Unlocking Success: Tools to Enhance the Holiday Shopping Journey in Telecom Retail
During the all-important holiday retail season, retail management integrations can play a pivotal role in creating a seamless shopping journey for customers.
In the fast-paced world of telecom retail, achieving success during the holiday shopping season requires a strategic approach that caters to the diverse needs of customers. From the initial online search to the final purchase, every stage of the customer journey presents unique challenges and opportunities. Thankfully, there are a host of integrated partner solutions that telecom retailers can leverage to create great customer experience for holiday shoppers.
To explore what this can look like, let’s start with a breakdown of a typical customer journey for last-minute holiday gift shoppers:
Stage 1: Online Research
As the customer embarks on their holiday shopping journey, they often start online. They search for stores with the desired product in stock, along with essential information such as store hours and service reviews. Here’s where integrated partners come into play:
Local Inventory on Google: Adding our Local Inventory solution means that when eager holiday shoppers search on Google for a particular device or product “near me” they see your store’s available products in their search results. Your results will even appear above major big-box retailers, as proximity to the searcher is key!
It also means you can cast a wider net and reach customers who don’t know about your store or are unaware you carry the products they want, which is essential in the busy holiday season. And not every wireless retailer otherwise has an online presence, so this tool lets you capture customers who prefer to do research or buy online before visiting your store, ensuring you won’t miss out on a sale. This boosts in-store traffic and sets the stage for an excellent shopping experience.
Stage 2: Reserving Products Online
For consumers making decisions about where to purchase last-minute gifts, solutions like BOPIS / ROPIS (Buy / Reserve Online, Pick-up In Store) can be the deciding factor – especially for customers who have missed the holiday shipping window.
BOPIS / ROPIS is the only option that lets them buy or reserve must-have last-minute gifts online, to pick up in-store at their convenience. (In the week before Christmas last year, BOPIS orders peaked at 35% of all online orders, compared to 18-21% earlier in the holiday shopping season!) What’s more, it’s predicted that BOPIS will continue to drive holiday purchases. Salesforce predicts that BOPIS will drive $28 billion in global retail sales during this year’s holiday shopping season.
- Shiftlab: This advanced workforce management solution automates employee scheduling based on sales data and associate analytics, empowering retailers to schedule strategically for the holidays, ensuring your customers are always supported and that your staff’s skills are being put to best use.
- Arcade: Arcade is a workplace employee engagement and motivation tool that boost productivity for wireless retailers and keep associates performing at their peak, creating excellent customer experience.
- iQmetrix has a range of integrated partners that offer employee engagement, management, and training tools, so check them out here.
Stage 4: Transaction
At the transaction stage, it’s time for the store associate to upsell the customer on accessories and device protection. This is where a host of integrated partners come into play.
Integrated vendors that offer accessories and wireless-adjacent products via Dropship and Vendor Inventory Services can help you offer your customers the products they need while ensuring customers get accurate, real-time information about product availability at each store, reducing the risk of disappointment due to out of stock items. Some iQmetrix-integrated vendors include VoiceComm, ICE, and OneSource. (Go here for a complete list of iQmetrix-integrated supply-chain vendors.)
The store associate will also ask if they want device protection for their new device. With Samsung Care+ and its option for monthly recurring payments, customers can get device protection without the added sticker shock of a one-time up-front payment. iQmetrix’s retail software is also integrated with Apple Care.
Stage 5: Payment
The holidays are an expensive time, and the burden on a customer’s wallet can be heavy. The customer wants to split the cost into periodic payments to alleviate the burden. Integrated partner Affirm offers purchase financing to keep the holidays happy and worry free.
Because many consumers have grown accustomed to using contactless payment since the pandemic, the customer is pleased to be able to use contactless payment for a speedy payment transaction. Because the Affirm and Remote Pay flows are integrated, the associate is able to offer both options for a seamless payment experience.
Stage 6: Post-Sale and Customer Loyalty
Gathering feedback and reviews allows retailers to gain insights into the customer experience and make necessary refinements. These insights can inform improvements in services and help tailor offerings to better meet customer expectations.
Additionally, post-purchase engagement nurtures loyalty by ensuring that customers feel heard and valued, ultimately enhancing brand advocacy. Telecom retailers who excel in this final stage of the customer journey create satisfied and loyal customers, positioning themselves for continued success in the competitive telecom retail industry.
Integrated partners that deliver value in the post-purchase stage of the customer journey include:
- Statflo is a compliant business texting platform for telecommunications, enabling frontline teams to engage, retain, and grow their customer base through personalized two-way text conversations, with a focus on improving sales, customer experience, and compliance.
- TracPoint offers innovative marketing solutions for multi-location retailers, including tools for managing social media, generating post-sale surveys and reviews, and boosting online reputation.
- SimpleTexting is an all-in-one text messaging platform for retail businesses, offering the capability to send mass text messages, engage in one-on-one conversations with customers, and integrate with essential business tools
A triumphant holiday retail season starts and concludes with the customer.
By implementing solutions to enhance their customers’ shopping journey, telecom retailers can amplify sales and leave behind a trail of delighted holiday shoppers. At iQmetrix, we remain committed to empowering retailers with the tools and integrated partners necessary to make this vision a reality.
