The Challenges of Change: Q&A with World Wide Technology
Posted by RetailTechNews on May 2, 2018:
Retailers have known for years that to stay ahead of the game, they must improve their technological capabilities. However, some retailers have adapted to this change better than others. In this Q&A with RetailTechNews, Matt Sebek (pictured below), VP of digital, World Wide Technology, explains why this is, and what technologies can help retailers gain a competitive edge.
RetailTechNews: Can you briefly explain what WWT does?
Matt Sebek: WWT is a global technology solution provider, serving the technology needs of large public and private organisations around the globe, including many of the world's best-known brands.
With an integrated portfolio across customer experience, wireless, mobility, data analytics, and systems integration, WWT is uniquely positioned to lead top B2C and B2B initiatives across digital and physical channels.
With an increasing amount of commerce taking place online, how is the role of the brick-and-mortar store going to change?
Most large retailers now have an e-commerce function as well as physical shops. And, as more business is now shifting online, they need to quickly determine what role physical stores can play in their engagement strategies.
First and foremost, this involves acknowledging that the physical space is no longer an exclusive marketplace to service transactions. However, stores can still be leveraged as experiential showrooms, distribution centres, and 'buy online, pickup in-store' locations, as the demand on same-day delivery services increases beyond supply. Additionally, these physical spaces can be leveraged for heightened services such as expert opinions, consultation, and demonstration of next-gen technology to make the physical shopping experience something convenient but fun: for instance, by using virtual reality or augmented reality experiences to try out a new wardrobe or a new kitchen.
What sort of technologies can retailers be adopting to help them adjust to these changes?
In tech, data is still a significant asset. One of the IoT applications retailers can use is a network of Virtual Bluetooth Low Energy (VBLE) beacons. These connect into the WiFi network and can provide granular anonymised location data on each customer using the network in-store.