How wireless networks drive the next generation of retail experiences

By Tom Chan

In 2020, we saw the shift to online buying increase at an almost exponential rate. According to Australia Post, the eCommerce industry grew more than 80% over the previous year in just two months at the beginning of the pandemic.

Yet we know that Australian consumers still have a great appetite for brick-and-mortar shopping experiences. Research by the Australian Consumer and Retail Spending unit at Monash University revealed 61% of Aussies plan to primarily shop in-store after the COVID-19 is no longer a health risk.

Against this backdrop, it’s been observed that many retail IT teams are being tasked with driving digital transformation to place the physical store back at the centre of their customer experience. This requires next generation technologies to deliver more personalised and immersive experiences – but without the specialised on-site technical staff at each location, there are limits to what can be achieved.

Connecting the physical with the digital store

According to Forrester, when the majority of online shoppers visit physical stores, they use their mobile phone while in-store in order to compare prices, look up product reviews, and find the best deal. It’s in these moments that a next generation wireless network can create a more connected in-store experience.

Through location services, shoppers can find the precise location of products within specific stores, check stock availability, and view product information. Conversely, when shoppers can’t easily access this information, or simply can’t connect their mobile phone at all to a network, this disconnected experience can lead to lost sales and a poor customer experience.

Delivering seamless purchasing experiences

Consumers are highly accustomed to seamless purchasing experiences. In the online world, retailers remember their name, address, product preferences, and payment details so they can check out from a digital store through a simple push of a button.

Shoppers should be able to utilise contactless payments using store apps that remember their purchases and notify counter staff of their preferences. With the ability to quickly and easily on-board beacons and IoT devices, retailers have the potential to leverage a next-generation network to also guide shoppers through their stores to service counters and information desks.

Securing the connected retail experience

While retailers want to offer their customers an open and connected instore shopping experience, the onus is on businesses to ensure every element of their network is as secure as possible.

With each remote location, user, and device presenting a potential security risk, it makes sense to have a comprehensive, repeatable set of security controls.

At Optus, we partner with businesses like Aruba, to deliver next generation wireless network solutions to Australian retailers who want to meet the new demands of their customers. Aruba network solutions offer simplified onboarding, provisioning, role-based policies and industry-leading micro-segmentation, called Dynamic Segmentation.

Partnerships like these enable Optus to continue creating the connected and secure experiences our customers expect.