How self-service practices can improve the shopping experience

Recently a new trend related to consumers has been registered, since that shopping in self-service and multichannel modes have increased. There are many studies that can confirm this, after having focused on users' purchasing attitudes in stores. All the surveys showed a growing desire coming by consumers: automation technologies applied to the purchasing experience should lead for first to time saving.

But how can self-service mode improve the shopping experience? The advantages that are globally identified with reference to self-service technologies are:

1. Avoid queues: self-service automatic cash registers represent the ideal tool to avoid queues

2. Check products prices and availability: mobile or touch screen devices available in the shop are the favourite tool to search the items in the store;

3. Use digital services: consumers would be ready to do shopping in a store completely automated with vending machines and automatic kiosks offering virtual services directly to the customer;

4. Purchase automatically for re-stocking: the purchasing attitudes of the majority of consumers could allow an automated system to easily arrange the purchasing of the products that are going out of stock;

5. Check costs: a tool able to help the customer to respect the budget for clothes and other in store shopping would be very successful;

6. Benefit from automated tips: consumers recognize that receiving automatic suggestions for customized purchases would be useful.

The main strong point is certainly the one connected to a considerable optimization of the time required for a high quality shopping experience. The technology that goes into the store must indeed help solving concrete problems as the queues at the cash desk, and propose solutions communicating in example promotions and /or allowing reviews consultation, always keeping the value of time saving at the center of the user experience.

The desire for automation is linked to a more customized service: sales assistance plays a fundamental role both if it is done by a salesperson in the store and through instant-messaging sessions with a sales assistant, or by phone or e-mail.

Therefore, for a high quality shopping experience the keywords are comfort and experience value, the same that characterize the self-service solutions offered by Custom Spa.