Retail Will Never Be the Same
While many see the current contactless environment as something we’ll eventually come back from, it isn’t. The pandemic has taught the retail industry many things. The ability to offer the seamless retail experience consumers have been craving for years might be one of the most important.
Take it from these retail giants that have taken the current climate in stride, using it to improve the retail experience they deliver to their customers.
Walmart
Walmart announced in March its no-contact services for payment, pick-up, and delivery in an attempt to protect customers and employees. By scanning a QR code synched with the store’s app, in-store shoppers can make contactless purchases. Customers can also open their trunks and have an employee load their groceries without the need for a signature.
Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club currently uses contactless technology to allow customers to pay from their phones, skipping the checkout line completely. In fact, Scan & Go usage has increased for the company fourfold since the beginning of the pandemic.
These are only two examples of the hundreds of businesses rising to meet the needs of their customers in our new normal. According to a recent study by Mastercard, consumers are increasingly moving toward contactless card adoption. Around 79% of consumers around the globe are now using contactless payments.
Does the Store Even Matter Anymore?
Let us make another bold statement: The idea of shoppers being in the store is irrelevant. In this new phase of retail, companies like Target are converting lanes of parking lots to Order Ahead fulfillment stations. Large-format stores are averaging 30 cars simultaneously for pick-up. Companies such as Starbucks are creating “pick-up only” locations.
This is happening now, and it’s ushering in even more new methods of fulfillment. From groceries being dropped off in your trunk while you work to smart safes on the porch of our homes, we’re only seeing the beginning. It’s time for retail companies to act.
Current Authentication Methods Can’t Meet Contactless Requirements
A retailer’s sole responsibility is to get products into the hands of consumers. In today’s climate, there are many ways to make this happen, including Scan, Pay and Go, BOPIS, and self-check-out. Yet, with so many options available, how do we verify we’re getting the right products to the right customer?
QR code? ID check? Nothing?
Inefficiencies in contactless food delivery, rideshare, and retail account for more than $10 billion in annual losses. Authentication is critical to avoid serious liabilities in safety and friendly fraud.
LISNR: Person Present. Proven.
Current methods such as QR codes can’t meet new requirements. They involve costly hardware upgrades and certain phones for compatibility. Plus, they leave much to be desired for security and reliability and can also fall victim to human error.
The answer is contactless authentication through near-ultrasonic data transmission. What does this mean? A customer can walk into your retail store and be identified automatically via sound. When they’re ready to leave, they pay via mobile and authentication happens at receipt—no contact required.
Or, a customer can pull up to your drive-thru after being identified via sound at the speaker. They pay, authentication occurs, and they receive their order.
While your customers benefit from a seamless experience, you receive enhanced security, decreased chargebacks, and increased revenue.
The Future Is Now—Reach Out to LISNR® Today
LISNR® is an advanced, near-ultrasonic, ultra-low power data transmission technology that enables fast, reliable, and secure communication between devices via a speaker and/or microphone. To learn more about the future of retail or LISNR’s person present solution, send us a message.