In busy retail environments, it can take time for sales representatives and product experts to answer every customer’s questions on the sales floor. Instead of seeing customers wandering around looking for assistance or randomly browsing products, you’ll want to engage with them as soon as possible.
If you have a limited sales staff that results in delayed customer interactions, you can transform customer engagement using interactive kiosks powered by artificial intelligence. These standalone, computerized systems can potentially revolutionize the customer experience in your store.
About Interactive Kiosks
An interactive kiosk is a device you place on your sales floor to supplement human workers and engage with customers. The kiosk communicates with people through a touch-sensitive, interactive screen designed with self-service in mind.
Its onboard computer can store your entire product catalog, which includes detailed descriptions and an advanced interface that showcases products in 3D. For example, customers can see a rotating image of a vehicle they’re considering purchasing while at a car dealership.
With AI helping to power the customer interaction, a digital kiosk is ready to suggest additional purchase options, just like an intuitive human salesperson who is skilled at making recommendations.
Customers Prefer In-Person Sales Experiences Over Online Shopping
Consumers who shop online through their computer or mobile device can typically review a company’s entire catalog and see reviews and recommendations during their shopping experience. It’s no wonder that some folks appreciate shopping from the comfort of home. But it’s reported that about 84% of retail sales take place in brick-and-mortar stores, with only 16% of sales occurring online through e-commerce transactions.
Customers often prefer shopping in person because it gives them a unique experience that’s unavailable online. For example, they can see and try out items they’re considering buying. Customers go to retail locations because they want to avoid shipping fees, and do not want to wait at home for deliveries. Furthermore, many customers are looking for local products that are not readily available online.
AI-Powered Interactive Kiosk Capabilities
Businesses in a wide range of industries have come to recognize the benefits of using AI-powered, interactive kiosks, including electronics stores, car showrooms and cannabis dispensaries.
Kiosks can provide answers and engage with customers 24/7. They feature advanced capabilities, including:
Answers About Products
A customer can pick a product off the shelf and bring it to the kiosk, which has a camera to see what the person is holding. AI image processing and object recognition lets the kiosk quickly identify the item and then answer the customer’s questions about it.
Personalized Product Recommendations
An AI avatar inside an interactive kiosk works like a virtual sales assistant. Just like a human sales rep, the AI avatar can understand what the customer is looking to purchase, and based on this feedback, offer personalized product recommendations. The kiosk enhances customer satisfaction and can help drive more sales.
Virtual Try-On Experiences
Customers can avoid taking clothing into a changing room by first holding up dresses, shirts, pants and accessories to the kiosk. The kiosk’s camera will combine a digital image of the clothing with an image of the customer so they can quickly get an idea of how it will look on them.
These augmented reality mirrors can be a suitable substitute for the fitting room experience, especially in crowded situations where customers do not want to wait too long to check out their appearance.
Seamless Payment Options
An interactive kiosk can make it more convenient for customers to make payments, helping them avoid standing in line at a cash register. Computerized kiosks accept payments via debit cards, credit cards and mobile phones.
Will Your Retail Business Start Engaging With Customers Using AI-Powered Kiosks?
Whether you manage an entire shopping mall and want to help guide customers to relevant stores, products or services amid myriad options or need to boost your current human sales representative team to engage more effectively in a single retail environment, AI kiosks are an ideal way to provide these enhanced services.
Naturally, you want to meet customers where they are. If they avoid online shopping because they prefer an in-store experience to find unique goods and see and feel products before purchase, it makes sense to augment your in-house product experts and sales reps with AI-powered kiosks.
Doing so can dramatically improve customer engagement, give them immediate answers and provide customized suggestions for purchasing additional products.
