GOOGLE SAYS APPS HELP RETAILERS MAKE MORE SALES

According to the search engine, app use has accelerated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers spending as much as 20% more time in app as restrictions have been put in place. As app use increases, so too does the amount of sales generated, making a business app an ever more vital part of the cross-channel offering for retailers and ecommerce businesses. What’s more, almost a third of consumers (30%) say they don’t expect to return to their normal shopping habits, making an app a must-have for the modern retailer.

Google says the shift in shopping habits “makes it more important than ever for retailers to capture this new app growth opportunity. This can be done by shifting app strategy to substitute or augment traditional channels, or by creating an entirely new experience and functionality, as apps will no longer serve as solely a browsing platform.”

Here are a few ways you can make a new or existing app work even harder for your business to help you grow your sales and emerge stronger from the pandemic.

Research by McKinsey says app behavior can be a font of useful knowledge for brands, with machine learning and app behaviour tracking able to identify issues consumers are most likely to face. Being forewarned is forearmed and this means that customer service can be deployed much quicker, and interactions streamlined, to delight the time-poor shopper.

Google says this clever tweak won’t just elevate customer satisfaction levels and improve customer service offering, a better understanding of behavioral trends thanks to app monitoring can also bring down customer service costs.

Even if your bricks and mortar premises remain open, limits on in-store shopper numbers and the need to social distance can be difficult to juggle. Your business app can help here too. Using it to facilitate contactless ordering or click and collect can bring down in-store shopper numbers and speed up transactions, allowing your team to handle orders more efficiently.

The sky is the limit when it comes to how helpful your app can be to shoppers. And, the more useful features you can incorporate, the more loyal your customers are likely to be. This is especially key right now, with consumers very aware of their budget and more likely to shop around before committing to a purchase.

Google describes this as a win-win, saying “Whether it’s the ability to receive instant stock updates or get immediate assistance through your app, building features that help consumers will drive efficiencies across the business. And this will in turn grow your profit margins — even when there are safety and social distancing restrictions in place.”

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