DECEMBER 20199Then, there was this stir in smartphones, with devices becom-ing more and more affordable. This, coupled with cheap access to inter-net on mobile (thanks to Jio), em-powered even the average Indian to become digitally savvy. Even those with no computer skills started us-ing their smartphones to search, review and shop for products, giv-ing rise to an entire new breed of connected consumers. Retailing to a Connected ConsumersThe convenience of anytime, any-where buying changed the atti-tude and expectations consumers had about towards shopping. Since they can shop using their smart-phones at their will, they now need a more compelling reason to step into stores other than to touch & feel products. They expect physical stores to go beyond fulfilling their need for immediacy ­ they expect it to be a place to be engaged, to have unforgettable experiences.Enter smart technology. Just like consumers are getting con-nected and smart, so is technology. For instance, analytics has moved beyond simply counting footfall and sales to helping retailers and brands understand in-store con-sumer behaviour in minute detail (just like e-Commerce). Retailers can now learn things like which section of the stores consumers frequent the most and which prod-ucts get tried on more than the oth-ers ­ insights which not only help them understand their customers better, but also help increase op-erational efficiencies. Today, it's about retailing without boundaries of any kind and retailers are us-ing artificial intelligence and ma-chine learning to extend features of offline shopping online. Chat-bots are being engaged as virtual personal shopping assistants that give advice on what to buy as per occasion and one's online & offline shopping history and preference. They also suggest items that can be paired with a particular product and so on. The Future is HereResearch predicts that brick & mor-tar stores will soon be transformed into a junction of pleasing sensory excesses, an area of heightened experience that customizes and adapts to the needs & aspirations of each and every customer. This will happen sooner rather than later. In fact it has already started happen-ing. It begins with stores being able to recognise a customer by name and greeting them. With the help of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, consumers will be able to experience products and stores in a whole new way. They will be able to browse products in minute details in sections where none exist, and the experience will be as good as real, complete with mannequins. Or they will be able to use their smart-phones to walk through a virtual 3D store right at their homes.Another area that is emerg-ing rapidly is conversational com-merce. Consumers won't need to be thumbing their way through shopping lists anymore. Instead, they will speak or chat with the store. Voice recognition technol-ogy, artificial intelligence and image recognition technology are evolv-ing in leaps & bounds to transform retailing. One can speak to a voice assistant to order their favourite pizza with the usual toppings, tell the phone to scan a dress and add it to the basket. Voice assistants are already changing the way consum-ers are shopping and interacting with a brand. Although this is just the beginning of conversational commerce, the Capgemini Digital Transformation Institute found that already 35 percent voice assistant users have bought products such as groceries and clothes via voice as-sistants. And as many as 56 percent users are interested in ordering meals from restaurants using voice assistants. Sensing the next big shift in consumer behaviour, more than 40 large retailers across the globe, such as Walmart, Target, Costco, Walgreens, and Home Depot, have partnered with Google to introduce voice-based shopping to consumers via Google Express.Not just ordering, but also the delivery of products will soon ex-perience a big change, with the Di-rectorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) penning the draft rules for drones in India. If research by Future Ideas is to be believed, with a con-stantly connected customer, it is not only retailing that will change, the way brands are created & destroyed too will undergo a metamorpho-sis. The future is exciting and it is already here. With a constantly connected customer, it is not only retailing that will change, the way brands are created & destroyed too will undergo a metamorphosis
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