With smartphone technology evolving at lightning speed and 5G on the horizon, telecom retailers are gearing up for a lucrative new era of customer engagement in stores.

Today, solving customer problems, as opposed to purely shifting handsets, is considered the key to sales growth. By better aligning store format and increasing on-site interactivity, telecom retailers such as Vodafone, O2 and Samsung are working hard to successfully optimise conversions, ensuring physical outlets continue to deliver value and growth.

Shoppers often require specialist help when buying the latest handsets and accessories, setting up service contracts and loading apps. People counting technology can ensure the right numbers of sales assistants are available, and sales and service opportunities optimised.

Plan for the busy times in telecom retail

ShopperTrak’s latest eBook Fully charged for the future describes how to measure shopper traffic data and act upon clearly-defined trends and shopper behaviour patterns.

A massive win in this sector is ensuring staff rotas are planned to reflect known peaks and troughs in visitor numbers. When an individual phone store is heaving with shoppers, there are ample opportunities to convert and upsell, but only if the Shopper to Associate Ratio has been carefully planned beforehand.

Traffic data drives efficiency and clarity

The eBook sets out how traffic data can support operational planning so that telecom shoppers’ evolving needs are met. It also explores how to gauge promotional effectiveness – another margin boosting opportunity in this important sector.

Global consumers’ love affair with phones

• Global smartphone sales grew 5% to hit US$522 billion in 2018, with Asia-Pacific accounting for nearly half of those.
• Smartphones, feature phones and wearables accounted for a 44% share of the global US$1.2 trillion technical consumer goods (TCG) market.
• Retailers are braced for the fact that smartphone sales are expected to grow by just 1% in 2019.

Source: Consumer Life Study by GfK

Download ShopperTrak’s free eBook here: Fully charged for the future

Image courtesy of Samsung