Music retailer Dawsons unveils ‘smart glasses’ to improve online shopping experience
Are smart glasses the future for retail? Certainly music retailer Dawsons – founded way back in 1898 – is hoping to harness the latest 21st century technology.
It has partnered with start up tech company GoInStore in what they claim is the first example of smart glasses being used to help sales staff talk directly to customers in order to improve the online shopping experience and bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds.
Visitors to the Dawsons website browsing at home can ‘live chat’ via a one way live video/two way live audio stream to sales staff wearing smart glasses who are then able to guide the customer through the store and explore products. GoInStore claims its server infrastructure and artificial intelligence can quickly analyse online behaviour to ensure online shoppers are connected to the representative who is best able to help them.
Says Mark Taylor, Managing Director for Dawsons Music: “Our staff are musicians first and foremost, which means the expertise you receive by visiting one of our stores is second to none. GoInStore allows our most valuable sales asset – our staff – to engage with customers far beyond the typical catchment areas of our stores and has unleashed their potential across the web.”
He adds: “Although this is cutting-edge technology, it’s facilitating a human-to-human connection in a comfortable and familiar way for staff and customers alike. The end result is much greater synergy between the web and stores.”
Founded in 2014 by three retail technology veterans, GoInStore plans to disrupt the way in which omni-channel businesses engage with their customers.
Using the latest in smart glasses wearable technology and Android handheld devices, the GoInStore service harnesses a proprietary technology platform – including server infrastructure and a unique artificial intelligence-driven Assignation Engine – to improve the way consumers shop online and therefore drive higher conversion rates.
