Pop-up Stores use smart tech to close the customer experience data gathering gap, and between flagship stores and pop-up locations
EIT Digital is today announcing a new solution to help retailers create seamless, engaging and personalised experiences for customers shopping at temporary pop-up stores. BT (British Telecom) has developed in Italy the concept in partnership with EIT Digital - Europe’s leading digital innovation and entrepreneurial education organisation - and Politecnico di Milano.
The Pop-up Store has already been piloted by several customers in Italy operating both in the fashion and in the retail sector (including banking). The smart solution allows retailers to deliver a seamless omni-channel shopping experience while developing a deeper knowledge of their customers, and implementing an enriched CRM strategy - wherever the point of sale is.
Pop-up stores are popular with retailers, brands and retail property owners looking to exploit seasonal or one-off events in special locations to increase sales. However, their temporary nature has made it difficult for retailers to justify equipping them with the same types of technologies used by customers or sales associates in permanent stores to improve the shopping experience or boost efficiency. Connectivity options have also been limited, meaning that opportunities are often lost to gather and analyse customer data or to provide adequate bandwidth to ensure the smooth running of devices and applications.
"The emergence of ‘digital consumers’ - customers who expect consistent levels of convenience and personalisation regardless of how and where they shop - means that retailers need solutions to help them manage the blurring of lines between the physical and digital world. The Pop-up Store helps retailers achieve this for temporary stores, allowing them to seize market opportunities while continuing to deliver the service that their customers expect." said Mirko Florindo, Head of Sales Specialists, Italy, BT.
The smart Pop-up Store allows retailers to create a shopping experience in their temporary stores that is consistent with the other physical and digital outlets. It includes real-time collection and analysis of data related to shopping preferences and behaviour and supports robust sales and operational excellence. The service includes modular solutions, leverages all potential points of contact (screens, smartphones, sales assistants) and a multiservice mobile app, and supports a multisensory customer experience (scent diffusion, in-store radio, digital signage).
The Pop-up Store can be digitally configured, right down to brand colours and wall textures. All solutions and systems are interconnected, allowing compelling and personalized customer experiences.
"This is a great example of how EIT Digital brings together partners from across different sectors to address real world market need and create and commercialise innovative digital solutions. We are very pleased to see the successful outcome of the work thanks to the drive of our partners. It is a clear indication that working together we can achieve very good results in a very short time." said Roberto Saracco, EIT Digital Director Italy.
Pop-Up-Store as a Service is one of five modules in the Digital Retail Suite (DRS), created by the High Impact Initiative Street Smart Retail, led by EIT Digital action line Digital Industry. DRS is bringing small-medium retailers tools to create a seamless shopping experience for their customers whether in-store or online. DRS is based on cloud based services, in-store analytics and customer interfacing, which are packaged for pop-up stores, showrooms and large events.
The following EIT Digital partners work together to bring DRS solutions to market: Aalto University, BT, DFKI, Deutsche Telecom Group, FBK, Nokia Technologies, Politecnico di Milano, Reply Group, Technical University of Berlin, TIM Group, University of Helsinki, and VTT. Furthermore, several SMEs are collaborating with EIT Digital partners for the success of Smart Retail in Europe and worldwide.
