Retailers, Let's Get Phygital

Brick-and-mortar retailers: terms like digital “disruption”, “omnichannel”, and “augmented reality” might make you cringe. The latest buzzword, phygital, sounds almost like the sort of nasty virus you’d want to avoid. So why am I channeling Olivia Newton-John? (With advance apologies for the earworm… Oh, too late?)

"Let me hear your buyers talk" - (Not) Olivia Newton-John in her 1981 hit

Well, phygital—a portmanteau of “physical” and “digital”—describes technologies that blend both. Examples are easy to find: the ModiFace technology acquired earlier this year by L’Oréal lets consumers visualise makeup and hairstyles on themselves. Both Ikea and Amazon use augmented reality to show you what an item will look like in your own home before you click “buy”. Cadillac dealers are using a “virtual showroom” let you test different features without having to wait for physical inventory. And Uniqlo’s self-service kiosk at the San Francisco airport racks up $10,000 a month in sales—not exactly cringeworthy!

Just as digital technology has shaken up our lives, it’s transformed the shopping experience. Buyers can get just about anything, anytime, delivered to their doorstep, the same day. What’s more, today’s shoppers are omnichannel. They navigate from store-to-web, web-to-store, buying when and where it suits them best.

But how do you compete and succeed in this new reality?

Here’s some good news: research shows that customers prefer purchasing most products in-store, at least for now. However, to meet the challenge of keeping customers walking through your door, you need to provide an exceptional experience. One that can’t be found on Amazon or anywhere else. That experience may include more attentive service, more convenience, or a little something extra or unexpected to make your customers smile. Like Olivia says, “I gotta handle you just right”.

And here’s even more good news. Today’s tech innovations allow retailers to do all sorts of things you never thought possible. You can facilitate the shopping experience and increase conversion rates by embracing an omnichannel sales strategy. You can make the buying process easier, more immersive and more fun for your customers, while optimizing revenues and tapping into new revenue streams. You can offer new services, on top of your core offering, anytime, from anywhere. And all of this without having to flip your business model.

One tech solution making this possible is a self-serve kiosk called VisionHub. VisionHub allows retailers to sell glasses both online and offline, via a physical kiosk and online digital devices. My team and I designed this turnkey solution for eyewear retail, with traditional retailers in mind. The concept is flexible and customizable, from the lenses, frames and packaging to the displays. Shoppers can virtually try on frames or choose from a range of “buy and go” eyewear. Buying is simple and secure, whether web-to-store or store-to-web, with fast delivery.

Already, VisonHub is deployed in a number of large chain supermarkets, pharmacies and hotels. Our retail partners appreciate the competitive advantage VisionHub gives them, plus increased customer loyalty and a whole new revenue stream.

Going back to our references: a decade before Physical hit the charts, personal computing pioneer Alan Kay was already prototyping networked workstations that would later be commercialized by Apple. In his words:

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it"

So, shall we invent a brighter future together?

If you want to know more about how your business could benefit from the VisionHub solution, get in touch and let’s discuss it further!

Now, over to you: have you found nuggets of insight or inspiration in your own earworms or favorite songs? Let’s hear them in the comments!