Getting noticed on the Web - BedTimes

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FactoryDirect When shoppers are armed—with smart phones How to use the technology to your advantage By Barbara Nelles By year-end, it’s expected that half of all Americans will own a smart phone. Many of them will use those phones to research product features, compare prices and look for good deals—and they’ll want to do that while standing in the mattress showroom of your factory direct. STORES magazine has labeled 2011 the year of “searchandizing” because consumers increasingly bring technology into the store with them and are continuing their research on a store’s products and doing price comparisons from store to store on the spot. The mobile Web—which includes smart phones, tablets like iPads and other hand-held devices—is adding new convenience, a sense of fun and a mandate for a seamless shopping experience from home to store to mobile device. Mobility also is adding convenience to the many stages of shopping. In the “old days,” say 2008, consumers researched a product online then went to a brick-and-mortar store to make a purchase. “Today’s path to purchase is no longer centered on the store,” says Laura Davis-Taylor, vice president of global retail strategy at Retail Media Consulting Inc. in Atlanta. “If you look at how people shop now, there’s preshopping—online research and consulting your network. There’s the in-store experience where you test the product. There’s the purchase, whether it’s in-store or online. And then there’s post-shopping—you get the product home, use it, reflect on it and share with your friends and network your impressions.” In a panel discussion at the Na- www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes tional Retail Federation’s Big Show in January, retail consultant Pratik Pal of Tata Consultancy Services in New York explained how mobile apps will allow consumers to merge their in-store and out-of-store shopping with a “universal cart” they take with them wherever they go; help improve the in-store experience by providing additional information, product location and product reviews; provide more customer relation management insights; and give new tools to sales associates. It’s all very complicated—and getting more so by the day. But consumers don’t seem to mind. In fact, 56% of smart phone owners say these devices make shopping more enjoyable, according to a 2010 study by global consultancy Accenture. A whopping 73% of smart phone owners would rather use their phone to handle simple tasks in a store than interact with an employee. Many major U.S. retailers have created their own smart phone apps and sites. They are feeding shoppers coupons, recommendations and advice personalized to a shopper’s preferences as she walks through a store. What is a factory direct with only a handful of locations to do? Consider arming your employees with handheld devices, tablets or smart phones that will enable them to be as knowl- A whopping 73% of smart phone owners would rather use their phone to handle simple tasks in a store than interact with an employee. edgeable and helpful as possible. In Disney stores, associates are equipped with a modified iPod Touch, allowing them to complete transactions anywhere in the store and assist shoppers with the entire 5,000 SKU inventory. At Home Depot, associates now have hand-held devices that act as smart phones, walkie-talkies, inventory management tools and mobile credit card readers. At the winter Las Vegas Market, iPads and smart phones were just beginning to make supporting-role appearances in a handful of mattress manufacturers’ showrooms, with prototype apps for product education and brand messaging. Factory directs can anticipate more mobile support apps from vendors in the future. Factory directs can employ QR or “quick response” codes in your showrooms. These graphic barcodes, which can be deployed on print materials as well as screen media, are beginning to play an important role in retailing. Best Buy has added them to every shelf-edge label. Simmons Bedding Co. claims to be the first mattress major in the United States to BedTimes | April 2011 | 15
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