The Path to Purchase Institute assembled its most impressive collection of thought leaders ever to reflect on the impact that the COVID-19 crisis will have on shopper engagement. In response to the question: what recent change in shopper behavior or retail operations do you most hope will continue after the crisis ends, Craig Elston, Integer’s Global Chief Strategy Officer, shared the following:
“I hope that we will continue to see the acceleration of other senses beyond touch in retail. Retail has always been about ‘touching the merchandise.’ We had started to see an increase in importance in visual language (such as emojis) and voice (think Alexa) and, as with many things, COVID-19 has bought the future forward and accelerated their use by brands and acceptance by shoppers. Consider also the increased importance of signage, visual cues for social distancing, increased screen time, the challenges of mask wearing – these all open opportunity for retail experiences that are more visually driven and for innovations such as functional and immersive audio.”
Read more from the experts here.