The way to a digital in-store solution begins with tackling the existing problem. A digital in-store solution should solve a challenge or a problem and in this way optimise the sales and purchase process for the end customer and the retailer and create an effective benefit.

The precondition for a successful digital touchpoint is a stable foundation that can be created with the awareness of the problem to be tackled and the expected benefits and aims defined.

Further factors such as technology, content and location of the digital touchpoint depend on the specific problem and the defined aim linked to it. The biggest screen with the best resolution is useless if it is in the wrong place. The most beautiful contents will not achieve any effect if they are not directed at the target group. Solutions of this kind achieve no more than considerable financial cost without any return because they are neither solution-orientated nor innovative.

Step 1: The problem as the starting point

What challenges confront you as a retailer? What problem should the digital solution in the stationary sales area solve and what added value should it create for the end customer? The crucial basis for the correct - and therefore success-generating - solution is dealing with the specific problem or challenge that is to be solved with the digital system. Become aware of the challenges you will be facing. This is the first step towards finding the right solution.

The benefit and aim requirements are identified from the problem. Successful touchpoints should both benefit the end customer, by facilitating the purchasing process and improving the shopping experience, and fulfil the retailer’s expectations in terms of increased sales, increased customer frequency and optimising the sales process, for example. Determine clear benefits and aims that you wish to achieve with the digital solution. These will influence the choice of technical devices and the positioning of the touchpoint. If, for example, you want to increase customer frequency in the store, you should position the touchpoint so that occasional customers’ attention can be generated. This means that the occasional customers can only be reached outside the sales area, which in turn means that the touchpoint must be placed in the shop window. A screen placed in the shop window should have a high light intensity so that passers-by can also see the contents even in bright sunlight. In this way the benefit requirements and aims have an effect on the definition of further parameters such as location (room), hardware (technology), contents and processes.

Step 2: Taking target groups into account

When the benefits and goals are being defined, the end customer you wish to address must be taken into consideration. A target group is to be defined for each touchpoint. Finally, what user behaviour the target group in question display with digital devices, how the communication is to be processed and how the messages are designed are some of the most crucial factors. One touchpoint can address several target groups who must, for example, be addressed at different times, which consequently leads to time-related contents.

In additional to the external target groups, internal interest groups must also be determined. Which departments have interfaces in the implementation of digital communication in stationary retail?

Example:

Marketing and communication contribute to target group-orientated communication. The IT department guarantees the infrastructure. Who has the decision-making power for the release of the project and the budget responsibility? What other internal groups must be taken into account and can contribute to the success?

With the right contacts on board you can generate understanding and safety and you can motivate the team to find a success-orientated solution together.

Step by step towards an effective solution

Once the first step with the determination of benefits and aims has been concluded, the further parameters can be coordinated and processed going on from this. When the benefit to be attained and the aims to be achieved have been defined, you can determine which location is the best suited for the positioning of the digital touchpoint. Here, it is crucial that the location is selected so that it brings a decisive benefit to the customer.

The location selected determines what technical devices and requirements are suitable. This means that every parameter depends on the preceding decisions. For this reason, it is recommended to work out the construction of a digital solution as part of the in-store communication step by step.

A digital touchpoint is only good to the extent of how it deals with the solution to a problem and the focus on user requirements and aims and is coordinated with the target group to be addressed. 

Summary

The implementation of successful digital in-store communication starts by dealing with a problem. This leads to the benefit expectations that are being striven for being defined that the retailer wishes to achieve for himself and his customers with the digital in-store communication. Additionally, the target groups for each touchpoint must be defined and the internal interest groups for implementation must be evaluated. This is the prerequisite for all further parameters such as location, technology, contents and processes.

Are you still in control? Setting up digital in-store communication may sound elaborate, unclear and complex to you. But this is certainly not a reason not to act. We will support, advise and accompany you in finding the right and most effective solution for you.

Further steps will be part of one of the next blog posts.