10 Essential Local Features You Should Have In Your Retailer App
You’ve heard of location services before. If not for your own application, then when using your mobile device.About
Location services can help both retailers and consumers. About 200,000 shops use location services in their retailer app to do just that.
These services can offer retailers helpful data while giving shoppers exciting perks!
You can pick and choose which location services you decide to offer, but there are some that are more useful than others.
In this guide, we’ll point out 10 must-have features for your mobile retailer app to help you and your customers get the most out of all this technology has to offer.
In this guide, we’ll point out 10 must-have features for your mobile retailer app to help you and your customers get the most out of all that this technology has to offer.
Ready to learn about how you can revolutionize your business and bring your store into the 21st Century? Read on!
1. Geo-Fencing
What if you could offer services automatically to consumers who wandered into your geographic area? Not only would that improve their experience, but it might draw in new customers that wouldn’t have otherwise entered your store.
That’s exactly what geofencing does, and that’s why it’s our first must-have feature.
With geofencing, once a consumer enters your area, they can access coupons and special deals. This technology also enables retailers to thank customers on their mobile devices after making a sale.
2. In-Store Pickup
Consumers love getting into a store, getting what they need or want, and getting on with their day. As therapeutic as shopping can be, they probably don’t want to spend all day in one store.
For efficiency, there’s nothing like an in-store pickup feature. This mobile feature enables consumers to determine what’s in your retail location and arrange to pick it up when they arrive.
This feature is also called “click-and-collect.” It sends the message that you value your consumers’ time and want them to have a simple shopping journey.
3. Retailer App Mobile Check-Out
Consumers love to champion retailers who provide a great experience. Unfortunately, they’re just as quick to speak out when they have a negative experience.
All it takes is one shift of being understaffed to cause long lines.
With the mobile check-out feature, consumers can purchase from any area of the store, without having to wait in line.
4. Help Beacons
Customers love when they can get the help they need when they need it.
Help beacon location services allow consumers to get help wherever they are in your store.
Imagine you’re shopping. You have a question about an item that’s either locked up for security or too large or heavy to cart around the store. You have to wander the store, find help, and lead an associate back to the product.
For retailers that offer help beacons, customers can request help at the tap of a button and stay with the products they want to buy.
5. Product Finder
Speaking of questions, there’s one question that retail associates hear all the time: “Where can I find…?”
With the product finder feature, consumers can locate products anywhere in the store–and get directions to those products.
This feature works by mapping the store and inventory and using GPS to coordinate the consumer’s location with the desired products.
6. Background Location Detection
Have you ever missed a message or call because your phone was on silent?
Consumers might not always remember to open your retailer app, but they might still benefit from location services.
That’s why background location detection is so important. When a consumer passes through your geofence, they can automatically receive the benefits of your app as though they’d opened it on their own.
Why leave a great shopping experience to chance? With this feature, you don’t have to.
7. Onboarding Flow
Chances are you know about leading your consumers through your store. You place certain products near the door, and certain other products in other areas or departments, in order to appeal to the consumer.
This is a part of merchandising.
You can provide the same effect with your location services. For example, you can offer free wifi to consumers within your geofence, and you can prompt them to download your app.
Speaking of free wifi, it’s a great perk to offer because 71% of retail shoppers conduct mobile research as part of their retail experience. You don’t want to miss out on the chance to give that many shoppers a positive experience.
8. Loyalty Programs
Keytags. Dozens of key tags. Once upon a time, shoppers weighed down their key chains with these plastic tags. Having to sort through a bunch of tags at the checkout takes time, and that can be a turn-off.
That’s why loyalty programs, embedded in your retailer app, are a great way to enhance shoppers’ journeys.
Loyalty programs allow you to maintain contact and build relationships with consumers and provide valuable data to retailers while offering services to customers.
9. Buying Guides & Personalized Suggestions
What if you could offer personal shoppers to all of your customers? Buying guides and personalized suggestions provide that service to each customer.
With the information you can collect from location tracking and loyalty programs, you can show customers the products they’re most likely to buy.
Offering this feature can make your consumers feel like they’re important to you–more important than the cash register. What shopper wouldn’t want to feel that way?
10. Security
At first glance, maintaining security may seem like it’s more of a benefit to retailers than to consumers. The truth though is that security can influence shoppers, too.
If retailers lose merchandise to shoplifting, it can drive prices up. Shoppers feel the pain of that increase and might elect not to visit a retailer again.
That’s why this feature, just like the other nine, is a must-have to improve the shopping journey.
