[Intern Insight] Imagining the Future: Technological Advancements in Retail

What I find particularly fascinating in the retail sector right now is how different the customer experience is from 10 years ago, or 5 years ago, or even from last month all because of technological advancements.

From in-store displays that convert mirrors into virtual changing rooms, online fashion advisors, to the simple fact that I can sit at my desk, right now, write this article and at the same time buy these awesome shoes (hopefully not fake) from China. Omnichannel is the new retail god.

So, it got me thinking. With all these technological advancements, what will the retail environment look like in 10 years?

Actually, what do I want it to look like? It is obvious, to me as a customer, that I am in control.

At the moment, I have images popping up in my mind. Remember ‘Minority Report’? When Tom Cruise is running desperately through a shopping center hoping to avoid the prescient police? One of his major problems is that every time he enters a store his retinas are scanned and he is immediately identified. For a retail company that would be like hitting the jackpot. Large amounts of data filtered directly into business analytics: how many customers return, patterns of behavior, average basket purchase – where, when, how, for whom.

As awesome as it sounds – not having to explain my needs or wants to a retail employee, or vice versa, for that employee to respond and anticipate my requirements – having a business know more about me than I’m aware of might be terrifying. For example, I have no clue how much I spent last month, 5 years ago or 10 years ago. In this suggested future, somewhere, in a database, I will be quantified and coded and all my retail experiences will be translated into 1s and 0s.

Don’t get me wrong I love technology, but I also crave the human element. I may constantly refuse assistance when entering a store because I do not know what I want, but I also don’t want to end up having to remove my eyeballs just to have a bit of privacy.

What I do anticipate is the arrival of AI in retail stores. With the ‘Internet of Things’ revolutionizing the way we interact with our reality AI already plays an important in role in our shopping experiences. Our mobiles know how many steps we take, our fridges can tell us when we’re out of milk, and soon our cars might end up at work without us because we overslept. In retail, we find AI in the online platforms, such as chatbots, where virtual assistants guide us through ordering and purchasing.

10 years from now that’s going to be different. The technological advancements, I’m talking about are things like the digital hologram – or the human-like robot – that will assist me without my noticing the difference between its service and the one provided by any current retail expert. Talk about a proper Turing test.

In 10 years, I imagine myself in conversation with such a human-like AI. That would bridge the gap between efficient technological service and the human interactive element that I crave. The AI would be autonomously capable of processing my request without the assistance from any human control. Strangely enough, I would trust it more with my personal data. Why? Because machines on their own don’t have hidden intentions.

That or we all end up in the Matrix.

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Laura Susnea. As part of our internship programs, undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Laura’s primary project focusses on training programs and eLearning and how best to adapt this to industries under pressure. 

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[Intern Insight] eLearning with Videos: It’s really happening

You know, I am quite new to this term called ‘blog’. I’ve heard of it sure, but never actually wrote one. When I Googled: “how to write a blog” several things popped up, like ‘start with a topic and working title’. Ha, I already forgot that step. This is going well. I’ll be honest with you, I have no clue exactly what I’m doing right now. I studied hospitality management, and here I am, creating videos for an eLearning app for the frontline employees in the retail industry! Yeah, I hear you think: ‘How did she end up doing that?” Yes, good question. I often ask it myself actually.

The funny thing is: it’s super interesting.

It’s like I turned from a hospitality student into a screenwriter and director without any experience. Yeah, ‘just do it’ (as Nike says). It doesn’t matter if you like or if you’ve done it before; no, it’s more diving into the deep end and knowing you can swim. And hey, that is okay! I mean, this is still an internship and it comes with the opportunity to learn new things.

And let me tell you:  I am learning new things.

Not sure if there is a future for me as the next ‘Steven Spielberg’ but I guess you never know where life takes you.

That’s the funny thing about life, it can go either way. But what do I know about life? I am only 21, this is hopefully not even on a quarter yet of what is still to come.

But let’s get serious here.

 

What’s the big deal about learning with videos?

