Did you know that hybrid shopping is one of the significant trends listed in a new IBM trend analysisi? According to their report, customers will expect their shopping and purchase experiences to flow naturally between digital and physical locations.
Table of Contents:
What is hybrid shopping?
Challenges in hybrid shopping
How to provide a hybrid retail customer experience using technology
A short story of a hybrid retail customer and their customer journey
Benefits of using Zoho SalesIQ to improve the hybrid retail customer experience
What is hybrid shopping?
Hybrid shopping in retail means that a customer will shop using a combination of both online and offline (in-store shopping) approaches. In this day and age, this is a more convenient way for customers to shop.
Here's a real-life example. Recently, someone told their friend he got his shirt from H&M in-store after seeing their app discounts. The prices were far lower when he bought it from their store rather than shopping online (H&M's strategy to get more people to visit their store). While some people would prefer to shop online rather than visit the store, others would go the extra mile to save money. Using both online and offline means to shop is what we mean by hybrid shopping.
Another example would be a customer who uses a mobile app to order meals and picks them up in person (Buy Online Pick-up In-Store or BOPIS).
Challenges in hybrid shopping
However, the biggest challenge here is for the retailers who must provide a consistent retail customer experience offline and online.
To handle this, physical and digital elements are combined to create hybrid retail customer experiences, commonly called "phygital experiences."
How can you provide a hybrid retail customer experience using technology?
It's not just customers who are evolving and challenging businesses with their changing behaviors. Retailers are also stepping up their game while anticipating the trends of customers. We've come to an age where retailers can provide an enhanced customer experience using retail technology, thereby gaining a competitive advantage over others.
A short story of a hybrid retail customer and their customer journey:
Say I am a loyal customer of Zylker Fashion and want to buy a leather jacket from them. Every day, I use the mobile app to look for offers. Recently, Zylker Fashion began its end-of-season sale with savings of up to 70%. On my mobile app, I saw a push notification (we can do it using Zoho SalesIQ) about this offer, so I started the purchase process. I want to get the leather jacket right now after seeing that it is discounted by 65%. But regrettably, my size is out of stock.
I'm frustrated and want to know when they will restock it. I also want to buy it before this offer ends. I check the availability using the chat feature (set up using Zoho SalesIQ).
Using technological tools like our own Zoho SalesIQ for your retail business is like having a kiosk (think of a McDonald's AI drive-thru) that works seamlessly across all channels.
The chatbot (Zoho SalesIQ's chatbot is called Zobot) provides me with a prompt response that encourages me to wait patiently for further information. I happily agree when the chatbot asks to check in-store availability. Zobot confirmed its availability and assisted in pre-ordering it for me. I was thrilled and immediately provided feedback. Then I received an email about the product's availability for my size in the nearby store. I eagerly visited the store to collect my jacket. The sales rep verified my identity with OTP, and I get to pick up my jacket from the store.
Zoho SalesIQ can control the entire workflow for a customer, allowing retailers to effortlessly provide a personalized customer experience. Imagine the same journey for a million users.
Benefits of using Zoho SalesIQ to improve the hybrid retail customer experience
Check out this infographic to learn more about the advantages of using Zoho SalesIQ in the retail industry.
You can also read this blog on Customer Engagement: Online vs Offline to gain an idea of what strategies companies are adopting to provide a more cohesive experience for their customers.
References:
(i) IBM, "5 Trends for 2023," https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/report/business-trends-2023
