The shopping experience has undergone a world of change - whether you are shopping in a high-end store or a local kirana shop. Not too many years ago, it was impossible to imagine making digital payments for groceries. You wouldn’t expect to track your online orders in real-time while they are being delivered to your house either.

It would be fair to say that the retail sector boom has coincided with the evolution of technology over the past few years. In fact, today, retail is the second largest employer after agriculture in India, and this trend is expected to continue.

India’s digital economy is expected to reach 800 billion USD by 2030, and its retail sector is expected to grow to 2 trillion USD.

Here’s how hybrid shopping is blurring the lines between online and in-store shopping experience:

What is hybrid shopping?

 

Simply put, hybrid shopping is the combination of offline and online stores, giving consumers the best of both. In fact, since it's a mix of physical and digital customer experiences, another word or hybrid retail is ‘phygital’ experiences. The driving force behind the demand for hybrid retail is the fact that shoppers now expect multiple options to decide where they shop and how they make their purchases.

For example, customers who shop for products online can pick up their order from the store, eliminating the wait associated with order delivery. Similarly, products purchased in-store can also be returned by placing a return request online if necessary.

What does a hybrid retail store include?

 

In order to appeal largely to younger shoppers who are more tech-savvy, stores are starting to use technologies to digitalize the in-store experience.

This includes:

• AI-based recommendations available on digital kiosks,
• AR/VR-based smart mirrors in trial rooms
• Smart cameras to track shopper behaviour
• Online bookings and contactless payments

A hybrid retail store is formed by integrating such digital solutions to boost the store visitor experience.

How to set-up a hybrid retail store?

 

An ideal hybrid retail strategy will be customized to the store's requirements. For example, a clothing store might consider adding AR/VR mirrors in their stores, but a grocery store might rather adopt a smart inventory management system.

However, there's a general roadmap your store can follow while it undergoes a digital transformation:

1. Develop digital and physical purchasing options

   Having an online store is becoming essential for retailers today—whether it’s a store on WhatsApp or an independent website or app. This gives customers the freedom to make purchases from the comfort of their own homes.

   On the other hand, just an online store might not be enough. People might want to check out and sample your products, too. This doesn’t necessarily mean a traditional brick-and-mortar store. It could also mean a pop-up store or booth at a local market.

   What is essential both at physical and online stores is flexible payment options. This includes digital wallets, tap and pay cards and other modern modes of payment.

2. Invest in technology

   Since technology is essential to the hybrid retail experience, here are some of the modern digital solutions shaping this transformation: 

   • In-store analytics - Smart cameras, sensors and beacons can collect real-time data about visitor footfalls, customer behaviours, inventory levels and more. This data will help you optimize the store layout and product placements.
   • AI-based assistants - Smart AI-based chatbots are transforming the buying experience. They can analyze customer data, including their buying behaviour and preferences, to provide customized recommendations.
   • AR/VR-driven experiences - While seeing the products in a store, buyers might still be unable to visualize them in use. VR-based experiences allow clothing stores or furniture stores to offer better product visualization to enable faster customer decision-making.
   • Internet of Things (IoT) - IoT devices across the store can communicate with each other. This allows features like smart shelves and automated checkouts to ensure customers can choose and pay for products with minimal interaction and maximum efficiency.
   
   
3. Strengthen the post-purchase experience

   The hybrid shopping experience needs to continue after the purchase too. This includes providing a clear status of the order with real-time shipment tracking. Apart from immediate product updates, the store should also provide a reasonable return policy and review process.

   This encourages customers to make repeat purchases while boosting your brand reputation and among new shoppers.

4. Customize the customer experience

   Digital ads are the new hoardings which drive customer footfall in the stores. By adopting targeted advertisements, retailers can reach the right audience and pitch offers that will appeal to them. These product and offer recommendations can be done on the basis of the:

   • Items placed in the buyer’s cart
   • Product pages visited or previous in-store purchases by the user
   • Number of products in the buyer’s cart

   Additionally, offline stores are upgrading from billboards and standees to digital signages. These signages can display ads in visually engaging formats like videos and GIFs.

   Apart from being more engaging for visitors, they are also more efficient for store owners. They can all display customized ads across depending on the time of the day and their location within the store.

   This improves targeted advertising in-store to improve product discovery and boost sales.

   While this framework for hybrid shopping is fairly straightforward, it’s not always easy to implement.

   How can we help you set up a hybrid retail store?

    

   The digital transformation across the retail industry has been possible through modern technologies like Cloud computing, IoT and AR/VR. This requires an overhaul of the network infrastructure. Here’s how JioBusiness helps ease this transition.

   Connectivity - Whether you need Wi-Fi in the stores or secure private connectivity across multiple branches, ` has customizable and affordable solutions for every need.

   IoT Solutions - Our IoT solutions can improve your consumer’s entire shopping journey. Whether its enhanced warehouse efficiency, store communication, order processing or improved security. These devices can also help guide your customers and improve their in-store experience.

   AI-based conversational tools - Our virtual assistants can help you promote offers to your customers, guide them through their decision-making process, and assist them with their post-purchase queries.

   Our ability to provide end-to-end solutions makes us an ideal digital transformation partner for any retail business today. Reach out to us to understand how we can support your digital endeavours.