Research shows that 80% of customers value experience as much as products and services, so the bar for customer expectations has never been higher. At Trust Payments, we think retailers in 2024 must prioritise loyalty, personalisation, inventory management, point of sale, and self-checkout to meet these demands. Converged Commerce™ is an approach that empowers retailers to thrive by offering transformative solutions that align with these priorities.
What should retailers be prioritising in 2024?
By 2025, Statista projects that there will be 18.22 billion mobile devices in use globally, an increase of 4.2 billion devices from 2020. Several factors will make mobile adoption more prevalent this year:
Loyalty and personalisation
Retailers should focus on reshaping shopping experiences for customers by prioritising loyalty and personalisation to enhance customer experiences and boost revenue. Hyper-personalisation, fuelled by AI and real-time data, enables retailers to tailor recommendations, offers, and content, catering to individual preferences and behaviours. A RetailNext study reveals that 40% of consumers spend more with retailers offering personalised cross-channel experiences, directly impacting the bottom line. Successful personalisation not only signals care for customers but also influences a significant 47% increase in the likelihood of continued business.
Inventory
Prioritising inventory management is paramount for retailers aiming to meet customer expectations and secure in-store success. A precise view of inventory is crucial, as 47% of UK consumers favour brick-and-mortar stores over other channels, so maintaining stock levels is essential in supporting the in-store experience. In the absence of adequate stock, the impact is substantial – 30% of consumers believe stockouts detrimentally affect their shopping experience, potentially driving customers to seek alternatives. Retailers must prioritise inventory to retain customers and thrive in the competitive market.
Electronic point of sale
Retailers must prioritise electronic point of sale (ePOS) systems, particularly in the context of the mobile revolution. An IHL Group study underscores the impact of mobile sales tools, revealing a 77% higher sales growth for companies embracing this technology. Retailers should empower associates with a comprehensive mobile-friendly ePOS solution, offering access to accurate customer data, a unified inventory view, and essential omnichannel services. With approximately 8% of retail transactions occurring on mobile devices in 2023 (eMarketer), optimising mobile platforms becomes imperative.
Self-checkout
Prioritising self-checkout emerges as a retail imperative, catalysed by its proven impact on shopper convenience and operational efficiency. Notably, 14% of shoppers embraced self-checkout consistently in 2020, signalling a growing preference for this streamlined approach. Sainsbury’s reported a 70% reduction in waiting times in stores featuring self-checkout options. While traditional queues and tills persist, a strategic integration of self-checkouts and kiosks expedites the process, offering consumers a balanced mix of physical and virtual touchpoints. In 2024, self-checkout stands as a key enabler for retailers seeking to provide a seamless, efficient, and health-conscious shopping experience.
By optimising self-checkout, retailers are empowered to protect their bottom line by strategically allocating their staff time and resources. They can navigate the potential impacts of factors like minimum wage increases more effectively to help deliver greater cost efficiencies and significant savings in the long term.
Retail technology transformation with Converged Commerce™
Retailers need to seamlessly embed technologies across their businesses to answer to these growing consumer demands. In doing so, retailers can reap many benefits – increased efficiency, greater business agility, and, ultimately, unlock a greater profit margin, thus delivering greater satisfaction among employees, customers, and shareholders alike.
It is Important to look at your entire retail technology stack and consider how you can facilitate a Converged Commerce™ approach – one that embraces a customisable, integrated suite of modular retail technology products to improve customer and employee satisfaction, decision-making, and operations.
With Converged Commerce™. retailers can focus on their 2024 priorities of loyalty and personalisation, inventory management, point of sale, and self-checkout, with tools such as:
Customer engagement platform
Mobile-first and customisable loyalty and customer engagement platform providing retailers with a 360-degree view of the customer and providing customers with targeted, relevant offers.
Inventory management
Handheld management of store stock in real-time, automating and simplifying key tasks for staff and minimising stock outs for customers.
ePOS
Intuitive UI with real-time processing and robust reporting, ensuring a quick and seamless experience
Self-checkout
Customisable and flexible self-checkouts with off-premises associate management, reducing queues for customers and burden on staff.
Conclusion
Converged Commerce™ approaches can also help retailers with broader aims for the year as well, including:
- eCommerce & mCommerce: Create your own transactional website with our Trust Payments eCommerce platform or plug your existing eCommerce platform to gain full visibility of customer behaviour
- Payments and merchent services: Integrated payment device linked to the Trust Payments gateway and acquiring service, with advanced fraud prevention, reliable uptime and 24/7 technical support.
- Digital signage: Dynamic signage across the store, offering intuitive content scheduling and integration with cloud to reflect real-time price and stock updates.
Retailers must adapt to the demands of loyalty and personalisation, inventory management, point of sale, and self-checkout, for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency in 2024 and Converged Commerce™ can seamlessly align with these evolving priorities.
Explore the possibilities with Trust Payments’ Converged Commerce™ – our suite of modular retail technology products.
