ABSTRACT

This articles briefly sheds light

on the ways in which technology
has impacted, either positively
or negatively, the retail
customers.

Shahnawaz Ali
(21110314)

RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND

TECHNOLOGY
Assignment No. 1
Course: Retail Management
Instructor: Sadia Raza Bukhari
QR Code and Barcode scanning
In the past, waiting in lines for the payment process to be
completed was a cumbersome job and has negatively affected
the overall shopping experience in any retail store. QR code
scanning and Barcode scanning has now reduced the waiting
time for payments manifolds. Bar code scanning ais fast,
reliable and less time consuming. Using bar codes for the payment reduces the probability of error
to be occurred to nearly zero. In the manual way of accepting cash and calculating the bill for the
goods, it is estimated that a human, on average, makes an error for every 300 characters i.e. 18
mistakes per hour.

Payment through Credit cards

Gone are the days when you had to withdraw money from
the bank, carry them in your wallet and go for a shopping.
In addition, holding cash has always been cumbersome. The
payments through credit cards has helped us to overcome
this issue. Now we can comfortably do shopping and put
anything that we want to buy in our shopping cart, and for
the payment what we have to do is just swipe our credit card and come out of the shop. However,
this way of payment through credit card has developed a negative shopping behaviour among the
customers i.e. buying things that we do not need exactly and we just buy because we are sure that
we have our credit card with us.

Mobile wallets
Mobile wallets have moved a step ahead of QR code, Bar code
scanning, and Credit cards, and has reduced the complications
involved in the payment process further at retail stores. The
significant issue that the Mobile Wallets has successfully
catered is the resistant behaviour of millennials to hold cash
with them while shopping. The millennials want everything to be done form their mobiles. Now it
is possible for us to pay through our mobile wallets at almost all big retail stores in Pakistan. Some
of the significant and well-reputed mobile wallets in Pakistan, that has revolutionized the shopping
experience of customers, are EasyPaisa, JazzCash, PayMax, and UnionPay etc.

Marketing by Retail stores and role of technology

Technology has transformed the marketing techniques of
retail stores. They have now completely shifted from
conventional marketing/advertising in newspapers,
magazines etc. to completely new and broadly accepted
marketing platforms such as billboards, TV channels and
most importantly social media platforms such as
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. These platforms are easily accessible for us and we use them
more often. The active presence and marketing/advertising on these platforms by the retailers
allow us to have information about new arrivals, sales, discounts, and availability of certain
products at the stores. In this way, most of time we are already informed about our decision of
buying a particular product rather than going to a store and then look for the products and make
decisions there.

Omni channel Retailing

Technology has enabled the retailers to proficiently implement the Omni channel retail strategy.
They are now providing a better shopping experience for the customers by intergrating their brick
and motor retail stores with their online websites. With this, customers have now many options of
doing their shopping in different ways. They can browse products online on the website, either go
to the shop to pick that product or just order it online and a delivery is made. The customers can
now have reviews of different products of a particular retail store on their official website and
other social media platforms. This helps the customer to make an informed buying decision.
Smart Mirrors
The customers, especially in the apparel sector, have always
found trouble while checking the product/dresses to see whether
the dress suits them or not. It has always been difficult for them
to go in a small cupboard size “try room” to check the dress. Now
with smart mirrors this difficulty is being alleviated. A smart
mirror gives a 360 degree view of the particular dress you want to check. In addition these smart
mirrors can now make a short video of you with the dress and send it to your email id. You can
send this video to your friends and get a feedback on the dress.

In Store better shopping Experience with the help of technology

Technology has intervened in the retail industry to give the
customers a better in store shopping experience too. Digital
signboards can help the customers exactly locate their desired
product. A slight music in the store helps the customers to
lessen the boredom and exasperation due to the hustle and
bustle at any retail store. Fully Air-conditioned stores,
Elevators, escalators, and all the facilities that we see in modern retail stores are all great
achievements of technology.

Chatbots
Chatbots are going to revolutionize the communication between the customers and the retail stores.
It is an AI Software than can simulate a conversation with the customer through messaging apps,
websites, mobiles etc. It is available 24/7 for the customers to get any kind of information about
the products of a retail store. Many international brands like Starbucks and Domino’s are now
using Chatbots to increase communication with their customers thereby enabling successful
customer retention.

Apps that indirectly help the retail customers

In the past, finding the exact location of a retail store and then being accessible to it was a difficult
job. Now with the help of apps like Google map, we cannot only know the exact location of any
retail stores but also have information about the distance of that retail store form us. In addition
apps like Uber, Careem etc, have helped us to reach at the exact location of the retail store in the
most efficient and convenient way.

Some Bad Experience for the Retail Customers due to Technology

Technology has enabled the retailers to collect huge amount
data about the customers. Customers are now much concerned
about their privacy and security. In addition, their shopping in
complete surveillance of security cameras is now raising
issues like many customer now say that the retailers use these
cameras to observe their shopping behavior and thus
manipulate them eventually.