This year, the retail industry has devoted a lot of attention to improving the customer experience. Retail technology offers merchants great opportunities to empower their employees and provide better service.

"Retailers have a unique opportunity to provide a superior service by taking advantage of the influence digital has on the purchasing decision – therefore getting ahead of their online and offline competitors," Bruno Berthezene, Solocal Group UK managing director, told Real Business.   

However, the American Customer Satisfaction Index found that large retailers are struggling to meet customers' expectations in terms of quality service. Although some brick-and-mortar stores were able to increase shopper satisfaction by using technology to shorten check-out lines and better manage their inventory, according to The Atlantic Journal-Constitution, larger retailers faced challenges with employee morale and  integrating their system across their sizable operations. This made it difficult for them to provide fluid, consistent experiences for customers, Time Magazine explained.

For technology to serve as a true asset, it needs to be implemented correctly. Merchants should make sure their systems are designed to reduce redundancies and make processes smooth and efficient for customers. Training employees to use the technology effectively is also a vital step in improving in-store experiences.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, March 6th, 2014 at 10:18 am .