Going shopping? Don't forget your smartphone
Retailers turn to tech to give shoppers a customized in-store experience
by Alexandria Cavallaro
Imagine venturing downtown or to the mall this holiday shopping season without having to stand in checkout lines, wait for a sales associate or wander the aisles hunting for a particular item. Your dressing room is ready before you arrive, a personal shopper is waiting to assist you, and you're automatically eligible for discounts just for walking through the door.
These conveniences may seem like a dream but are actually a reality in Palo Alto.
More and more, local retailers of all sizes are turning to digitally based services like concierge bots, smart mirrors and app-based loyalty programs to give shoppers a personalized in-store experience with many of the same conveniences of online shopping.
'Customized' shopping
Studies show that 82 percent of shoppers use their phones to research products, compare prices and download coupons while shopping in a physical store, and digital interactions now influence 56 cents of every dollar spent in brick-and-mortar stores, according to a 2016 report from Deloitte Consulting.
Stanford Shopping Center's push to blend the digital and traditional in-store shopping experience is immediately apparent as soon as shoppers walk into the center: The mall's Simon Mobile App sends coupons, sales alerts and other rewards to users' mobile phones as they shop. It rewards them with loyalty points, which can be used for shopping discounts and other perks, just for visiting.
The 1.4-million-square-foot outdoor mall and its retailers offer an array of apps that essentially turn your smartphone into a personal in-store shopping assistant that can help you with everything from gift ideas to locating an item and scanning its price to having it delivered to your home. The center and its retailers are consistently updating services as new technology becomes available.
"We work really hard to have a seamless experience between our digital and physical offerings," said Rachel Roberts, Stanford Shopping Center director of marketing and business development.
Artificial Intelligence
The mall recently launched a new program that uses artificial intelligence to assist shoppers: the "Concierge Bot." The mobile program "talks" to shoppers through a chatbot on Facebook Messenger. Through their smartphones, users can ask the bot about store hours, special events and daily promotions. The bot can even provide gift or outfit recommendations based on a user's history and style preferences. For now, the bot can be used primarily only to answer questions, but according to a press release from mall owner Simon Property Group, more "smart" capabilities will be added in coming months so that, by next season, users might be able to ask their bots to assist them during more steps of the shopping process, such as finding what stores carry a specific brand or item.
Reserve, scan, purchase and track
Stanford's four big department stores — Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus — are among the mall's retailers that have their own in-store apps. Users can bypass sale associates and use their phones as scanners to find promotions, prices, availability, and size and color options while they shop the aisles. Despite some glitches, shoppers have given these apps good reviews overall.
The stores are continuously updating and improving these apps. Nordstrom, for example, added its Reserve Online & Try In Store pilot program at Stanford in August. Now, shoppers can reserve clothing items via their phones, and within two hours, the store will send a text notifying them when their items are ready for the dressing room.
Roberts said this program works well for consumers who like to browse online but want to do their actual shopping at brick-and-mortar stores, where they can feel and try on clothes.
"This creates a convenient and easy alternative for those with limited time, " she said.
Bloomingdale's and Macy's also have updated their apps so shoppers can skip the checkout line by using their phones to scan and purchase items in the dressing room or from the racks while they shop. Items are delivered the same day, and customers can track the delivery from their phones.
Smart mirrors
Neiman Marcus' mobile app takes comparison shopping to a new level. Shoppers are able to model items in a "Memory Mirror," which takes 360-degree videos that can be saved to their phones for side-by-side comparisons. The technology rolled into dressing rooms as a pilot program in 2015 and expanded to the cosmetics department last year. And for those who prefer to interact with an actual store employee, Neiman Marcus' app lets customers text, email or video chat with the sales associate of their choosing from a mobile directory that lists employees by department and languages spoken.
Gift databases
It's not just the big chain stores that are turning to tech, either. Leaf & Petal boutique on California Avenue and De Novo Fine Contemporary Jewelry on University Avenue are among the smaller retailers that are using digital databases to help customers find the perfect gift.
Both stores maintain wishlists and shopping histories that include customer information like style preferences and sizes.
"We have a lot of women who come in and try things on to get ideas," said Cherry LeBrun, owner of De Novo Jewelry. "We keep a record of that, then the husband will come in ... and we pull out the pieces (for them) ... and it works out nicely for everybody."
She said customers also can pre-shop online before coming into the store.
At Leaf & Petal, customers can email ahead to let the store know what they're shopping for and the staff will pull together a variety of items, including gift suggestions, based on information provided to them.
Valerie Rice, shopkeeper at Leaf & Petal, said a little bit of technology combined with personal attention to their loyal shoppers has gone a long way at the boutique.
"That's kind of the beauty of the smaller store. We have a lot of repeat customers that we're just very familiar with," she said. "We're here to listen and be their personal stylist."
Personal shoppers in store, at home
While traditional retailers are turning to tech to customize the shopping experience, tech stores are using the digital space to provide an added human touch. Fry's Electronics, in Palo Alto's California Avenue district, is trying a pilot program with Samsung this holiday season that pairs customers with personal shoppers — real people, not bots.
Customers can book a free appointment with a Samsung expert online through Eventbrite.com (search "Fry's personal shopper"). The expert will wait at the store's entrance at a specified appointment time and then assist the customer with any in-store Samsung products. The expert can also make a house call to help set up purchased products.
"There are other personal shopper programs that offer services within the retail environment, but this is among the first to extend that experience outside the store," said Louis Masses, director of public relations at Samsung.
Associate Editor Linda Taaffe contributed to this article.
