COVID-19 – A Wake Up Call For Selling Online

This conversation was posted as a podcast on Business Essentials Daily. Kelly Slessor speaks with Chris Ashmore from SoundCartel about COVID-19 as a wake-up call for retailers to move to selling online. 

Since COVID-19, online retail has seen its most significant growth on record. For businesses, it’s never been easier to set up an online store. Kelly Slessor is a digital growth expert and founder of Shop You, a personalised virtual shopping mall based on AI technology. Kelly has spent the last 20 years working with retailers, property groups, banks and media companies to develop their digital strategy. She explains what businesses need to consider when starting an online process and outlines the digital tools available in which to do so.

The internet has become a great saviour since the pandemic. It makes it easier for customers to shop online for almost anything they want, and selling online. Given that since March 2020, businesses are seeing their online sales skyrocket. So, how can these businesses take advantage of online technology and tools to grow their online presence and increase revenue.

There has been a considerable gap in the connection between the physical and digital worlds. Businesses realise that they cannot have a gap between online and offline. They recognise that they need to have a seamless connection between the two worlds. Companies and retailers have no choice but to make online an experience that reflects the physical experience.

“We see a seismic shift in consumer behaviour and in ways which consumers shop… and it’s becoming more natural”.

Local businesses and retailers will be the ones to win in this scenario. Customers are more likely to shop locally and on-shore than overseas. They will look for local retailers where they can quickly return products they don’t like or get local reviews.

No two customers are the same: Why online retailers need to offer personalised customer journeys

As an unprecedented number of retailers scramble to stand out online, the consumer is hit with a lot of noise that is fast becoming unbearable, writes Kelly Slessor. Kelly Slessor, CEO of Shop You and a digital growth expert, discusses why online retailers need to offer personalised journeys for their customers.

We jump from LinkedIn to Facebook, Instagram to TikTok, and from our mobiles to desktops.

We have an average of eight tabs open on our computers, and yet we still can’t seem to find what we are seeking.

Products are throwing at us on every channel. Out of the 30 images I scrolled through on my Instagram feed, seven were ads for things I have no interest in ever buying.

COVID-19 has quickened the pace of shifting to online. More than 200,000 new households shopped online in April 2020. 

The retailers that personalise the journey will be the ones that truly stand out and connect. Personalisation is not just about sending an email with peoples names. It is about providing services, journeys and experiences that are unique to the customer. It’s about taking the human experience into a digital world.

Somewhere along the line in the digital evolution, we forgot the importance of connection and personalisation. Now everyone is a faceless customer who looks and sounds the same as the next customer and the one before.

There are some steps that retailers can use to create a more personalised journey for their customers.

Read the full article at Smart Company. 

How to create an inclusive digital experience

To create accessible digital experiences, brands need to consider the diverse needs of users and commit to inclusion, writes Kelly Slessor.

Inclusive digital experiences mean many things to many people. For me, it is about creating an online experience that responds to a user’s needs. As a result, this allows the user to achieve whatever it is they set out to do.

Research shows that an incredible 98% of websites have accessibility issues. There are 4.5 billion people online today and it has predicted to grow to 6 billion people by 2025. The question is, how do you create an inclusive digital experience for 6 billion people.

Last year, I received an email from a woman who was struggling to find the right outfit. The person was impaired and struggled to use online sites to shop due to the lack of accessibility. She highlighted the challenges faced by the impaired when shopping online.

One issue that stood out was the accessibility for remote communities. Some remote communities do not have access to high internet speeds or the internet. So, how can we create digital experiences that allow remote communities to gain access to websites, products and services? Also, how can these communities sell their products and services via online platforms?

There are many different areas that make up inclusive digital experiences. To test and learn, we need diverse teams and partners that recognise and understand the issues. We need to commit to change. 

It is a complex topic with many challenging elements. It will become a key area of focus for many retailers and businesses in the next few years.

Read the full story at Marketing Mag.

The Future of Retail Sky News Weekend Edition

Future of retail; Sky News

Shop You ‘virtual mall’ to connect people to physical stores – The Future of Retail Sky News Australia Kelly Slessor

This video was originally published on Sky News in the Future of Retail Sky News Weekend Edition.  Kelly Slessor talks with Jaynie Seal and Tim Gilbert about the future of retail and the impact on local retailers.

Essentially, virtual shopping is the future of retail. Digital growth expert Kelly Slessor, CEO of Shop You, discusses enhancing the shopping experience.  She shares insights on personalised shopping and the importance of connection to a physical store. 

