With shops closed, retailers are getting creative to serve the housebound customer and developing virtual shopping experiences. 

  • John Lewis plans to extend virtual services such as stylists, workshops and classes after popular launch
  • Currys PC World’s ShopLive service allows customers to chat to staff in-store, get advice and see product demos
  • The trend of using staff as social media influencers will continue to grow after lockdown

In the weeks since lockdown began and non-essential stores were forced to close, the channel shift to ecommerce has undoubtedly accelerated – online sales surged to a 10-year high in April, up 23.8% year on year, according to IMRG Capgemini online retail sales index.

With concerned consumers planning to avoid busy public spaces for some time to come, online will become a more important channel.

Some retailers are therefore investing and innovating to give these housebound consumers more immersive digital shopping experiences, bringing the best of both worlds to people’s homes.

From video consultations and live streaming to digital fashion shows and virtual storefronts, the limits are, in theory, endless. In a time when non-essential retail is struggling, those that think outside the box and have the tech know-how to make their ideas a reality could emerge from lockdown in a better position than the rest.

Accenture managing director of retail Andrew Carlisle believes digital features that used to be “nice to haves” or even gimmicks such as virtual try-on services or visual search tools may now become important to shoppers.

“Five years ago, we might not have dreamt of buying a fridge-freezer without going in-store. Today, you might quite happily buy one online”

Simon Hathaway, Outform

“Many retailers were trialling and testing virtual engagement such as live chat or video calling [pre-lockdown]; however, the consumer demand for these often did not match the level of investment required,” he says.

“The shift away from busier physical shopping experiences, a trend likely to last for an extended period of time, is an opportunity for retailers to tap into the experiential element that doesn’t require face to face contact.

“We’re now seeing retailers innovate in new ways whilst stores are closed. If they’re able to provide customers with a great experience as a result of this, then virtual experiences may become more commonplace and even a competitive differentiator.”

Video consultations

In the new retail world where both shoppers and store staff are housebound, video consultations have become the next best thing to personal shopping experiences.

John Lewis is taking its in-store services online with customer appointments available for advice on things such as interior design, planning for the arrival of a baby or personal styling.

John Lewis

Source: John Lewis Instagram

John Lewis home design and nursery advice service manager Karen Reeves says: “For 155 years, our shop doors have been open for our customers and for the first time ever those doors have been briefly closed. We understand that during this time the world around us continues to move and we want to continue supporting, inspiring and advising our customers with help from our expert partners.

“People are still expecting babies, redecorating their homes and looking for wardrobe advice and these virtual services have enabled us to bring the in-depth knowledge and experience which our customers know and love, directly to them, all in the comfort of their own homes.”

Reeves says the retailer has already started extended these services and has added virtual personal styling for men as well as wine and gin tastings and cookery classes.

The uptake for these services has been “incredibly positive”, according to Reeves, who says over 1,600 appointments have been made since the service launched last month, 40% of which were with expectant parents.

John Lewis personal styling service manager Katie Smith adds: “Our partners are really enjoying this different way of working and offering something which is a completely new way of working for them.

“These virtual services have enabled our expert team of partners to be part of something which is shaping the future of our services as the retail world adapts to this new ‘remote’ shopping behaviour.”

Furniture retailer Heal’s has taken things a step further and is offering shoppers a virtual store tour around its Tottenham Court Road flagship.

Heal’s is offering free one-hour Zoom consultations with colleagues in-store, who walk through the store and share recommendations and advice for redecorating the home.

Heal’s head of retail Amber Coleman says: “In light of the recent restrictions, which meant that our stores had to temporarily close, we wanted to create new and innovative ways for customers to interact with our products from the comfort of their own homes.

“We hope that our virtual consultations help customers to see how key pieces such as sofas and tables can work within their spaces, without needing to come into the store.”

Shop assistants can take orders on the Zoom call and arrange delivery of products to the shopper’s home.

Heal’s has also created 10 free Zoom backgrounds that fans can download from the website, featuring its popular products and interior designs.

Live demos

Some retailers are carrying out live demonstrations of products for online shoppers.

Curry’s PC World has launched ShopLive, which allows customers to chat to staff in-store using a video link to get advice and see demonstrations.

Alex Baldock, chief executive of Currys PC World owner Dixons Carphone, told Retail Week last month after the launch of ShopLive: “There are certain things that stores are best at delivering in our sector – for example, the face-to-face advice from a trusted expert, demonstrations of the product, the customers being able to play around with the product, and see and touch and feel it for themselves, and to access services to help them get the most out of their product rather than just buying it, like repairs, set up and data transfer.

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“All those things are still best done in our stores, so we asked ourselves ‘what can we do to enhance the online customer’s experience in a way that makes the most of our strengths and helps the customer most?’”

