how to build loyalty with social wi-fi - vodat international · tel: 4 0)161 06182 email:...

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How to build loyalty with social Wi-Fi

01Tel: +44 (0)161 4061820 Email: [email protected] Web: www.vodat-int.com

IS YOUR RETAIL NETWORK READY FOR THE CONNECTED CUSTOMER?HOW TO BUILD LOYALTY WITH SOCIAL WI-FI

Facilitating easy online access for customers who walk through the door is a fantastic way to add value, and enhance the customer experience. And increasingly, retailers are introducing exciting new ways to build social connections and loyalty through their store networks. They’re finding that it’s possible to generate a return on the investment in on-site Wi-Fi.

Why offer Wi-Fi?

Are you ready to drive new engagement opportunities with digitally-minded customers?

The demand for Wi-Fi certainly exists. Vodat International’s consumer survey of 1,000 UK adults, carried out earlier this year, found that 70% of people ‘would be happy to use’ free Wi-Fi in stores. For 29% of store visitors, mobile connectivity is ‘essential to their experience’.

Increasingly customers want a seamless shopping experience between online shopping and the physical store. Wi-Fi connectivity is helping retailers bridge this service and marketing communications gap.

Retailers are finding that offering free Wi-Fi connectivity to shoppers in their stores can drive significant commercial gain.

W-FI IS AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO COLLECT CUSTOMER DATA, AND BEGIN MARKETING TO THEM IN MORE PERSONAL WAYS

are willing to share information over free Wi-Fi in exchange for a better service

45%

are willing to share their email address

54%

will reveal their gender

51%

are happy to disclose their age

47%



What are customers using store Wi-Fi for?

Today customers are using their smartphones in stores to search for product information, read product reviews, compare prices, and to post on social media.

They might be sharing photos, sharing ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’, and adding comments to social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp. They are not always engaging with the store brand, but in many cases they are, and in doing so, extending the brand reach to vast new audiences.

Increasingly shoppers’ journeys begin before they have even set foot in the store. This lends even greater weight to the need for a joined-up approach, with Wi-Fi helping to complete the cross-channel shopping process. In fact our survey found that the ability to bring data already entered online into a store purchase affects 50% of people’s decision to buy – and ‘very much so’, in the case of 15% of them. Online product recommendations and peer reviews can be just as easily checked out on customers’ smartphones in stores, as they can be at home. In all cases, this connectivity is helping progress the buying journey.

Rather than being distracted from the buying process, many of these customers are using their phones to engage more closely with the brand while in-store. A few savvy retailers have implemented an in-store page, which displays current offers and promotions, on the log-in portal to their Wi-Fi, to encourage direct interaction.

Wi-fi improves the omnichannel customer experience

According to our research, nearly a third (30%) of store visitors want the in-store experience to mirror a retailer’s online offer. And 18% say that technology forges greater consistency between the two channels.

CURRENT SMARTPHONE USE IN THE BUYING PROCESS IN-STORE:

51%verifying click-and-collect orders

52%looking up product information

33%sharing images/information about product

43%looking for a discount code

28%making payments

49%checking the price of an item



This is positive news for retailers who will be aware of the spending power of this demographic. What is also very encouraging is the fact that over a quarter of the 54 and above age group wants mobile connectivity. It’s no surprise that the younger set is also showing an interest. These figures confirm that across the age spectrum, Wi-Fi is already widely considered to be an advantageous part of the shopping experience.

For some retail brands, a strategy of equipping store associates with handheld devices such as iPads ensures that the in-store digital experience is fully provided. This makes cross-channel service elements available to customers who don’t own, or haven’t brought their smartphone, or don’t wish to take advantage of store Wi-Fi. In the years to come, it won’t pay to exclude these customer groups.

Wi-Fi is not just for millennialsThe age group currently most keen to make use of mobile connectivity in stores is the 35 to 54-year-old group, according to our survey.

Across the age spectrum, Wi-Fi is already widely considered to be an advantageous part of the shopping experience.

WHICH AGE GROUPS THINK MOBILE CONNECTIVITY IS ‘ESSENTIAL TO THEIR STORE EXPERIENCE’?

of store visitors aged 16-3428%

of those aged 35-5435%

of those aged 54 and over26%

Staff members equipped in this manner benefit from being freed up from static information points such as kiosks, to make closer, more valuable contact with shoppers. Our survey found that two thirds (66%) of shoppers like staff to be equipped with tablets or other mobile devices so they can help wherever it is required, and 42% expect to encounter this approach in-store as standard.



