Empowering Associates to Improve the Customer Experience

A critical component of success when it comes to operating a brick-and-mortar retail store is the sales associate. As the front-line representative of your brand, sales associates carry the bulk of the responsibility for how customers view your operation and the experience they have while in your store.

A 2018 study conducted by retail software company Square Root found that shoppers expect sales associates to be friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about products in the store. Sixty-nine percent of shoppers say the in-store experience directly impacts their perception of the brand, while 71 percent say the brick-and-mortar experience impacts whether they will be a repeat customer.

In addition, a 2014 study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania found that sales associates who could provide information about specific products generated 69 percent more sales than those who didn’t.

But sales associates aren’t just one of the most critical parts of retail success, they’re also one of the most expensive. And with retail wages on the rise thanks to a tight labor market, those costs are expected to continue going up. As a result, it’s no longer acceptable for a retailer to hire warm bodies. Instead, they need smart staffers who understand the brand, understand the customer, and have access to the knowledge that can help them provide an outstanding customer experience. An educated associate is a retailer’s best asset.

To help retailers empower their associates and make them better, smarter, and faster, technology firm Multimedia Plus has created INCITE, an in-store broadcast network that incites sales and drives performance. Developed as a mobile-first app, INCITE provides sales associates with ongoing, day-to-day updates and skill-building and brand strategies including product knowledge, new up-selling and cross-selling opportunities, problem-solving techniques, professional and management development, the latest corporate announcements, and other communications.

The fully integrated omnichannel INCITE platform takes advantage of MMP’s patented non-streaming video technology, offering a fully branded experience, drag-and-drop publishing, and real-time results. INCITE is PCI compliant, meaning it can operate on the same network as the store’s point-of-sale system. And because associates can engage with INCITE on the sales floor in between serving customers instead of having to sit in the back room at a computer, retailers get maximum benefit from every labor dollar.

INCITE provides the real-time communications that empower a retailer’s team to:

  • Work collectively using the same procedures.
  • Create a consistent customer experience at every interaction.
  • Move more units per transaction.
  • Raise average dollars per sale.
  • Increase the lifetime value of every customer in the store.

Retailers already leveraging INCITE to drive results include Tiffany & Co., Kate Spade New York, and Steve Madden. To schedule a demo of INCITE or to set up a call to learn more, visit http://www.multimediaplus.com/contact-us/.