The UK high street has undergone a rapid transformation in 2020. Due to the rigours of a pandemic, more customers than ever are choosing to shop online.
By September 2020, 30% of all retail sales happened online. A jump of over 10% from 2019.
Source: Office of National Statistics
Despite the move to online shopping, over 70% of all retail sales still happen in bricks and mortar. The typical shopping experience of 2019 was overhauled during the first wave of COVID-19, and for the better. Retailers are now rightly focusing on making shopping as frictionless and safe as possible:
The connected store
A seamless customer experience
Half of UK consumers believe that eCommerce won’t remove the need to shop in person. When asked what they’re willing to pay more for, customers cited experience over product quality. According to new research by PWC, customers are willing to pay a 15% premium for a better, more connected shopping experience.
One way in which future shopping experiences will be different is through a focus on frictionless customer journeys. Minimal interactions with colleagues and other customers feature high on customer priorities. Short queue times, safe physical distancing and above all, an experience that feels as stress-free as possible. Customer experience matters more than ever.
Our communication ecosystem keeps your team safe. Find out more.
A connected team, for more agile ways of working
VoCoVo’s range of Headsets, Handsets and CallPoints create a unique ecosystem in every store. Providing a clear channel of communication, it enables teams of all sizes to communicate as if in the same room.
This instant connection has a major effect on productivity and efficiency. It allows the team to work as one, even if separated across a large site.
Better communication improves customer satisfaction, team morale and reduces team distance travelled. Typically, we see the following benefits:
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- 1KM reduced travel time per team member, per store, per day
- Savings of £657 per colleague per annum
- £16,425 per annum per store
- £8,212,500 across 500 stores
Inter-connected stores, able to deal with problems quickly
Convenience is now king. 90% of UK consumers shop with Amazon, with over a third being Prime subscribers, citing convenient delivery as the main reason. If shoppers demand convenience and ease, the high street must keep up with eCommerce.
When VoCoVo conducted our own research, we found that 39% of colleagues felt they’d be more productive if they could answer customers faster. In fact, 43% admitted to giving inaccurate information, just to provide an answer.
The connected store offers a huge range of benefits to customers and staff alike. Perhaps one of the most important ways it empowers staff is by sharing knowledge instantly. This enables even less experienced colleagues to answer customer queries confidently and quickly. Instead of leaving to search for answers, colleagues can stay with the customer and gain access to the knowledge of the entire team on the spot. Our telephony integration also enables inter-store expert groups to be established, which can be called through voice activation prompts.
Empower your colleagues with access to the whole team’s knowledge
Integrations with IoT and smart technology
VoCoVo is constantly looking to improve the way teams communicate. In a modern work setting, teams depend on more than just voice communication. That’s why our hardware links in with productivity and workforce management software, such as Microsoft Teams. With voice-activated messaging, teams can distribute personalised messages and task prompts, send whole-team callouts and notifications, and keep track of productivity.
Our technology also has an open API, enabling integration with a wide range of telephony providers and smart devices. We’re already developing a series of self-checkout (SCO) integrations, that will enable voice-activated approval and reduced colleague numbers at SCO.
We care about helping your team to communicate effectively, instantly and safely. Join some of Europe’s biggest retailers, and empower your team with VoCoVo. Contact us today.