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Use Barcode Technology to Improve the In-store Experience
As social distancing became imperative, retailers started using technology, such as barcodes, to limit physical contact by click-and-collect as part of omnichannel retail. There are multiple advantages of barcode technology in retail. It creates dynamic sales opportunities, offers deeper consumer insights, and empowers employees.
Here is how retailers can use barcode technology to improve the in-store experience.
Click and Collect
Users making purchases online and then picking up from the store emerged as one of the popular ways to shop in 2020. Click and Collect shopping allows local retailers to provide better customer experiences and compete with online stores. Customer service staff scan the barcodes and hand-deliver the items to their respective buyers outside the store. One of the most exciting benefits of click-and-collect is the same-day delivery that is not always possible with online shopping.
In fact, according to a study, 73% of supermarket shoppers in the US reported that they would instead pick up items from the store rather than pay shipping costs. Also, 30% stated that waiting for their online order delivery is something they would prefer not to do.
Hence, for the modern shopping experience, click-and-collect shopping has become critical as it allows customers to enjoy the ease of online purchasing while also physically inspecting things and picking them up at their preferred location and time.
Self-checkouts
It was reported in a SOTI survey in Retail Customer Experience that 66% of all shoppers prefer self-checkout and self-service. In comparison, 77% of them would be very likely interested in visiting stores that offer self-checkout facilities.
Mobile POS, or mPOS, is one of the revolutionary technologies in the world of retail. mPOS turns every sales associate into a cashier and helps shoppers checkout without any frustration. Store employees can use dedicated apps on their mobile devices to quickly find stock availability by simply scanning a barcode on the item.
Not to mention, employees can use all areas of the store to create sales opportunities. The store employees are no longer required at the checkout counters and can be involved in other productive tasks such as resolving customer queries or re-stocking inventory.
Self-checkout stores provide shoppers with better convenience, lower wait times, and greater autonomy, improving the overall retail experience.
Self-checkout reports also help in tracking sales performance.
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Real-time Product Information At Hand
While shopping at stores, customers can leverage barcode technology by scanning the QR codes on shelves and find information from customer reviews and detailed specifications to educate themselves about the product.
Using a smart store barcode scanner, retail employees can perform the whole gamut of sales activities to provide a richer customer experience and boost sales. With a single barcode scan, the sales associates can give a product demo, explain the features of any product in detail, look for price and stock availability, delivery methods, and product reviews, and even fetch past data from particular shoppers to resolve queries and ensure compatibility.
Explore how Dynamsoft is applied in the retail sector
ID Scanning
By making use of barcode technology and OCR, any smartphone can be turned into an ID scanner. Below are some uses of smartphone ID scanning in retail.
Proof of Delivery: Smartphone ID scanning can be used to capture proof of delivery of an item. Make sure you choose an SDK that is capable of scanning different forms of IDs.
Age Verification: Various items are restricted by age. Smartphone ID scanning allows store employees to confirm age verification in a contactless manner.
Loyalty Cards Scanning: According to Bain’s study, loyal customers spend 67% more money than new ones. Smartphone ID scanning is the best option to provide your beloved customers the best experiences as it is fast and easy. Also, QR codes are the perfect option for loyalty cards and coupons as they are flexible and easy to use.
A smart retail barcode scanner helps streamline checkout processes, reducing wait times and enhancing efficiency for store employees. Simultaneously, it offers customers a seamless shopping experience, with quicker transactions and accurate pricing information at their fingertips.
You can contact our customer support team to leverage the benefits of an intelligent barcode scanner in your retail business.