While consumers continue to increase their spend online, for most Australian retailers the physical storefront still accounts for the majority of revenue. At Truis, we see technology as a tool that enhances the retail experience, rather than competing with bricks and mortar stores. The Store of Tomorrow explores how we can evolve the customer experience, delivering them a faster, more personalised visit that builds loyalty and, in turn, drives revenue.
We’re also not just visualising a futuristic retail space—the Store of Tomorrow shows how technology can be used now to deliver a better shopping experience. After all, it’s the experience your customer enjoys today that will determine the state of your operations in five years time.
Whether you’re looking to convert reluctant shoppers to regulars or aiming to expand basket-size, improving the customer experience is the key driver of every decision—technology gives us the tools to achieve this. At Truis, we understand that the technologies that build trust and value for customers are the ones that will make a lasting impact for retailers. Better for customers means better for the bottom line.
Let’s take a look at how technology is being showcased in the Store of Tomorrow to address three challenges for retailers across Australia: operational efficiencies, staff safety and enhanced checkout experiences.
Where stock control was once a labour-intensive, resource-heavy process, the Store of Technology uses clever tech to make it easier, more accurate and cost-effective.
RFID is becoming increasingly commercially viable for retailers of all sizes, with clear benefits in the apparel space. RFID delivers an accurate and instant understanding of stock movements— where it’s selling, where it’s stalling, and where it may be being stolen.
Customers benefit from the use of RFID technology too. By having a precise, to-the-minute understanding of your stock levels, customers can arrive in store or place click and collect orders with complete confidence that their order can be fulfilled immediately—no delays, no shipping, and no wasted journeys. Being able to precisely locate an item in store also improves staff efficiencies, freeing them up to serve customers. For the apparel and footwear sector, lost sales due to inaccurate stock levels or an inability to locate a particular size or colour in-store would be a thing of the past.
Camera analytics are particularly exciting, as they bring benefits to all retail segments and industries. Combined with the right AI platform, camera analytics are a flexible and powerful tool with applications for front and back of house. Here are a few ways we see it working in Australian stores:
Stock control: cameras within storerooms utilise AI monitoring to review stock levels, manage the reordering processes and report on the rate of replenishment, flagging any discrepancies against item sales that could identify a broader issue.
Customer research: observing and understanding how customers interact with your store allows you to gain powerful research and insights that can inform your strategies.
Responsive offers: entry cameras broadly segment customers as they enter the store, before using AI to deliver a relevant promotion, ensuring they receive the right sales message at the right time.
Reducing food wastage: supermarkets and stores carrying perishable stock can use camera analytics to minimise waste and shrinkage by identifying when produce is approaching the end of its saleable life and instantly updating electronic barcodes and pricing displays to move the stock more quickly, reducing waste.
It's a sobering statistic that 76% of frontline retail staff are verbally abused every year, with nearly 13% experiencing physical assault. As camera technology has evolved, we’re now able to use wearable technology to make the workplace safer for frontline retail staff.
Smaller and more portable than an old-school duress button, these small wearable cameras are with staff at all times, giving them reassurance that help is close by.
With the technology we’ve trialled in the Store of Tomorrow, cameras are linked via a live feed to a triage centre when a button is pressed once, escalating to the coordination of emergency services if the button is held longer.
In a recent trial in the quick service restaurant sector, we saw response times for incidents drop from an average of 20 minutes, down to just 7 minutes—a significant improvement, particularly in distressing and potentially life-threatening situations. We’ve even seen a case where there was just two minutes between the press of a button and the arrival of police on site.
While high-visibility cameras are recognised to be an effective deterrent, ultimately brand image and your retail environment will dictate the approach. There’s technology to suit all industries, from small, discreet cameras for high end luxury retailers through to larger wearables for big box or electronics retailers.
Lengthy queues and inefficient POS systems are a common source of dissatisfaction for customers who’ve become accustomed to easy online or self-checkout processes. This is a space where supermarkets and quick-service restaurants are leading the way, with self-checkout kiosks and portable POS systems already in use, removing barriers to purchase.
Increasingly, we’re seeing this technology offered in new sectors such as apparel, hardware and convenience stores. This omni-channel approach also allows customers to transact online, giving them the power to purchase via their phone, even when they’re in store. The key is providing customers with choice, and ensuring POS systems, loyalty programs and the availability of staff instore still meets expectations.
With people and individual customer experiences being the cornerstone for all retailers, it’s important to acknowledge the thousands of people who have contributed to the establishment of the Store of Tomorrow. In building the Store of Tomorrow, our team has spoken to thousands of people—from industry thought-leaders and representatives from iconic brands, right down to individual customers who were keen to share their thoughts and experiences with us.
We’ve also been inspired by the range of ongoing research projects, as well as the work being done by the companies whose technology we feature.
For us, it is about bringing together ideas and technology from around the world, seeing what works, what doesn’t, and showcasing them so Australian retailers can explore what that tomorrow could look like.
Ultimately, the success of technology comes from the people it supports—and that’s something that we always have front of mind at Truis. The technology that delivers the most significant impacts for retailers will be those that improve the lives of our customers, by making their retail experience easier, safer and more enjoyable.
We’re excited to welcome you. Find out more.