We live in an increasingly connected world, one in which our expectations and behaviors as consumers are prompting an evolution to the in-store shopping experience. Thanks to recent investments in technology and apps, the in-store customer experience, including checkout technology, is starting to look more like the online purchasing experience. While brick-and-mortar stores have endured and are largely preferred by shoppers, they are also increasingly having to evolve to accommodate changing customer expectations around technology, including the ability of customers to connect with their smart mobile devices in stores, something which our cellular signal boosters can help with.
Many retailers are pursuing omnichannel marketing and retailing, allowing their customers to engage with them across social media, email, brick-and-mortar locations, and many other “channels.” The goal is to offer customers a unified experience with the retailer, whether they are shopping online or in the store, or, as data suggests, merging the two experiences by starting their in-store shopping experience on their mobile phones before even entering.
In addition to loyalty and customer reward apps, once inside the store, customers are increasingly using cashless smartphone payment apps, such as Apple pay, or tap-to-go credit cards, to enjoy a more efficient and seamless purchasing experience. Many customers today are turning to Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) applications to enable them to split larger purchases up into multiple payments. At the end of 2023, retail leader Walmart announced that in-store shoppers utilizing self-checkout could now access the Affirm app and use it for in-store qualifying purchases. A shopper spending above a pre-designated amount on qualifying non-grocery items can log into their Affirm app on their mobile device, input information about the purchase, and download a barcode to scan at self-checkout. This allows customers to essentially self-service their own loans while they check out in Walmart stores. It cannot be understated how much of an impact on industry norms and the relationships between apps and in-store shopping this will continue to have as this trend evolves.
Affirm and other fintech apps were originally conceived for online commerce, but Walmart’s new initiative is demonstrating how they might continue to be integrated into the in-store shopping experience. This marks an evolution in how essential cellular service is to the in-store shopping experience, and a shift in the role of apps in shopping in stores, particularly the reliance of customers on apps to complete transactions. Customers who cannot access Affirm when checking out might not be able to make their purchases, as someone using Affirm might only be able to afford the product they are buying specifically because they are being offered the option to pay in installments. In fact, many customers report that BNPL applications enable them to make purchases they would otherwise not be able to afford up front. Without the use of a cellular signal booster, these customers may find themselves simply unable to make a purchase, regardless of their desire to, because they cannot access their BNPL application of choice. Such customers are unlikely to return to a location they’ve previously found incompatible with their preferred, and perhaps only, method of purchase.
What omnichannel marketing and these emerging payment technologies have in common is the personal mobile phone, which is essential in a “mobile-first” retail world where in-store shoppers are increasingly using their smartphones and cellular connectivity to complete purchases. Retailers are embracing this trend: one study found that 41% of retailers “strongly agree” that they want customers to bring their own devices into the store environment and use them to facilitate purchases. They know that customers are using their phones to look up product information, read reviews, check prices, communicate with purchasing partners, check personal information, including financial information, and now even to seek out newer credit options for breaking up larger purchases.
There is a hidden force that supports all of these investments and shifting consumer behavior: connectivity. If customers aren’t able to get a reliable signal on their phone in order to use their mobile apps, their carefully-designed and curated omnichannel experience is cut short and they don’t enjoy that seamless experience. In-store Wi-Fi networks are not as popular as retailers anticipated, as they often require customers to take steps to log in and can expose them to security risks. We know that only 15% of customers access in-store Wi-Fi when shopping in stores, whether it requires a login password or is publicly available. Most app functionality in stores, then, comes down to cellular signal strength, as customers use their cellular network to load apps and facilitate purchases. To ensure their in-store environment is supportive of these evolving shopper expectations, retailers can install intelligent cellular coverage DAS or cellular signal boosters to extend signals inside their stores. Doing so would allow them to meet what are increasingly seen as the “baseline” expectations of customers, seamless connectivity and a quick, convenient shopping experience.
Retail marketing research tells us that customers want a seamless app experience when they are shopping, whether in stores or online. Customer experience can make the difference between making a sale or not, and it’s essential for stores to be aware of and support changing customer needs around payment. One of those changes is the rise of BNPL apps like Affirm, which allow customers to pay for larger purchases in installments. Cellular connectivity is fundamental to this new way of retail life: simply put, customers are using apps to facilitate purchases more and more, and apps don’t work when phones can’t connect to a signal. Because of this, it’s crucial for retailers to monitor their stores for dead zones and remediate them, otherwise they may lose sales simply out of the inconvenience their customers experience. A layered approach to connectivity, including the use of a cellular signal booster, can also boost store operations and help staff utilize technologies that are essential to their roles, since it’s not only customers that frequently use mobile phones in a retail environment. Keeping your staff well connected will help them to make easier use of any apps you provide them with as well as help them keep up consistent and productive communication to coordinate their efforts.
