i3 - July/August 2018 - 38

Business

By Steve Smith

R E TA I L ST R AT EG I E S

AR and Voice Tech Grab Customers

Not only are technology retailers selling
AR products, but soon AR will become
an everyday marketing experience for all
types of consumer goods in stores and
online. Just like computers, tablets and
smartphones transformed the way consumer electronics retailers interacted
with their customers, the same will be
true for AR technologies.
Successful brick-and-mortar retailers that sell consumer technologies
have developed more sophisticated digital marketing strategies, using

38

JULY/AUGUST 2018

Just Say It

And it isn't just AR. With the popularity of Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa,
voice search is becoming the next big
technology that retailers should
embrace now. A recent survey by
Narvar, a business platform developer,
shows that shopping by speaking into a
device saw a double-digit increase in
the last six months, with consumers
using the technology to research items,
add products to shopping lists, track
packages being shipped and actually
buy products.
websites and social media to reach out
CTA's new research provides insights
to customers online. The use of AR, ininto the use and consumer sentiment of
store and online, is one of the next big
voice shopping. Among consumers who
technologies retailers must embrace
use a digital assistant to shop, three in
via smartphones.
four are satisfied with the experience.
For example, in 2013, IKEA launched
What are they shopping for?
its AR catalogue to allow shoppers to
Electronics devices followed by food.
visualize how certain pieces of furniture
If dealers or websites do not
could look inside their homes. The app
embrace voice search, traditional
measures the size of the furniture and
brick-and-mortar retailers of all types
products against the surrounding room
will be left out. And the evolution will
and fixtures to offer a true-to-life scale
become more pronounced as 5G is set
where possible.
up as a nationwide network which will
transform not only retail, but entertainment, education and human interaction as a whole.
Will these new technologies completely eliminate brick-and-mortar
retailing, as some claim? My opinion is
no, since shopping is still a social experience as well as a financial
transaction. And these new
Shopping by technologies will make
retailing even more social
speaking
before. For instance,
into a device than
retailers will be able to offer
saw a
special deals to customers
double-digit on a daily or hourly basis.
increase
Retailers must embrace,
understand
and reach out to
in the last
consumers
via
the media and
six months.
devices customers interact
with the best. Many opportunities await for retailers that implement
AR to expand profits and benefit customers with their purchasing decisions.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Georgijevic/Getty Images

T

he use of augmented reality (AR) has gradually come
onto the retail scene, and not just by technology merchants. For instance, three years ago my wife Marion
and I were shopping for a new couch at Ethan Allen Interiors,
and instead of taking the cover samples and draping them over
a model, the sales associate showed us on a computer screen
what two or three cover samples would look like. And last year,
the upscale furniture manufacturer and retailer announced the
Ethan Allen Design Studio on Amazon.com will display and
offer furniture and decorative home accessories.


http://www.Amazon.com

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