Matt Kennedy
25/02/20
Automotive
Avoiding Human Interaction
I’m one of these people that likes to have as little human interaction as possible when I'm buying my goods. When I go on my weekly food shop I know exactly what I want and where it is and over the years I’ve got better at avoiding any human interactions. With the introduction of self service tills it's made my life even easier, except for when you're picking up a bottle of red!
Where we’re heading
Over the past few years we have seen the retail sector evolve even more, with the likes of Amazon opening book shops across America, in which you can go in and use an app to pay for your book. No need to look another person in the eyes again!
Even this year technology companies are working with retailers to remove the need for human contact during the physical buying experience, don’t believe me? Check out James V. Gingerich’s latest twitter post here
AI is also evolving quickly with a Pizza Hut chain in Singapore, using a robot to help customers order a pizza, yes an actual robot! This is also proving to be much more than a gimmick with it being trailed across multiply retail outlets and airports in America as well.
The Ave saw a three-times jump in revenue, and foot traffic into the store increased by 20 percent
says SoftBank.
Digitising the showroom
A lot of this technology and AI is still in its early stages and it could be a few more years before we see this across all our local Tescos and Asda, let alone in retailer showrooms. That doesn't mean you should wait a year or two before looking into how you should implement it, in fact you should start right now if you haven't already!
Steps can still be taken to help customers like me who know exactly what they want. A seamless, humanless experience.
Some retailers are already adopting this approach today, by having a range of touch screens within their showroom that allow customers to configure and choose their car. It will not be long until finance and the whole buying experience is integrated.
Not everyone is like me
Although there are a lot of people who would prefer this approach, something made evident by how busy the self service checkout area is, it doesn't mean that the rest of the tills are closed.
There will still be those who prefer to deal with another person. My dad for example recently got his new car and all he used the website for was viewing the stock - everything else was done over the phone and in person in the showroom, because that is the experience he prefers.
Cater for all
By giving your customers more choice, by allowing them to shop the way they want, will always reduce the amount of frustrated customers leaving your showroom, just like Charlotte. You can find out more by reading her story on how one fatal mistake can lose you a sale here
Matt Kennedy
Read more by Matt Kennedy
