Raising the Bar: Point of Sale Personal Shopper Preferences

Author:

Amy Honigfeld

We all know the scoop...you proceed to checkout, your purchases are scanned, and your wallet comes out... At this time you are politely asked- “Would you like to sign up to receive email from us enabling you to learn about special offers and promotions?”
 
While not an avid shopper, I’ve experienced this sequence multiple times within the past few weeks. On two of those occasions I realized many retailers are losing out on a significantly large opportunity. Why stop at just email collection? What about taking it one step further and learning additional preferences such as size, style choice and more. In short, why not leverage technology to enable retailers to act like personal shoppers.
 
In my case, the revelation came while in the midst of my bi-annual search for new work clothes and work out gear. As a petite woman and avid swimmer, finding pants that require no alteration and workout swim suits in my size is no small feat. (I admit, when it comes to clothes and swim gear, I prefer to purchase in store vs. online.) So after trekking to countless Manhattan stores I found my items and purchased away- two of the same swimsuit and two hours later two of my perfect pants.
 
That’s when it hit me. As I pulled out my charge card at the second store and heard the familiar words “Would you like to…”  The wheels in my brain started churning. What if...? Can’t I give you more information? Can you record the skew numbers on these items and let me know when similar items arrive in your store? Some potential data pieces that can help drive consumers to your stores include:
-       Store location of choice (if there are multiple in your area)
-       Style Choice
-       Purchase type for ex, shorts, pants, blouses, t shirt, sweater, skirt
-       Size
-       Brand Preference (if your store sells multiple brands)
-       Color preference
-       Self shopper or for others i.e. husband, wife, children
 
With the heavy retail focused holiday season around the corner, why not take advantage of capturing and leveraging this information to foster increased sales. I for one, am looking forward to receiving an email letting me know when my new favorite pants go on sale and which store I can get them at.