Store associates in digital era
Is there a place for an associate in a store empowered by technologies? Or maybe self-service kiosks and robots will be the only store representatives facing the customer in a few years?
Store associate role
Store associates have always had one mission — to help customers make a purchase decision. Previously, a friendly smile, a couple compliments and a few details on product advantages were enough to give customers confidence. Now these are not.
As an omnichannel retail evolves, it brings more stages of the decision making and more points of contact between a customer and a retailer. A person can now come to the store to see the product, talk to the consultant, then go home to read reviews and testimonials from other customers on the Internet. After that, he can find the best price for this product and make an order using his smartphone during the commute. That’s why retailers have two goals: to reduce the time of decision making and to keep customers within their information ecosystem. Store associates are expected not just to facilitate purchase decisions but to help make it quickly.
How purchase decisions are made
People take decisions basing their emotions rather than facts and logic. But it’s never comfortable to admit it to yourself. Therefore, anyone is looking for a rational explanation of their choice. A purchase decision is also done in two stages: an emotional impulse and a rational approval.
Consultants can be useful in both phases. At first, they might interest the client, in order to swing the emotional pendulum to the purchase side. And then, when the irrational part of the customer already wants to have a product, they need to show him why this purchase is a good deal.
When the selection was small, and there wasn’t much information about products and brands, it was easy to make purchase decisions. Now a quantity of information involved in the purchase process has increased dramatically. Therefore, decisions making has become more difficult — it is necessary to process all available pieces of information and to weed out the relevant ones.
Why empowering shop assistants matter
In traditional brick-and-mortar stores, there is a lack of information for decision-making. Customers got used to the services they get online: they can read full information about the products, watch video reviews, compare products, see recommendations, track their orders etc. What’s an excuse to the fact that they can’t get these services in-store? Benefits of the two worlds merged together can create a flawless shopping experience as it was when there was only one sales channel. To fix this, store associates need tools that will enable them to:
- tell products availability both online and in-store;
- know the closest store where a needed item is available;
- show products description, tech specs, features;
- show videos and customer reviews;
- give product recommendations for accessories, compatible products or replacement items;
- let order items that are not available in-store;
- make address delivery for the items bought in-store;
- know customers’ orders history by their phone number or e-mail;
- know the status of orders made online.
Is there a way for an associate to accomplish these tasks without technology? Only if it’s an ice-cream van.
Self-service?
When customers go for assistance in-store, they prefer their own device. That’s because this is often the only source of information available to them while shopping. If associates or digital kiosks could provide necessary information, they would probably meet customers’ needs.
Today, when customers come to the store, they are often more aware of the product than consultants. They have already read customers testimonials and know what problems may occur with the product during its usage, they have read experts’ reviews and know their point of view. Consultants know only manufacturers instructions and an opinion of their own.
People tend to prefer self-service as machines start providing a better service than associates can do. In-store machines can make some shopping routines faster: accepting preorders, making returns, checkout and payments etc. But self-service doesn’t work well when some empathy or subjective expertise is needed. That’s why digital ordering kiosks replace cashiers at McDonald’s but can’t replace waiters at your favorite restaurant.
Will customers’ smartphones replace store associates?
Customers use their mobile in-store to find information about a product, read reviews and check the prices at other stores. Why is it that bad?
- Firstly, it means that there is not enough information in the store. A first step to avoid showrooming is to bring products information in-store.
- If a retailer doesn’t sell unique goods and doesn’t show any added value to a customer, then it makes no sense for a customer to buy from his store. A customer will find another retailer with a lower price instead.
- Lastly, a retailer has no control over information that customers browse on their smartphones. Therefore, they neither control customers’ experience while making their purchase decision that way.
There is no need to fight smartphones usage and showrooming effects. Retailers need to determine the true causes and fix them:
- Bring detailed products and brand information to the store to bring more confidence in purchase decision-making.
- Show customers their value proposition and why their store or brand matter.
- Control the information that customers get in-store to ensure the best shopping experience. If a retailer doesn’t control this information, it’s someone else who does.
If these issues are solved, there’s no need to worry about smartphones.
Resume
While technology is coming to the store, the decision-making nature is not changing. Owners of brick-and-mortar stores need to admit that they don’t provide some services that are now crucial for decision-making and can be obtained online. They need to empower their employees with digital tools so they could close the gap between the digital and physical shopping experience.
PS: What about robots in-store? As long as a human performs better than a machine in terms of customer service, any technology will be there just to empower store employees. For the moment, robots are nothing more than digital toys that bring some wow-effect to customers. But as soon as robots go beyond preset answers and reactions and give more conscious advice, store assistants need to look for another role in-store.
Please, share your thoughts on how store associates can be more helpful to the digitalized customer. And don’t forget to subscribe not to miss our next article “Pop-up retail done right”.
