A lack of real-time visibility and operational blind spots within physical retail are creating preventable friction points in shoppers’ bricks-and-mortar buying journeys, according to the latest data from SAI, an active intelligence solution for stores.
Original research of over 1,000 shoppers by SAI revealed that more than half (55 per cent) believe retailers suffer from operational blind spots and don’t have full visibility of their stores. Meanwhile, a similar number (56 per cent) think retailers aren’t actively monitoring bricks-and-mortar operations, with poor visibility limiting their ability to identify and resolve issues as they happen.
While three quarters (75 per cent) of consumers now expect stores to be able to adapt in real time, six in ten (60 per cent) say retailers are unaware of what’s happening in their bricks-and-mortar locations, and a further 55 per cent think stores are too slow to respond, leaving preventable friction points unaddressed.
On average, SAI’s poll found that shoppers are left waiting an average of 4 minutes 17 seconds for staff assistance in-store – valuable time where customer experience can become compromised. Indeed, over a quarter (27 per cent) say poor staff availability and slow assistance have caused them to abandon a purchase, rising to 33 per cent of Gen X, while unresponsiveness by staff also prompted a third (34 per cent) to question their loyalty to a retailer.
“Delays in responding to real-time customer and operational needs don’t just compromise customer experience, but risk abandoned sales and lost loyalty among shoppers. Yet many operational delays and in-store friction arise from problems that are visible long before retailers act to address them, making them preventable,” said Som Sinha, Co-Founder & CEO of SAI.
“Retailers can't fix what they can't see,” Som continued. “And that means stores need to operationalise intelligence, allowing them to predict, prepare and respond in real time, ensuring customers aren’t left paying the price for operational blind spots.”