A new survey of Australian consumers by Manhattan Associates has shown that tailoring the experience, sharing product advice and checking stock availability could help retail store associates get the edge on online shopping.
The survey, conducted by Manhattan Associates, showed that shoppers are increasingly frustrated that their in-store shopping experience doesn’t match the quality of their experience online.
While the majority of consumer acknowledged the importance of the store associate in achieving a good shopping experience, 73 per cent felt that they knew more about the products and services in store than the people who work there. Personalisation is also clearly a high priority, with 63 per cent saying they would interact more with a shop assistant if their experience was tailored.
Raghav Sibal, managing director, Manhattan Associates ANZ, said consumer expectations are higher than ever.
“Consumers have come to rely on their own technology-assisted resourcefulness to make more informed purchase decisions, which makes the store assistant look increasingly redundant when they aren’t equipped with the same,” he said.
“Retailers also need to ensure assistants have the right skills to engage with customers – both soft people skills and specific technology skills to deliver a new level of personal experience.”
The results also showed despite the convenience of online shopping, the touch-and-feel factor is still a strong motivator, with 78 per cent of consumers shopping in-store rather than online for this reason.
And when consumers do get in store, store associates can add most vale by checking stock availability and providing product advice – considered by 33 per cent and 38 per cent of consumers respectively as the most important aspect of the store assistant’s role.
There are also quite marked differences between age groups, with the over 65s valuing the store associate most, but the Millenials being most responsive to personalisation, with 74 per cent saying they would interact with the store associate more with a personalised experience compared to 63 per cent of over 65s.
