Top retailers using data to enhance shopping experience

There are a number of retailers that are leading the way and showing consumers what they can expect from the next generation of customer satisfaction.

The increase in popularity of online shopping has made it more convenient for people to purchase exactly what they want at any time of the day. While this may be great for consumers, it has forced retailers to step up their game to ensure that customers continue to visit their stores instead of buying things online. Studies have shown that the vast majority of purchases are made in physical stores despite the rise of digital commerce. However, retailers are facing increased competition, and they are beginning to make the shift towards focusing more on relationships with customers in order to retain their loyalty.

Savvy retailers are using technology in order to get the most information that they can about customers and this to help people make their buying experience more individually customized. They do this utilizing data that they gather about customer purchases and interpret it to assist them in making future buying decisions. In addition, they leverage current technology like self-service screens and sensors to optimize their interactions with shoppers. There are a number of retailers that are leading the way and showing consumers what they can expect from the next generation of customer satisfaction.

Sephora

This makeup brand has been disrupting the market since it launched in the late 1990's. Its current offerings include a augmented reality apps for mobile devices and virtual beauty makeovers. The company has also recently opened the Sephora Innovation Lab that it uses to create and test new ideas related to customer experience. Sephora has recently developed a makeup tool that is able to analyze a customers face to find the best products for them to use. They also plan to integrate iBeacons into their stores that can give shoppers personalized recommendations, event updates and offers. In addition, the company has launched a service called Sephora Flash that allows regular customers to get discounts on shipping for product reorders.

Kate Spade

Kate Spade is a fashion apparel and accessory company that has been leading the retail industry in innovation in recent years. They have a significant social media following and conduct research to determine the type of advertising and communications that their customers respond to best. In addition, the company is one of the first to utilize digital pop-up shops. These are interactive windows placed inside of empty retail stores that customers can use to browse their product line and place orders that are later delivered by a messenger. 

Neiman Marcus

This retailer has created the SoLoMo app that allows sales personnel and customers to connect with each other in ways that were not possible in the past. It utilizes sensors to track shoppers as they move around the store, and the app can give people personalized information about things like promotions, new products, events and whether their preferred sales representatives are currently at the store. People can also use the app to scan products for more information, and sales associates get access to things like a customer's favorite items, purchase history and Facebook photo.

Target

Target has been analyzing information about customer behavior and purchases for a long time, and they have recently begun the move to utilize tools from big data. The company has launched an app that now receives a significant amount of their online traffic during the holidays.

SportCheck

The largest sports retailer in Canada is widely know for incorporating technology into their store displays. SportCheck also offers customers many different personalized services that include Oakley and Reebok kiosks in stores that let people design their own customized sunglasses and shoes.

Walgreens

Walgreens is leading the way for drugstores in the digital era. Over half of the traffic that their website sees comes from mobile devices, and they have an app that allows people to do things like order printed photos and transfer and refill prescriptions. In addition, the retailer has a program that lets customers order things online and pick them up at their local store.

IKEA

IKEA has made waves with an app that features augmented reality and image recognition. This allows people to go through their entire catalog and get full 360 degree views of their product line. Shoppers are also able to see exactly what their home will look like with a new piece of IKEA furniture in it and select sizes and colors that match other things in the room.

TopShop

One of the leading clothing retailers in the U.K., TopShop has implemented a number of new technologies that add to the shopping experience. They have created a virtual fitting room app that lets people see exactly what they would look like wearing specific pieces of clothing, and they worked with Google to let customers buy a number of the garments featured at London Fashion Week instantly.

Bonobos

Bonobos began as an online fashion store, and their physical locations do not actually contain the products that the company offers. Instead, they function as showrooms and places that customers can go to get fashion advice from experts. This allows the company to both create a hybrid shopping experience where everything is delivered to customers' homes and optimize the space that they have available by only displaying a small number of items.

Related shopping malls and stores:

Neiman Marcus

Kate Spade

Sephora

Target

Topshop

IKEA

Bonobos

Walgreens

More about shopping malls in the USA