There are many benefits in using videos in educational activities. There even have been multiple studies about this. This is not a big shocker, since there are basically studies about everything, but still. Here are some highlights:

Shepard and Cooper (1982) and Mayer and Gallini (1990) connected visual clues, memory processes, and knowledge retention. Later, Allam (2006) noticed that combining sound and imagery together to discuss a certain topic generating deeper engagement and insights. [Source]

Fascinating right? Over 20 years ago, people recognized the connection between video and learning and yet it still took years for eLearning to actually become a trend, and then a norm. Why did it take so long? But that’s a topic for another time perhaps.

The thing is, this ‘learning with videos’ thing really is happening. There are more than 1 billion active users on YouTube, every minute nearly 400 hours worth of video content is being uploaded to this platform alone. Statistics even show that per mobile session the average time spent on YouTube is 40 minutes. The learning industry has no choice but to adapt to this method of learning via videos. Enter eLearning!

So what are the benefits of using videos for learning?

First of all, videos help keep people engaged with the subject. I mean, speaking as a student, it is much more fun to watch a video than to simply turn a page in a book. Also, videos are visual, and so very demonstration-friendly. For example, explaining a tricky subject is easier with a video than with a written explanation. Try writing down the instructions to how to tie your shoelaces and tell me it’s not easier to watch a video about it instead! It also helps that videos capture attention quickly. Overall they improve the whole learning experience by inviting learners to think and analyze what they just saw, making knowledge easier to absorb and retain.

Here some more benefits:

Improved Comprehension

When you explain something in a classroom, people will nod to indicate their understanding. That means they’ve understood you completely right? Not necessarily! They may not retain the information when they leave the room, and maybe they just couldn’t be bothered to raise their hand to ask for clarification. Chances are when they get home, they may realize a gap between their retained knowledge and the homework they’ve got to do.

Increased Retention

Do you remember sitting in class with the teacher just going on and on about the same subject? And then when class finished you just went out and thought: “What did he just say?” That is an information overload. Our brains can only handle so much at a time. During such a long informative class, you do not have the time to process all the information and are likely to forget most of it.

Enter videos and eLearning. People can watch videos at their own pace, for starters. They can also choose when and where to watch them – at home for example. They can pause it and return to it later if they missed the key points. This way, they not only gain a better understanding but are better able to retain the information being thrown at them. Essentially, videos empower the learner to actually learn.

Concluding thoughts?

Well, if you really want to obtain a more meaningful, immersive and better learning experience for anything. You should definitely consider using videos to get there.

 

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Paula van Staalduinen. As part of our internship programs undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Paula’s primary project focuses on training programs and eLearning and how best to adapt this to industries under pressure.

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[Intern Insight] Imagining the Future: The Limits of Customer Service Psychology

Customer Service Psychology: Splitting Hairs

Customer service psychology is an ongoing debate amongst the experts and amateurs of every industry. It is all about how you greet, speak and act with the customer. In order to better measure it you have tools such as ‘Customer Journey Mapping’, ‘Customer Emotional Behaviour Mapping’, ‘Customer – Employee Touch points Chart’ and so on. However, in our pursuit of a psychological understanding of our customers we’ve lost track of what they’re actually doing. The thought processes behind every decision a customer makes are all well and good, but once we over-analyse these decisions we forget that behind those choices there are some very basic business consequences.
In the course of designing my current project, a training application for the retail industry, I started by establishing the basic customer journey and the key moments that impact the experience. I definitely agree that this is the best way to initiate a thorough customer experience analysis. Mapping the customer journey is a powerful tool to provide accurate data. That said, I reached an impasse when trying to analyze each moment from a psychological point of view.

Moment Number 1

Let’s start at the beginning!

The customer must be greeted. This is the standard procedure. But how do you greet the customer? Should it be verbal or non-verbal or a combination of both? Are we actually aware when doing it or is it just a reflex? Are we on customer service auto-pilot? Do we take into account the cultural differences or the emotional impact? Are we subconsciously mirroring the behavior of the customer? Does that work in our favor or against us?

Moment Number 27

Somewhere along the way, we get to the moment where the customer decides to purchase. In this step, we are advised to escort him, talk with him, personalize the experience, and make sure he doesn’t change his mind. That’s the best practice – that’s ‘by the book’ in customer service psychology. However, does he even want to be escorted? How does the customer feel being constantly accompanied?

