The Smart Digital Store
The retail store is undergoing a fundamental transition as digital and mobile reshape how consumers shop. Over the past decade, major changes have taken place in the retail landscape, fueled by rapid adoption of the internet and mobile. The rise of new channels and players has meant the demise of others.
Although the pathway to the hearts, minds and wallets of the consumer has changed, stores are by no means dead. The physical store has a unique place in the retail equation, but got somewhat left behind initially with the ecommerce revolution. However, the brick-and-mortar store is enjoying a resurgence as retailers discover that this might be the last place where they can still grab the full attention of today’s highly distracted consumer. And research proves time and again that immersive, real-world experiences trump virtual ones in creating more permanent memories. As retailers struggle to stand out in a crowded and fragmented marketplace, the retail store could very well be the key differentiator in how consumers perceive and remember their brand. With even online only pure-plays now venturing into the brick-and-mortar world, revisiting the role, functions and capabilities of the physical store in this new era is overdue.
Enter the Smart Digital Store. This framework and platform enhances the domain of the retail store with capabilities from the digital world. This opens up new ways to engage with and add relevance for consumers, empower employees and create business value for the retailer through the ability to run store operations differently and more efficiently.
The Smart Digital Store brings together the main players in the realm of the store: the customer, the store employee, the product and the physical store itself. By applying ubiquitous technology to make these SMART, DIGITAL and CONNECTED, a whole host of new capabilities and services can be created. Not as discrete gadgets or one-off point solutions, but as integrated systems driving new and measurable business value. The Smart Digital Store framework ensures that digital initiatives do not take place in isolation. The connective tissue between the different entities that make up the Smart Digital Store drives even greater benefits and scalability.
Our Smart Digital Store portfolio is designed to support each retailer on their own unique journey to bring their store value proposition to life. We support and guide retailers every step of the way –from vision and strategy definition, to roadmapping, technical and organizational actualization and ongoing support and continuous adaptability for an ever-changing environment.
While a high-end custom service retailer may focus on developing Smart Digital Store capabilities that gravitate towards highly personalized services for the consumer and making their employees brand ambassadors, discount retailers may leverage the platform to gain greater efficiencies around product and store operations.
Analytics and automated rules ensure that vast amounts of interactions, e.g., those stemming from the Internet of Things lead to the right actions at the right moment and the right place. The principles that underpin the Smart Digital Store ensure security, privacy and scalability. The standard architecture allows for data exchanges with existing IT systems and infrastructure; so no complete overhaul is necessary to start reaping benefits right away.
Capgemini works closely with partners like Intel and Google Cloud in the ongoing development of the Smart Digital Store framework, ensuring that the underlying architecture is sound, and core elements like security and privacy are present at all levels. Working with our partners, we further integrate and leverage real time analytics and new technologies like conversational commerce. Through these partnerships, we are also able to push the boundaries of business as usual by applying advanced, yet scalable and reliable technology.
Explore:
• Our latest Conversational Commerce Research
• Our joint Capgemini / Intel / MIT Point of View
• Our Smart Digital Store Solutions
Interested to find out more?
Contact our Smart Digital Store experts
Europe / Asia Pacific
Revathy Rajendran
Business Development Lead | The Smart Digital Store
Email: revathy.rajendran@capgemini.com
Phone: +91 98840 13035
North America / Latin America
Genevieve Chamard
Business Development Lead | The Smart Digital Store
Email: genevieve.chamard@capgemini.com
Phone: +1 415 697 9316
