Since touchscreen technology was first introduced, it has expanded to the point of ubiquity. We now interact with touchscreens as part of everyday life, and the interfaces have also revolutionized many business processes and operations in the retail industry. Let’s take a look at the most substantial transformations that touchscreen technology has contributed to in the retail sector:
1- Advanced Point-of-Sale Systems
From portable payment terminals to self-service kiosks, touchscreens these days allow customers to breeze through the checkout process, browse products, check prices, compare features, and even complete entire purchase transactions without needing assistance from a salesperson. This frees up employees who can instead focus on other tasks, thus providing a faster and more convenient shopping experience for customers.
2- Interactive Product Displays
Touchscreens are increasingly being used to create interactive displays that allow customers to learn more about products. Modern touchscreen displays can include videos, product information, customer reviews, and even augmented reality experiences. With touchscreen technology, it is easier to create interactions; for example, Nestle commercial coffee machines display animated information about various flavors and brewing methods before presenting customers with the option to tap and pour.
3- Streamlined Inventory Management
In stockrooms and warehousing facilities, touchscreens can be used to track real-time inventory levels, thus allowing retailers to ensure that they have the right products in stock. This process also allows inventory managers to make resupply decisions on the fly.
4- More Engaging Marketing
When creating mobile marketing campaigns, touchscreens can be used to create interactive situations to capture customer attention and promote products. These displays can include games, quizzes, and other interactive elements that encourage tapping, dragging, and scrolling.
5- Improved In-Store Wayfinding
American shopping malls lagged in terms of touchscreen kiosk implementation, which started at many shopping centers in various Asian cities around 2010. These kiosks can be used to provide customers with store maps and directions to specific products. This can be especially helpful in large stores or stores with complex layouts. The most useful wayfinding kiosks also enable product searches that can be configured to display or print QR codes for special coupons.
6- Enhanced Employee Training
Touchscreens can be used to provide store clerks and other retail employees with on-demand training about products, procedures, and customer service, thus helping to improve employee productivity and knowledge.
7- Personalized Shopping Experiences
Touchscreens are excellent for retail analytics; they can be used to collect real-time data on customer preferences and buying habits; this data can then be used to personalize the shopping experience for each customer. The strategies that can be formulated include recommending products that customers are likely to be interested in, creating customer segments for marketing lists, and offering special discounts based on previous shopping behavior.
8- Data Collection and Analysis
This transformation, which was pioneered by Amazon Fresh stores a few years ago, is still ongoing. Touchscreens enable data collection on customer behavior; for example, which products are they looking at? How long do they spend in different areas of the store? This data can then be used to improve store layout, product selection, and marketing campaigns.