And about all that personalisation…? How personal is sufficiently personal without getting too personal?

The point is that we have these ideas of what the customer should experience in terms of ‘good service’, from the moment they enter the store to their point of purchase. At the same time, we want to measure and quantify it so we can keep track of what we’re doing wrong or right.

If we want to trigger certain behavior, the science of customer service psychology tells us we have to adopt certain attitudes. If we want to create a specific ambambiancee can use certain colors. Need something to look better value for less money? Just put 99 cents at the end of the price. And although we have so many theories and articles that discuss this subject, we still don’t have an accurate grasp on true customer service psychology.

Why is that?

Believe it or not, it’s not so easy to influence the human mind.
It’s not the new trend or the new sales technique that is so effective. The power lies in mapping the customer’s decision-making process. There’s a pattern that repeats itself. Do you buy the latest IPhone because you need it or because it’s new? The pattern of wanting the newest product as soon as it is available is one of the driving successes behind brands like Apple’s IPhone. The psychology behind it, however, can differ from person to person. The idea is that we are trapped in the inertia of our own decision process without even being aware.

There are so many reasons why customers decide to do what they do. In the ocean of all these ‘whys’, should we bother with customer service psychology when, as businesses, we could be focussing on the fact that they just do?

Food for thought.

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Laura Susnea. As part of our internship programs, undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Laura’s primary project focusses on training programs and eLearning and how best to adapt this to industries under pressure. 

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[Intern Insight] Imagining the Future: How Workplace Fun Transforms Companies.

People love duality. You have ‘black’ and ‘white’, ‘love’ and ‘hate’, ‘good’ and ‘evil’, ‘ying’ and ‘yang’. It makes things easier if you only have to pick from two sides. And naturally, duality must apply for all aspects of our lives. Nowadays, we speak in terms of ‘personal’ and ‘professional’ life; workplace fun seems oxymoronic. They are separate entities, locked in eternal combat, two sides of the same coin…all the romantic terms you can think of. The point is, they are extreme opposites and never mix. Or do they?

How workplace fun has evolved?

It has come to my attention that somehow, somewhere, a curious aspect – definitely shelved in our personal life – has crept into our professional life, and it’s called ‘fun’.

The concept of ‘fun’ is starting to change how we perceive our working space, how fast we learn new skills, how engaged we become in our jobs and how long we remain in our current position.

Fun is shaped by the change in attitude towards gamification. If we make it a game and it is fun, then the learning process is simplified and sustainable over a longer period of time. Even more so if this is incorporated into a digital mobile platform.

And how do retail companies respond to that?

Again, we have two opposite sides.

The general fear is if employees spend time playing on their phones, then they do not dedicate enough time to the customer. While correct, we have to think outside of the box. Shouldn’t we be tapping into this ‘mobile playing’ obsession by adding game elements to learning materials to improve employee engagement? Is the time spent with the customer well used? Just adding the right elements in the right order does not necessarily mean it would work.

How would a mobile application change that?

First of all, more than 74% of companies currently use learning management systems (LMS) and virtual classroom/webcasting/video. From the other perspective, 77% of internet users network via mobile phones daily. It can’t be helped, it’s like a drug! 966 million — or 78% of all 1.2billion gamers worldwide — admit to playing games daily. It’s like a match made in heaven!

 How exactly would a gamified mobile app help?

It would reduce employee turnover and increase employee performance. It’s like a game of dominos, really! Everything is connected! It will also affect customer satisfaction, loyalty, and general sales.

Is it future-oriented or just a passing fad?

As proven by Kurzweils’ Acceleration Law, technological advancement intensifies faster with each year. Therefore, an app that keeps up with all the demand changes, offers personalized training, and makes it so much fun that you would be playing it in your spare time, is definitely a thing of the future! It will still be ‘a la mode’ 100 years from now when employees sell oxygen masks on Mars!

 

This post is brought to you by one of AQ’s Undergraduates, Laura Susnea. As part of our internship programs, undergraduates and classic interns are encouraged to take part in company culture. Laura’s primary project focusses on training programs and eLearning and how best to adapt this to industries under pressure. As a result, she knows a lot about the subject being discussed in this guest post: Workplace Fun.

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