The commercial industry is growing at a hyperactive pace. Digitalization, new technologies, personalized approach — businesses are trying to use new tools to engage the current clients and attract potential ones. This is especially true for the retail industry.
Offline retail cannot always offer customers what they really need. Of course, we have all visited retail stores. We have all seen stickers saying “We care about you!” on the doors of supermarkets, heard audio ads for the current promotions, and the cashier always thanks us for the purchase, but this is the 21st century. This is the time when technological progress is more in demand for business than the basics: quality and uniqueness.
Even today, in 2019, retail does not yet have an adequate method to create personalized offers for customers. But a system of digital receipts can offer such a tool.
So, what is a digital receipt?
A digital receipt is not only environmentally friendly, but also a “smart” alternative to paper receipts, both as a powerful consumer information carrier for retail and as a more interesting tool for communicating with customers.
How it works
To collect and analyze data, a program is installed on the POS terminal. A client comes to the store, makes purchases and instead of a paper check receives a link via SMS or a messenger app on their mobile phone. In order to receive the data to the mobile, the buyer needs to give the phone number to the cashier or be a member of the store’s loyalty program, which already contains the necessary contact information.
When the buyer opens the digital receipt, the service will integrate the purchase data into a personal profile.
The profile contains information about all customer’s purchases. The data collected will help to better segment the audience and work effectively to increase loyalty. The digital receipt can also be used to place personalized advertising campaigns, cross-selling offers, and discounts.
Benefits for customers
The availability and speed of receiving a digital receipt is an advantage for the consumer. You can stop worrying about the safety of receipts in case you need to return the product. A digital receipt will never get lost in a sea of paper. Thanks to this service, customers will also be able to receive information about promotional offers, control the expenses and plan their personal budget.
What is also important, digitalization can significantly reduce the burden on the environment (paper thermal checks cannot be processed) and on the health of the customers themselves (the colorless Bisphenol-A compound contained in thermal paper causes harm to the body when it comes into contact with the skin).
What other advantages are there for the business?
It is difficult for retail to analyze the history of all customer purchases and use it for marketing purposes. This is because about 80% of purchases are still taking place in offline stores, and the data about customers is simply lost, so it is impossible to create a comprehensive portrait of an audience that is interested in communication.
It will also be possible to personalize the offers (not only for online stores) – something that every business is striving for, but which has been impossible to achieve technically. Until now. Now, abstract promises of benefits and care for all customers will disappear, and newsletters of current offers will be hitting the target exactly on point. The digital receipt system makes it possible to closely interact with every consumer instead of segments of the target audience.