“We’ve under invested in, as a result,  our retailers failing in an omni-channel environment. If we look to the UK, 30% of retail sales are now done online. In Australia 12% to 13% of retail sales are done online, so there’s big growth coming, but retailers are not prepared for it. Nevertheless, we do have time to prepare for the change but we need government initiatives, to help activate not only the big retailers,  but also the small businesses.

Shop You is a mobile shopping app that uses artificial intelligence to boost customers’ virtual shopping experience by matching them to brands and styles. “It knows you… It presents things to you based on your personal attributes and the brands you love”. Shop You provides a seamless customer journey of connection from an online store to a physical store.

For further information feel free to contact Kelly Slessor

BIO

Kelly Slessor, is an E-commerce Coach and a digital marketing expert. Passionate about retail, hospitality and retail service providers. As the founder and CEO of Shop You, an AI powered personalised virtual shopping mall she has spent 20 years building retail technology that responds to customer needs, drives conversions and increases revenue. Over the past year she has worked with over 1000 retailers and hospitality providers. If you want discover more about digital growth and optimisation, work with me.

How retail can get with the times and provide quality customer journeys

This article was a cover story in The Venture Magazine – What does the future have in store for retail? Kelly Slessor discusses the future of retail. Kelly Slessor is the founder of the personalized virtual shopping mall Shop You. Slessor shares her insights on how the pandemic is helping to speed up its arrival.

Retail is broken

To begin with, it’s no secret that retail is broken. That was true before the novel coronavirus shut down storefronts across the globe.

COVID-19 has revealed that retailers are being forced to think about how customers shop in the real world. Realising and understanding this will enhance the customer experience in the future.

When e-commerce was launched, it made retailers forget about humans. It removes the personal touch of an in-person experience. What retailers need to do is to create a smooth connection between online and in-store.

Innovations such as a virtual try-on will increase customer satisfaction and reduce waste. It’s not just about ordering something that fits a customer’s body. Shoppers want clothes that fit their personalities. In fact, Slessor views it as the gap between online and in-store experiences. So, she has been working on a personalization formula for Shop You.

Today, we are seeing more cashier-less stores with contactless payment systems. Of course it’s convenient, but it’s also safer during the pandemic. The ‘Click & Collect’ option will rise over the next several years. Again, it reduces contact and increases convenience over time. 

Retailers looking to remain part of the customer journey must move to multichannel. Otherwise, left behind. So, retailers will need to keep the human aspect of the shopping experience. For instance, asking customers questions and getting to know them. Rather than presenting customers with a catalogue. 

Shop You is a virtual mall that will give customers an online experience of an in-person experience. Customers will be able to find what they’re looking for and get it in a way that is convenient for them. 

To sum up, adding customization elements to the online experience will drive customer satisfaction. This also gives augmented reality another purpose.

Let’s talk: Running a retail business

Running a retail business is full of ups and downs, and isn’t easy. There are risks, but there are also opportunities. There have been many significant challenges that forced retailers to come up with creative solutions to adapt and overcome these challenges. For example, COVID-19 transforming shopping attitudes and behaviours.

COVID-19 has reshaped retail and given business owners many unprecedented challenges so far this year. As shops on high street were forced to close under lockdown rules, consumers switched behaviours and e-commerce saw a huge uptake.

What are the pros and cons for retail businesses considering the circumstances of recent months? We ask experts in the sector to outline their viewpoints on the question.

Kelly Slessor points out that pre-COVID retail was already experiencing huge challenges. Operating seamless channels that integrated both the physical and digital store. It required investment and a skillset that many retailers did not have. During COVID we saw an online increase of 50%. Services such as curbside pickup increase by 208%. The forward-thinking retailers move on to video concierge and personal stylists type services. 

Analysts believe that the retail industry will accelerate by more than 5 years in less than 3 months.

Customers have been retraining to shop online. Over the next 6-12 months, we will be seeing the survivors driving enhanced experiences in their digital channels.

There will be many fallouts of those that cannot invest in and accelerate their digital experience.

There have been many demands and pressures on retailers placed by the pandemic. Such as unprecedented disruptions to supply chains, explosive demands, and rapid shifts in consumer behaviour.

Many retailers face an unknown future. Retailers must be able to adapt whilst staying alongside product innovations and industry trends. These are the ones who will survive.

Read the full story at Dynamic Business.