Picture this. It’s time for your weekly shop at the supermarket. You grab a trolley and put your smartphone, (containing your shopping list), in the docking device attached to the handlebar.
Based on your shopping history, you receive alerts with discount vouchers for items that you want. You’re directed to the shelf for each product and given an option to compare prices. Your phone notifies you of a product sampling you’ll love down aisle three, and as you place your items in the trolley, discounts are applied and your total updates. You breeze through checkout; scanning and paying with your smartphone.
Okay, so this scenario is fictional, but it is not that far from reality.
As part of its mission to reduce the time it takes to do our grocery shopping, Sainsbury’s has created an app that lets shoppers scan items at the shelf and pay for them via their smartphone.
Users create an online shopping list prior to visiting their local store and once there, the app directs them to each of the items on their list. They then scan the barcodes of the items and place them straight into a shopping bag.
When the customer has finished shopping, they pay using their smartphone, eliminating the need to wait in a queue at the checkout.
Mobile Shopping
The way we shop has evolved rapidly in recent years. With the advent of click and collect, location based apps, and augmented reality, we are seeing the development of a new kind of retail experience which merges social, digital and physical shopping.
Another way that retailers are utilising digital innovation in the retail space is with digital signage. This is making a big splash in the fast food business, with brands such as Dunkin Donuts and Wetzels Pretzels replacing their in-store static signs with engaging, animated digital menu boards.
Not only can digital menu board technology drive sales and customer loyalty through relevant and compelling content, it can increase operational efficiency by improving the speed of service and order accuracy.
People often talk about technology being the ‘death of the high street’, but that is a dangerous and frankly foolish assertion to make. People like shopping online, but they also like going to the local high street. It’s the combination of the two that offers the best shopping experience.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
