Phygital is here to stay
First there came the physical stores. Then, there came websites. Websites grew up to being digital stores (read e-commerce). Stores and websites were two worlds apart. Now, you can pick up at a store and pay through their app. Opponents once, now two sides of a coin.
The physical world, digital touchpoints. Smarter consumers.
Phygital is here.
Imagine the power of touch, a human trait, and leveraging vast information and the convenience of technology built into your mobile device. One example is decathlon. I have more observations. Now that story is for another day.
A while ago, I visited decathlon to pick up a yoga mat. Little did I realise it was a sunday. The queue around the payment section ran up to at least half a kilometer within the store! An interesting announcement saved me a good 45 mins. Download the decathlon app, scan your products from your basket and pay online. Self checked out in less than 15 mins. There are more advantages, like ordering from home and picking up from the nearest showroom and more.
Talk about true digital transformation.
Integrating today’s shopping processes and making the app relevant to customers visiting the store makes complete business sense. Will the future be similar when we walk into a reliance/croma/titan store and make a payment via their super apps? I am now curious to see how this trend unfolds.
Apart from retail, which other segments do you think will adopt phygital in the future? Do share your views. My two big bets are on healthcare & entertainment!