Close the Online / Offline Gap for Retail Facilities

October 22, 2019

Brick and motor retailers are finding the competition even more intense with online shopping and it grows fiercer every year.

Downloads of shopping apps saw a 76% increase from 2015 to 2016 according to Retail Dive, indicating a strong change in the way consumers choose to research and perhaps complete their purchases. Furthermore, it is estimated by 2025, 20% of grocery purchases will be made online (Source: Harvard Business Review, What the Grocery Stores Holding Their Own Against Amazon Are Doing Right, 2019).

But this doesn’t tell the full story, as most retailers that intended to withstand the tests of the market have already invested in omnichannel (the cross-channel strategy that combines online with in-store to provide customers with an improved experience). They’ve at least anticipated, if not fully prepared, for this shift in transactions happening within the current decade. Since omnichannel has been proven to work - with 7% of shoppers from online only, 20% of shoppers were store only and the majority (73%) used multiple channels for their shopping. It’s no surprise why savvy retailers are investing in websites better capable of managing the online shopping experience (Source: Harvard Business Review, A Study of 46,000 Shoppers Shows That Omnichannel Retailing Works, 2017). But what can these retailers do to ensure their brick and mortar locations also provide operational value?

The retail stores as we know them are taking on a different look and size. By including embedded technologies to help physical locations create a more engaging customer experience for their targeted shoppers. Also, retailers are channeling activity in the most flexible ways to encourage sales retailers to confidentially step into the future as customer readiness matures.

In a recent white paper sponsored by Acuity Brands, Casey Talon from Navigant discusses the intelligent connected  technologies that lead to a connected facility, which are helping retailers compete. Retailers can level up, creating dynamic technology-enabled shopping experiences powered by connected lighting and other solutions like enterprise system integration and advanced controls and sensors.

These connected solutions enable the sharing and aggregation of data in a way that provides powerful insights to help retailers pivot digital marketing to customer interests and even notify associates to customers needing assistance. The value proposition for the resulting connected facility solutions are scalable for every business and facility type, meaning you can work with Acuity Brands and its specifiers and partners to implement the solutions best to ensure completion of your company’s future goals and objectives.  

Are you ready to level up your retail experience with intelligent connected solutions?

Download the white paper and contact us today to enhance your customer experience with innovative solutions designed for the retail industry.

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Audey Cash, Senior Vice President Enterprise Technology Solutions

Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc.

Audey is a business leader who works in partnership with executive teams and large companies to transform their retail facilities with smart lighting to Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. In his role at Acuity Brands, he leads the enterprise solutions teams. From electronics to lighting, Cash has spent over 15+ years in the building market, transforming spaces to further the success of his clients, people and solutions.

Audey received his BS in Computer Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business in Finance and Marketing from Lehigh University.

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