Philips Have Hired A New Personal Shopper. Your Smartphone.
In Dubai you will be able to walk into a crowded supermarket, using an app to guide you to the products you are looking for.
An App to Guide You
No more searching for staff members to help you, or walking up and down the same aisle trying to locate your desired item. Just a simple map to tell you where to go. Along the way, you will be notified about any discounts or sales that are currently on offer.
New Technology
The new technology, ‘Indoor Positioning’, allows retailers to use sensors from custom-LED lights to guide consumers to their desired destinations through a Smartphone app. What’s more, this technology is not only available in-store – when you have run out of washing powder, you need only scan the label to automatically add a new one to your online shopping cart.
Shopping More Interactive and Personalised
This will not only make shopping more interactive and personalised, but customers will no doubt be left impressed and satisfied.
Smartphone Shopping
Philips is not the first company to include “smartphone shopping” in their marketing strategy. Mobile shopping is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. This trend is mostly supported by millennials, who will represent 30 per cent of total mobile retail sales in the US by 2020. With the UK’s young generation of impatient consumers who prefer to consume content on-the-go via their mobile devices, it seems this solution has come at the perfect time.
Mobiles in the Future
People are using their mobiles more and more to browse and research before they buy, and 46 per cent expect their mobiles to be their main purchasing channel in the future (PwC, 2017). It appears that technology giants like Philips move in tandem with the trend.
More Enjoyable Shopping Experiences
If successful, Philips are looking to add more features to the app, such ‘call a store assistant for help’, or product comparisons for a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, to make shopping experiences more enjoyable for kids (and less painful for guardians), Philips have looked into treasure hunts and other forms of gamification to enhance the offering.
Interactivity is Revolutionising the Shopping Experience
It seems that interactivity is revolutionising the shopping experience; turning that dreaded weekly store visit into a frictionless journey for the whole family.
Anything is Possible
The opportunities for personalised and interactive experiences are countless - because if Philips can make grocery shopping fun, then anything is possible.
