Devising strategies for bringing near field communication technology to in-store retail experience in India

Abstract

The era of internet of things is fast emerging and the retail sector is not immune to the revolutionary leaps made in the technology spectrum. E-commerce is threatening to take over the market everywhere by providing fast search and low prices. Brick and mortar stores are rummaging for innovative ways of enhancing the shopping experience so that customers are able to make informed choices at the store itself instead of going back home and making online purchases. Cloud Tags provides a unique product offering that facilitates transparent digital participation and data exchange inside the physical store. Customers can access deeper product info and reviews, curate and share what they consider and receive smart, location-aware, recommendations without downloading or signing in to a mobile application simply via beacons and sharing. In-store digital technology using showroom tablets that enhances customer engagement with linkages through to CRM and sales have been successfully adopted in the US and UK markets. The Indian retail sector however remains alienated from the concept of omni-channel retailing as a whole barring a few large players such as the Future Group, Shoppers Stop etc. The rest of the paper is aimed to study the viability of Cloud Tag’s unique in India and how it can be introduced to the Indian shoppers and retailers.