In today's highly competitive and busy shopping environment, giving your retail store a digital-age fit-out is almost essential to help your business grow. 

Fitting out your store for the digital age isn't just about looking cool. It's about making the overall shopping experience more engaging for your customers whilst in store (especially when online shopping is dominating the world). Give shoppers a reason to come in instead of just buying online. 

Retail shop owners must embrace digital-age fit-out solutions as they turn their store into a lively, hands-on place. A destination that draws people in, makes shopping more enjoyable and helps sell more products.

Check out these 3 advantages of implementing a digital age retail fit-out solution -

Better Customer Engagement

When you give your store a modern fit-out, your customers get more involved in the whole shopping experience. Visitors expect more than just a place to buy things now, they can get that online. In the offline world they want to have an interactive experience at the store that makes shopping more fun and engaging. Touch screens, digital kiosks and augmented reality (AR) displays, can give your customers lots of helpful information about your store, products, upcoming sales and really immerse them in your space.

For example, if you run a clothing store, you could implement a VR or AR solution to allow visitors to try on the clothes without having to get changed. They can view themselves either in a window/screen or you can go full VR and have them put on the goggles. You can then use those screens/goggles to provide detailed product information, recommendations, adverts and promotions whilst they are immersed in the virtual world in your shop. 

You can take it one step further and once they have tried on various items, they put the ones they like in their virtual basket, can come back and try on one more time and then actually purchase through the virtual space as well. Super secure payment gateway built into the process. All of which streamlines the process but also provides an experience that they can’t get anywhere else. It becomes the unique factor that differentiates you from the rest. At least until they catch up.  

Improved Operational Efficiency

Implementing new technology into your store can also help with how the overall space runs. We've all been in long lines at the checkout, and it's no fun. But if a store has machines where customers can check out by themselves (self-checkout stations) or ways to pay with their phone (mobile payment solutions), or even as Apple does, each sales person has their own unit where they can check you out wherever you are in the store. No more queues, no more waiting, happier customers. And happy customers come back. 

Smart inventory management systems help keep track of what's in the store. Smart shelves with sensors to monitor stock levels and automatically place orders for items when inventory is low. You could also look at NFC technology to process payments automatically from a digital wallet. Amazon has implemented this in a grocery store so you can walk in, pick up what you want and walk out. This can help increase the number of customers that can be served and potentially reduce your staff overhead as well. 

Enhanced Brand Image

When you give your store a makeover, it can really enhance the visual appeal of your space. A store that looks fresh and up-to-date catches people's eye and makes them want to come in.

Having cool new tech embedded in your store will differentiate you. When customers see that you're keeping up with the latest trends, it sets an expectation. Their perception of your brand enhances as one that they should pay attention to as they will always get the most up to date approach to whatever product you are selling.

The combination of technology into the physical store helps bring about the fusion of your online and offline presence. There is a high probability that visitors will have interacted or at least seen some of your online content. If that content is reflected via screens in store customers will feel like it's all part of one big experience. This 

Using the same look and feel in your store, on your website and in all your outward communication gives people a standard to expect from your brand. People start to recognise it wherever they are spending time. When everything matches up, it helps build trust, loyalty and by definition repeat customers.

Bottom Line

There is no one size fits all retail fit out. Every single one is unique. What works for one store might not work for you. It's important you discuss your technology options with a qualified retail fit-out contractor first.

Contractors Direct will help you find the most suitable retail fit-out company for your project. As a trusted online platform that connects businesses with prequalified fit-out contractors in the UAE, they are happy to help.

Using the platform is easy - just fill out the form, give the necessary information and our smart AI system will recommend fully-vetted and most suitable fit-out contractors for your retail project. Our contractors are experienced and knowledgeable and you’ll only be connected to contractors that match your requirement. 

Use the platform today!