–Contributed by Vivin Wason

Ever wondered why a customer who walked into your store once never came back (even when you stock goods which are purchased once every two weeks)? It might not be a retailers fault every time a customer has an unpleasant shopping experience. There could be various factors involved, some of which are difficulty in locating a product, uninformed salespeople, forgetting shopping-list items, choice between fast procurement from a brick and mortar store and availing the advantage of attractive features of online shopping, such as quick price comparisons, personalized recommendations, and instant access to product information and reviews.

Retailers are now in order to personalize their service delivery are looking further than just relying on their front sales staff. Instead the customers will now be greeted with self service kiosks in retail stores. An IT solutions company providing specialized retail software solutions has come out with a new product to make shopping an easier activity. The software helps shoppers to create a shopping list on the store's Web site using any computer, update it with a voice message from their mobile phone and swipe a loyalty card at an in-store kiosk to get a printout of that shopping list. That printout might include personalized offers for products on the list or related products and suggestions for using them. The kiosk also carries a map of the store that helps the customers to locate their select merchandise within the.

 Shoppers could also use the kiosks to browse product ideas or scan bar codes to get product specifications, pricing, special offers and third-party reviews.

Though in order not to completely eliminate the human touch from the process, the solution can make arrangement where only one or two sales people can manage the complete store with the help of a handle computer. This would be a portable computer with which they can move around in the store and it would help them become an expert on all products as it provides the same information it does to the customers with inputs on all on-going promotions and the speed at which every category is moving.

But, even as the in-store services get consumer-centric, it's high time the retailers make their online portals more personalized as well. Recently I came across a similar web portal which has added a new dimension to its product offering. A newly launched website offers services such as make-your-own design to its customers. The products range from the following categories from T-shirts, mugs, coasters, jigsaw, greeting cards, key chains, mouse pads and posters. You can either create your own design or choose from a list of 1000 unique designs and shop for the same online. It has also tied up with big apparel brand in India and offers service to upload your own design to be put on the T-shirt of that brand and get royalty every time your design is sold. Unique isn't it?