Top 10 Digital Tools To Increase Sales in Retail

With more and more shopping being done online, retailers are looking for new and exciting digital sales tools to convert traffic into sales both online and in person.

Here are 10 digital tools that will help you to convert your retail customers into sales.

1. Mobile POS and Retail Businesses

For smaller retailers especially, mobile point of sale (POS) tools have removed many barriers between the customer and the sale. 

For retail businesses, a mobile POS system can be a smartphone, tablet, or electronic terminal that performs the same functions as a cash register. These small and fairly affordable devices can make a huge difference to retailers whose location changes or those who run pop-up shops or seasonal businesses. 

Practical and up-to-date POS systems are huge for store-based retail businesses as they continue to compete with the simplicity of online transactions.

2. Social Media and The In-Store Retail Experience

Social media is often used earlier on in a sales funnel and encourages new customers to visit a retailer. Online retailers see huge benefits from their social media activities, particularly if they use integrated shop functionality on sites like Instagram.

Many businesses, however, underestimate how many opportunities there are for integration in-store. 74% of buyers use social media to inform their buying decisions, which means that familiarity between your social media and in-store presence will help your customers to make decisions. 

You can reference campaigns, hashtags and even have special offers that your customers will recognize from both your social media presence and your in-store signage and promotional material.

3. VR and AR In Retail

Thanks to technological advances, stores can offer interactive and valuable experiences to shoppers. 

Virtual reality (VR) can be used to display clothes and other retail products in a completely virtual environment and can allow shoppers to view different product shapes, sizes, and styles with minimal effort. 

Augmented reality (AR) can help retailers to take this a step further. Large retailers like Nike and Ikea already use AR technologies to help customers envision what their products would look like in their homes. Apps and smartphones make this type of technology in retail increasingly accessible.

4. Utilising Local Marketing Tools to Drive Sales

Online directories and local listings will help to put your business in front of your potential customers – but they are not your only option for incorporating a local approach to your sales strategy.

In many larger shopping centers, you will find digital store directories. These can be particularly useful for smaller businesses. You just need to ensure that your retail business is listed in the correct categories and with the correct information. You should get more targeted foot traffic to your retail store from those looking for your services specifically, and this can improve sales.

5. Digital Signage for Retail Stores

One of the most widely used and successful tools a retail business can use to convert browsers into buyers is digital signage. 

Smart, digital signage can be used for in-store navigation and promotional campaigns. Digital signage is proven to enhance sales by showing key products and services in a way that is tailored to your audience and current offering. Digital signage is perfect for retail as it’s easy to update regularly and can be adapted visually to suit branding and current promotions.

6. New, Convenient Payment Methods Boost Sales

Retailers can offer their shoppers new and functional ways to pay. Diverse payment options are no longer limited to cash or contactless payment. 

Some retail stores are trialing buy-now-pay-later style agreements through external partner sites. Several retail stores even accept cryptocurrency as payment – although this isn’t a widespread trend just yet. 

7. Influencer Marketing and Its Impact on Shopping Habits

Influencer marketing continues to be a powerful tool for online retailers. For some smaller businesses, influencers will be out of budget, but the good news is that often nano or micro-influencers can offer good ROI and be a much more targeted option. Nano-influencers will typically have under 10,000 followers, but their audiences will likely be very engaged.

Influencer marketing is estimated to be earning around 11x the ROI of banner ads, which suggests a lot about who modern audiences trust for information when it comes to purchasing decisions.

8. In-store Wifi for Customer Convenience

It will be no real surprise to retailers that many shoppers will browse online before they head in-store. 74% of surveyed shoppers checked stock, opening hours, or wait times online before visiting a store in person. 

Having available in-store wifi can help your customers to connect the dots. If they have an item that they’ve been looking at online, they can bring it up and ask for help or easily identify how the store categorizes it and see where it’s likely to be. This simplifies the shopping experience and gives customers fewer barriers.

9. Interactive Experiences Make Sales

Retailers are able to offer interactive experiences to customers both online and in-store. 

In-store engagement can be particularly effective as a part of an ongoing or limited-time campaign. Sports stores may offer, for example, a golf simulation where shoppers can try out clubs to decide which to buy. These product-relevant interactions can be a great way to give customers a gentle push to buy there and then.

10. Self-Checkout for Retail Stores

Retailers have certainly started to focus more on efficiency. Scan-as-you-shop technology has made the process of shopping easy for customers and reduced the financial implications of more staff. Customers are able to monitor their spending while they shop and add or remove any items with a simple and short checkout process at the end of their visit. This reinforces the idea of shopping being a positive experience and can push customers to turn their browsing into buying.