UK shoppers are increasingly using their mobile phones in-store to research products and compare prices, and in the future new technology will help them find products on the shelves as well.
One example of this is Aisle411, a US-based company that has developed indoor mapping capabilities for retailers. The firm was recently granted a patent covering the use of voice technology through devices like smartphones to locate products in stores.
“Aisle411 has always believed that the path to purchase starts with organising the product data in the stores to make that data searchable,” explained Nathan Pettyjohn, founder and CEO of the company.
“Aisle411’s innovative approach to product data organisation, mobile device search integration, proximity technologies, advertising opportunities and new analytic tools changes how retailers and brands can better serve their customers,” added Matthew Kulig, co-founder and COO.
A survey earlier this year by marketing and technology agency DigitasLBi revealed that as many as 85% of UK consumers now use smartphones whilst in-store, and 55% claim that smartphones have changed the way they shop.
The 2015 Connected Commerce study found a significant rise in the use of connected devices, including wearables (with 17% of shoppers now owning a wearable device), and an increase in social commerce, suggesting that there is a growing onus on retailers “to personalise the shopping experience in order to boost sales”.
“Brands and retailers would be wise to take note of the fact that mobile is set to fundamentally change the retail experience,” advised Jim Herbert, CEO of the connected commerce division of DigitasLBi.
