One tech company has developed a solution to avoid potential loss that retailers are facing due to the pandemic. Brick and mortar are facing a 14% drop in sales, as COVID creates an industry crisis. New waves of lockdowns have begun again abroad, threatening to disrupt retail’s most crucial season.
Powerfront, a global tech company that’s invented and perfected an AI-powered chat solution for luxury brands – was the first to launch a virtual retailing product that lets a customer connect with their favorite brands from the comfort and safety of their home. The user can log onto the brand’s website and chat or have a video call with a sales advisor who’s inside an actual store (or a virtual store, as in Gucci’s case.)
Brands like Gucci, YSL, Bottega Veneta, Tiffany’s, Sephora, Ulta, and more are inviting their customers inside their stores, virtually. They’re offering customers the opportunity to see collection previews, virtual walk through a store, and even be walked through the checkout process. Beauty brands are using this tech to offer personal consultations, for example, one beauty advisor walked a bride through perfect bridal makeup application and product selection. Fashion brands are using video to showcase features, new arrivals, and offer personalized recommendations based on the customer’s purchase and browsing history, all visible within the INSIDE Store app that the sales advisor is using.
In locations where retailers are being ordered to shutter; or whether stores remain open but foot traffic has diminished, the INSIDE Store app technology allows businesses to continue offering the in-person customer experience online. Smart businesses are becoming aware that there are thousands of customers waiting to hear from them – they’re just online, rather than in front of you. The INSIDE Store app enables businesses to pick up where they left off, continuing conversations and staying connected with their customers.
Not only does Powerfront’s technology avoid loss in sales, but it also saves costs by providing quality assurance to customers so they can virtually “try before they buy.” Seeing products via video and having specific questions answered before they check-out reduces the need for returns and exchanges. Stores can also minimize their real estate costs by using the technology to operate from a “cloud store.”
By using the INSIDE Store app, businesses are enhancing customer experience online. Customer satisfaction and conversion rates via video is soaring far above and beyond average scores from traditional channels, and given that the “retail apocalypse” has been encroaching on the industry for several years now, most businesses will permanently adopt high-touch online shopping solutions that empower sales advisors to deliver luxury-level sales and service.