Retail experience agency Outform managing director EMEA Simon Hathaway says this service will give people the confidence to buy online.

“Five years ago, we might not have dreamt of buying a fridge-freezer without going in-store. Today, you might quite happily buy one online and there will be tools to help you do that.

“When you look at the barriers to online shopping, the immediate opportunity is to use the staff you’ve already got to offer an online solution and demo real products.

“If you think about the fridge-freezer, and you can video call someone to ask them to open the door and take certain measurements and all that, that might give you the confidence to buy it online and this a shift we will see post-lockdown.”

ShopLive is a one-to-one consultation but other brands are live streaming product demonstrations for wide audiences to view on social media or brand websites.

In beauty, brands such as Bobbi Brown, Urban Decay and Morphe host almost daily live masterclasses and tutorials with makeup artists.

“The incredible response we have had to these virtual appointments has shown a clear demand for this type of service”

Karen Reeves, John Lewis

The next step from these demos is to make them shoppable. Livestreaming is a huge trend in China, where not only retail staff but influencers – or ’key opinion leaders’ – showcase products to audiences online. 

This is a big sales driver in China. Alibaba even has a dedicated live streaming division, Taobao Live, which stimulated ¥20bn (£2.3bn) during the Singles’ Day shopping event last year, or 7.5% of total sales on the day.

Emma Ede, managing director of retail experience agency Stellar Global, says: “Brands hosting experiences such as live video streams are helping to build communities and in turn will bring people together as they connect through their discoveries of a brand and their products.”

Western brands are waking up to the opportunities of livestreaming. H&M-owned brand Monki has broadcast its editor-in-chief Eleonore Nygårds and buyer Nina Gomes talking through their top seasonal outfits and shoppers could interact with them and make purchases.

Staff as social influencers

With social media channels becoming more prevalent touchpoints to the consumer, some brands have encouraged their staff to engage with customers on these platforms.

The Future Laboratory senior foresight writer Alex Hawkins says some retail employees have become social influencers for the brand. Employee social accounts can seem “more authentic than brand’s centralised channels” therefore attract more engaged followers, he says.

”There’s definitely an opportunity for this idea to take off, especially given the current situation – if we’re not engaging with staff in stores, then the brands should use their employees to help customers be immersed in its world remotely,” he says

Fashion retailers have taken the lead in this area. Boohoo has launched its #BoohooInTheHouse campaign, featuring its head office members showcasing their work-from-home outfits.

Many Asos staff members use social media handles with their company name in and share content including Asos’ clothing. The retailer actively promotes content from their staff accounts.

Hawkins believes this trend will continue to grow after lockdown as consumers engage with more authentic content online.

Virtual reality shops

Video consultations and demonstrations are definitely in vogue, but they are not the only way for retailers to create virtual shopping experiences.

Accenture’s Carlisle says: “It’s no secret that rapid technology advancements have been changing the way people work and live – but it’s also changing the way we shop.

“We will likely see things like virtual showrooms or digital pop-up stores for fashion brands who are digitising their collections. The use of virtual reality to bring products to life in a customer’s home has long been available but is now more accessible through all modern mobile handsets.”

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The idea of VR shops has already been brought to life by the Streetify app. Founder Martin Banbury created the app to bring high streets into the digital space, using technology to create a virtual version of every high street in the world.

Every store, restaurant, bar, or service on the digital high street can advertise in its virtual shop window.

This means deals and sales events appear in the window for shoppers to click on, and be taken to the company’s website. Equally, they will be made aware of any events taking place in physical spaces too, so will be able to head to their local high street equipped with any information they might need.

All retailers with a website have been uploaded onto the app, and window displays featuring discounts that can be found on popular voucher or cashback sites. 

Banbury believes this digitisation will be crucial for bringing customers back to high streets.

The app is in a beta testing stage and launched a few weeks ago in the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada and India. Banbury hopes to roll it out across the world and improve the graphics as he goes.

A virtual future

While stores will eventually reopen, shoppers are likely to remain cautious and continue to use virtual shopping services.

John Lewis will continue to offer its virtual services after lockdown restrictions are lifted and will use them to connect with the wider world.

“The incredible response we have had to these virtual appointments has shown a clear demand for this type of service from our customer and we are always looking for ways to ensure we’re delivering the support and advice our customers expect from John Lewis,” says Reeves.

“Through these virtual services, we have also been able to reach new customers who don’t have a John Lewis shop on their doorstep as well as customers abroad in Abu Dhabi, USA and across Europe.”

As more and more consumers live their lives through video – be it work calls, virtual drinks or keeping entertained with Netflix – it’s a natural transition for the way we shop to be done this way too.

Retailers are only scratching the surface of what is possible using this medium. Expect much innovation over the next few months.