One of the few benefits of the increasing gas prices has been the lack of traffic on the roads the past few weeks.

As it turns out, people have very strong feelings about traffic jams. Although most people hate traffic jams more than most things, 60%, of consumers would rather sit in a traffic jam than have a poor customer experience, according to a Telus International survey.

The survey also found that nearly 48% of consumers believe that customer experiences should get significantly faster, followed by 43% saying interactions should become more personalized and 36% saying there should be more self-serve or automated options,” Maria Pardee, chief commercial officer at Telus International, said in the release.

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Since the inception of Retail Traffic Trends, we have been discussing the new trend of buy now pay later.

Nearly a year later, buy now pay later is a bedrock in the industry that has been widely adopted by consumers. A recent survey found that 80% of US shoppers use buy now pay later options such as Klarna to avoid credit card debt.

Shoppers are so comfortable using these types of services that 57% of respondents said using buy now, pay later services could replace their credit card in the future.

Although many trends come and go, certain trends such as BOPIS, curbside pickup, and buy now pay later have proven the test of time.

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Getting a customer to cross the buying line is a task in itself when it comes to big-ticket items, and keeping them coming back for more is a whole other beast.

The first step to maintaining a relationship begins with communicating with a customer through delivery and beyond. A recent report found that 90% of customers want brands to engage with them during delivery.

Even with delivery delays, customers have made it clear they want to hear about the bad news rather than be left in the dark.

Although constant communication is key to bringing customers back, it only takes one message to lose a customer. Recent data found that 49% of U.S. consumers will unsubscribe completely from marketing content if they are incorrectly targeted by marketing outreach.

Click HERE to read more about how to harness the post-purchase experience.

Just as you would greet a customer at your physical store, you now need to greet your customers as soon as they enter your digital storefront by deploying effective visual commerce strategies.

The term “visual commerce” refers to the strategies and tactics around using pictures, videos, animations, and even augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) to better engage and connect with consumers as they learn about your products and brand.

The pictures you display on your website, and the quality of the content has a major impact on getting customers across the buying line.

84% of consumers say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video. More recently, images and videos have even evolved further to be three-dimensional — and customers are twice as likely to purchase a product if it has a 3D product image rather than a flat image.

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Although a wireless network doesn’t seem to have much to do with the world of retail, it has the potential to perfect the custom journey and boost your sales.

5G is expected to be a powerful catalyst to disrupt retail operations, from optimizing warehouses and supply chain management to transforming the in-store customer experience through personalization and product engagement. 

Due to the speed of 5G, the adoption rate has already proved to be higher than expected. A recent Verizon Look Forwardstudy found that more than 1/5 adults say they expect to use more self-checkout and contactless payment in a year than they already use.

5G also gives the possibility of a life without internet issues at work, with many phone providers offering business plans so your team can stay online no matter where they are.

Learn more about the benefits of 5G in retail.

Today, convenience is the name of the game. In a November 2020 survey, 83% of consumers say that convenience was more important than in previous years.

Fast forward two years, and convenience is still just as important as it was at the beginning of the pandemic. 

Because of shoppers increased need for convenience and personalization, many companies are going down the precision retail route. By implementing different software such as POS systems and foot traffic systems that integrate, you can see the entire customer journey and become more precise with how you approach your customer journey.

Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) has started to blur the lines between digital and non-digital shopper behavior. A tightly integrated strategy can help you build a true precision retail experience that evolves with changing customer needs. 

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In the most recent white paper by RIS News, Customer Experience in Retail Data: Drives Everything, they dive deep into data from retailers across the country to see the driving forces in customer experiences.

82% of retailers from the recent survey name improved customer experience as their highest business priority for the year ahead, with increased revenues coming in a distant second at 43%. With people going out less frequently than before, making every customer experience as seamless as possible has become essential.

In particular, 63% of companies added curbside pickup and other changes in how they deliver products to customers, with more than half (57%) expecting to continue the new curbside pickup and home delivery services once the pandemic has passed.

Another factor that contributes to great customer experience retail is the ability to harvest large volumes of data that can inform business decisions aimed at increasing profits, improving customer loyalty, and expanding market share.

Click HERE to download the full white paper on customer experience.

In the final piece on location data by Propmodo, they analyze how foot traffic trends have shifted since the beginning of the pandemic.

Since the beginning of multi-billion dollar professional sports stadiums in downtown locations, they have provided significant financial support to the neighboring businesses.

With the pandemic limiting in-person attendance for a good portion of a year, foot traffic in the areas near stadiums has plummeted in the last few years. While their foot traffic usually doubles on game days, businesses started to see their sales plummet on game days.

With games returning to in-person,  foot traffic spiked 2-4 times during the Super Bowl for hotels, restaurants, and local retailers, stadiums, and arenas in downtown areas have a large and favorable impact on foot traffic and, as a result, economic opportunities in a variety of industries. 

Similar to the change downtowns have seen in the last few years, thrift stores and low-cost gyms have also seen a major change in foot traffic.

Click HERE to learn more about key takeaways from retail location data.