Customer expectations today are higher and more dynamic than ever. They switch flexibly between stationary and digital touchpoints and also expect retailers to provide a seamless omnichannel experience. However, although the relevant technologies and solutions have been discussed for some time, most companies are lagging behind when it comes to implementation. There is therefore an urgent need for action in order not to fall behind the industry pioneers. REMIRA sees five key areas that retailers should focus on in 2025 and shows how the right software partner can provide support.
- Personalized experiences through customer centricity
- Data potential: turning walk-in customers into leads
- Mobile control of integrated retail processes
- Agility and scalability through the cloud
- Use of AI for a better shopping experience
Creating personalized experiences with customer centricity
In the competition for the shopping experience, the key lies in consistently focusing on customers' individual wishes. Only a holistic customer centricity philosophy can create added value and retain customers in the long term. To enable this personalization, it is important to integrate technologies that have long been established online into the physical shopping world - especially to optimize the individual approach and advice. This includes tools such as REMIRA's Mobile Store Management, which gives employees access to all customer information and purchase histories via an app. This means that advisors are directly informed and can recommend the right jacket for the T-shirt purchased the previous week. Another option is omnichannel digital signage solutions, such as those offered by REMIRA together with digimago. The displays create a new form of customer approach by presenting content that is tailored to the customer's situational needs. For example, sandals and flip-flops are displayed in sunny weather, while the content automatically switches to rubber boots or rainwear when it rains. If the customer likes what they see, they can follow their impulse directly via touchscreen and buy the items with just a few clicks - either in the store or by digitally transferring the shopping basket to their webshop profile.
Use data potential: From walk-in customer to lead
The implementation of personalized shopping experiences requires a deep understanding of the individual customer. The aim is to harness as much information as possible for targeted targeting in compliance with all data protection regulations in order to exploit the available potential. In stationary retail, the challenge lies in anonymity, as valuable data is lost if the right solutions are not used.
It therefore makes sense to create additional digital touchpoints that start right there and generate approachable leads from walk-in customers. Based on the live data from its POS checkout solution, REMIRA makes this possible with its partner warrify, among others, through an interactive receipt that can be retrieved by scanning a designated QR code with a smartphone. The transaction data provides the retailer with important information about the customer's preferences, which they can use for retargeting with suitable product recommendations and offers. The interactive receipt, into which the content can be easily integrated, builds the bridge. At the same time, the link with the mobile wallet creates additional potential through location-based services, for example by displaying individual discounts via push notification as soon as the customer approaches a store.
Mobile control of integrated retail processes on the sales floor
Regardless of the specific topics and the integration of individual technologies in the store, retailers must focus on one central goal above all: the seamless interaction of all tools used. In order to successfully meet the expectations of today's omnishopper, the entire point of sale must be viewed as a networked overall package that offers customers all services exactly where they are in the store - on the sales floor. However, if product and inventory data can only be called up by employees in the back office, displays in the store recommend products that are not available in the store, or there are often long waiting times at the checkout, the shopping experience will be significantly dampened. Instead, all retail technologies must interlock and be centrally available to the customer. One example: as the REMIRA merchandise management system provides all the necessary article data and prices for the live rendering of product messages on the digital signage screens, the customer only sees outfits that they can actually buy in the store - in line with the inventory. At the same time, they can request an employee for advice with just one click, who in turn is notified via the mobile store management system on their tablet. Other services, such as stock queries from other stores, can be handled just as easily as mobile check-out. This allows the customer to pay for the goods directly without having to go to the stationary checkout. Last but not least, they can also use their smartphone to scan a QR code to call up the digital receipt, which in turn entitles them to individual discount coupons in after-sales.
Agility and scalability through the cloud
In today's fast-moving business environment, a short time-to-market is a key success factor - whether it's opening new stores or adapting processes. A significant time advantage can be achieved if retailers do not have to worry about purchasing hardware or installing and operating back office software, but can conveniently obtain these services from the cloud. All that is then required in the store is the checkout hardware and/or mobile devices and an internet connection. The provider takes care of everything else relating to availability, data backup and additional security measures. At the same time, the cloud provides the necessary scalability to be able to react flexibly to peak loads, such as during the Christmas period. Retailers should therefore take a close look at switching to cloud solutions. REMIRA is meeting this need with its newly developed platform, on which the proven software products are now available as Software-as-a-Service - in an optimized version for the cloud. As a result, retailers benefit from a considerable increase in flexibility and can also easily connect third-party systems thanks to the open architecture, allowing them to better meet the requirements of an end-to-end networked omnichannel landscape.
Use of AI for a better shopping experience
The cloud also offers further advantages: This is because it enables the central, protected storage of all relevant processes and data, which retailers can use for comprehensive analyses. To this end, REMIRA not only provides corresponding omnichannel solutions on its platform, but also other services for planning and optimizing the entire supply chain. For example, the AI Forecasting Service uses AI and machine learning to create reliable sales forecasts in order to always have the right stock in the right place at the right time and plan (repeat) orders at the optimum time. However, the fields of application for artificial intelligence are also constantly growing: generative AI can already be used to automatically create product descriptions for various sales channels or bots for the website and customer service. To be able to cope with all these developments, you need to be agile. The REMIRA platform in the cloud offers this by enabling the easy use of new services and ensuring their seamless integration into existing processes.
"Business today is faster and more dynamic than ever. Successful and resilient retailers rely on agility, scalability and digitized processes to offer their customers seamless shopping experiences from the store to the online store. The REMIRA platform plays a key role in the digital transformation of omnichannel processes. It enables a fast time-to-market, simple roll-outs and flexible process adjustments - for example through the use of new services or AI-supported optimizations. "
Dirk Bingler, CEO of REMIRA
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