Why Retail Is Going Wi-Fi

An estimated 75% of shoppers have a Wi-Fi-enabled device with them at all times when they shop. This number is expected to rise to a whopping 90% by 2022. In other words, retail customers now expect in-store retail Wi-Fi internet to be available everywhere they go, at all times. 

In this new landscape, retailers need to stop viewing in-store Wi-Fi as a commodity and instead start treating it like a powerful tool for simplifying the shopping experience to increase sales and streamline costs. 

Here’s how you can merge offline, online and mobile to cater to the connected generation – your core customer base.

Smart Retailing Starts With Fast Wi-Fi!

“Smart retail” is a newer term that refers to a host of smart technologies designed to give the consumer a faster, safer and smarter shopping experience. 

At the heart of smart retailing is cloud-based Wi-Fi-enabled networking technology. In addition to offering simplified deployment options and increased capability, this technology also ensures your Wi-Fi guests have an optimized in-store customer experience each and every time they visit. 

Offering customers fast and reliable Wi-Fi access will keep them engaged and in your store longer, which invariably translates into more purchases. Other perks of retail Wi-Fi? It can be used to house online stores, serve as a catalog and directory for brick and mortar stores, and enable direct payment for goods and services.

Better Behavior Tracking

Retail behavior tracking can be done via a variety of mediums (apps, sites, in-store technology etc.). These mediums engage with the customer and enhance their shopping experience… all thanks to in-store Wi-Fi! 

By allowing consumers to connect to their Wi-Fi network, businesses can access a virtual treasure trove of customer information that they would otherwise not have access to. 

Among other things, retail businesses can:

• See how customers behave in-store
• Gain an in-depth knowledge of buying trends
• Access heat maps to see which areas of t store customers visit most/spend the most time

Businesses can then take this collected customer data and analytics to make smarter decisions about how they run their business, as well as develop targeted marketing initiatives that truly deliver.

Tracking Customer Engagement

Customer engagement and customer loyalty are now vital to the long-term growth and success of any retail business. Nurturing your existing customer base guarantees success now and well into the future. 

To inform their overall business strategy, however, businesses need to know exactly how their customers are engaging with their store and brand. 

Thanks to in-store Wi-Fi, this engagement can be measured through a variety of channels such as your website, social media handles, blogs, chat and third-party websites. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools to help you track customer engagement metrics and turn customers into loyal ambassadors.

Automation 

A good customer experience obviously requires smooth operations in-store, but back office functions must also be running smoothly for a seamless experience. 

The equation is simple: improved business processes lead to an improved customer experience. 

Fortunately, the increasingly sophisticated retail-specific automation technology built into today’s Wi-Fi solutions can be extended to automate back office processes. Cloud-based Wi-Fi networking technology can now take over labor-intensive tasks, repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as purchasing, accounts payable, inventory management, menu engineering and scheduling, enabling businesses to streamline their back-office processes and, in turn, enhance the overall customer experience. A net win for any business.

Flexibility 

Technology is constantly evolving, and retailers need to adapt just to remain in the game. Unfortunately, smaller retailers often don’t have the money or manpower to change their IT strategy regularly. 

A Managed Solutions Provider such as Datavalet can level the playing field by giving retailers flexible Wi-Fi solutions that can easily be customized to their specific needs and goals. By working with a managed Wi-Fi provider, you can scale your infrastructure based on technological innovations, new customer trends and your evolving situation – at any given time – without affecting software-hardware performance. 

Contact Datavalet today to find out how an expert Managed Solutions Provider can help you get the most from in-store Wi-Fi, while saving you both time and money.