Retail Connections enjoyed a demo of jispGO last week at the Retail Week Tech show in London. We were pretty impressed, as the in-store technology on display – NFC shelf edge stickers combined with smartphone app payment capability – seemed to tick several boxes in terms of meeting shopper and retailer needs. Commercially, big pluses are its palatable cost structure, the scalability it offers and the system’s relative ease of execution.

Ilann Hepworth, jisp’s Innovation Manager responsible for marketing communication, showed us how easy it is to scan jisp stickers on shelves near products to find out product information, pricing, deals, stock availability and reviews. In much the same way as Amazon Go has introduced the idea of ground-breaking ‘just walk out’ technology, jisp offers very similar functionality, seemingly at a fraction of the cost.

It’s worth looking at the jisp website to find out how Whittard of Chelsea, Decathlon, Crew Clothing, Yankee Candle and others are putting this technology to use in their stores already.

A new way to shop

As the video above demonstrates jisp creates frictionless shopping experiences thanks to built-in NFC technology that allows customers to access instant product information to their phone with just a tap.

The big benefit to retailers is that jisp helps improve conversions, increase sales and provide customers with the option to pay on their mobile wherever they are in-store. The tech can be deployed in stores quickly and easily – and once customers have downloaded the app they can enjoy a host of added benefits – from loyalty points to personalised offers.

Digital assistance when stores are busy

Hectic periods on the shop floor can prevent retailers from assisting every single customer. Through using the jisp app, brands can upsell products and incentivise customers to purchase additional items by using instore screens, or shoppers’ phones to suggest recipes, outfits, accessories, interior designs and ‘customers also bought’ recommendations.

Stored in the cloud, this info is accessed by phone-scanning specially coded reusable NFC stickers embedded in price labels, on shelf talkers, on shelf edges or even on the product itself. The signed up customer can start shopping by simply tapping their smartphone against a sticker. Products are instantly loaded into the shopper’s virtual basket and paid for via the app, removing the need to queue to pay.

Frictionless payment 

The checkout or pay desk is where selling normally stops. If sales assistants are freed up from manning tills, they can be out on the shop floor to upsell products and engage with shoppers directly. jispPAY allows customers to complete purchases through the app, with all payments sent directly into the store’s account.

So what about the security of this payment system? Ilann explained that jispGO has a secure solution for customer check-in and check-out, which takes care of age verification, and can monitor high value goods. Typically there will be random or product-specific checks to minimise shrinkage, which of course is a big issue in self-checkout. As part of the demonstration, IIann explained that jispGO can be easily deployed into existing POS systems.

Forge ongoing relationships

The app sets the foundations for ongoing CRM. Through the jispGO app, retailers are able to gather customer information that will help them personalise future experiences. Essentially, jisp gives stores the chance to understand shoppers in the same way that online can.

We watch with interest to see how many more retailers – and consumers – get to grips with jisp in the coming years!

Find out more here: www.jisp.com