According to Forrester’s 2018 retail predictions report the aim now is to create emotional – not just transactional – loyalty. Customers want personalised service that makes their lives easier by giving them time-saving or money-saving perks. Forrester predicts that the customer-obsessed, data-driven retailers will be the ones that thrive in the coming years.

Now is the time to shape your social connections with valued customers and start engaging with them in a meaningful way. What are savvy retailers already doing, and what does the future hold for this kind of Wi-Fi enabled digital engagement?

Smartphone apps bring you closer In our survey 81% of consumers said they would be happy to use an app that helped them collect and redeem loyalty points in store. Branded apps allow you to invite customers into an exclusive club, and you can begin to interact directly when they’re in your stores. Apps provide shoppers with value added information too. With the River Island fashion app, for example, customers can see new products daily, and check stock in their nearest River Island store.

How to capitalise on shoppers’ love of in-store Wi-Fi It’s true that mobile technology has long disrupted traditional retail, and this influence is only likely to intensify. The beauty of Wi-Fi connectivity is that it allows you to start conversations with your customers, and build loyalty.

81% of respondents would be happy to use mobile apps in stores ‘that enable me to collect and redeem loyalty points’

Encourage customer ‘likes’Instead of using a cloud registration form for Internet log-in, some retailers offer a service that enables users to connect to the Internet via their social media log-ins such as Facebook or Instagram. These services, can, in return for free Wi-Fi provision, give a retailer’s social media platform a brand new ‘like’ or follower. Having a customer become, for example, a Facebook follower is a powerful marketing technique, with a wide reach.



Great deals will drive loyalty With Wi-Fi in store, a retailer can deliver targeted email promotions and SMS messages when a customer is in a store. Location-based marketing is not new, but retailers are now becoming sophisticated in the way they execute targeted promotions that have high conversion rates. For the customer, being alerted to discounts and deals while they are on site is very compelling. Retailers as diverse as Asda, Tesco, Burberry and Zara have been turning smartphones into live sales tools in recent years.

The power of social sharing Retailers’ social messaging delivered directly to customers in stores can reach new audiences through recommendations and shares. The content needs to be creative, on-brand and relevant, but if it attracts the right kind of attention, the extended reach can be huge. New research from Saїd Business School (University of Oxford) and Kantar Millward Brown has measured the impact of social media for brands, and concludes that social can create long-term brand impact, boosting metrics such as brand awareness and association. The emphasis is on brand personality to cut through these crowded social channels.

Create a live buzz In store events have always been excellent traffic drivers, and great for publicity. With instore Wi-Fi you’re enabling hundreds of customers to broadcast for you, live from the store. This means celebrity appearances, fashion shows and product demonstrations take on a new lease of life, driven by social interaction on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp.

71% of respondents said they would be happy to receive personalised offers ‘based on how loyal I am as a customer’ via free Wi-Fi when in stores


Contact Vodat to find out why it is the fastest-growing supplier of telecom solutions and private, managed networks to the UK retail market.

www.vodat-int.com

Get personal but be secure Digitally-engaged customers are demanding connectivity.

Vodat International’s Wi-Fi solutions are flexible, and expertly managed, leaving the retailer to focus on their customers’ demands – without worrying about those made by their technology.

Major considerations when investing in Wi-Fi include the scalability, flexibility, reliability and security of the network. By having a robust, managed Wi-Fi solution, security features ensure retailers can detect and prevent malicious attacks. Preventing cyber-attacks is a major challenge for all businesses, and protecting the corporate network must be a priority.

Wi-Fi investment presents new engagement opportunities for retailers, and our research confirms consumers are ready for social connectivity in stores. However, it’s important that all parties have complete faith in the Wi-Fi service on offer. With trusted technology in place, Wi-Fi can become a direct channel for powerful brand and loyalty messaging. It’s time to let the conversations - and the conversions - begin.

As well as seeking an experience that excites and informs, today’s shoppers desire a seamless buying journey; one that incorporates the best of a retailer’s website, and allows effortless movement from channel to channel as they research, purchase, and engage generally with the brand.

They are open to personalised messaging and promotions, which means they must supply personal details. This will only happen if the individual fully trusts the retailer and the technology supporting this connectivity. For this reason strong and reliable Wi-Fi in store is a prerequisite for the modern business looking to serve customers in the personalised, emotional manner they require.

how to build loyalty with social wi-fi - vodat international · tel: 4 0)161 06182 email:...

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