every item on her shopping list via a road map on the handheld computer and she will get to know of complimentary items or better bargains on competing brands.

Loyalty-What Every Retailer Wants
Loyalty is the most critical factor for retailers. They need to hold on to their customers and not let them move to other stores. This is possible by making the customers’ experience, enjoyable, easy, and convenient, along with bargain offers, discounts and customized suggestions. her shopping habits will also help in collecting a lot of information about her tastes and preferences, and help her save by suggesting bargains and discounted items. Also if customers did not have to wait in queues and follow the traditional checkout process they will begin to see shopping as less of a chore and this will help stores build a loyal clientele that will keep customers coming back.

How Retailers Benefit from Assisted Shopping
The retailer benefits in multiple ways. They build a loyal clientele, increases customer satisfaction, and is able to build a vast database about each customers’ tastes preferences and shopping habits. With discreet suggestions, they are able to increase the average shoppers’ basket value, open new sources of revenue, lure customers towards higher margin products, and directly interacting with customers. Retailers can also reduce the number of people working on the shop floor and the check out counters, thereby slashing their labor costs. As products leave the shelf, the staff can be notified when each item needs to be restocked, and a replacement can immediately be ordered. Efficiencies will thus be realized at every step of the retail process. This makes it a win-win solution for the retailer. It cuts labor costs, reduces front end expenses, increases margins with greater throughput and lower obsolescence. They are able to increase impulse buys, they visit the store more frequently and thus increase sales. They are also able to improve efficiency by reducing stock visibility, leverage existing technology, gather data and information and plan promotions etc on the basis of customer preferences.