I recently wrote about the potential of the iPad as a self-service enhancement to retail customer experience. There is an entirely different dimension beyond kiosks to the use of iPad as a sales enabler, and that is its role as hand-held sales assistant.  The iPad was first to market, but other tablets will receive scrutiny in the coming months.

The Possible

What do tablet devices offer at retail? A sleek, portable and versatile tablet like the iPad in the hands of a sales associate can personalize shopping, fulfill expectations and increase engagement. Digital assets and guided selling combine to deliver a more satisfying outcome for those who value personal service. The result should be increased brand loyalty.

A tablet device in a sales associate’s hand can help retail stores deliver on the expectation of immediacy that has been ingrained in consumers through online access and reinforced by shoppers’ time-starved circumstances. The appeal of giving customers what they want, showing options for selection, customization, or accessorization, on the spot is compelling. Here is a tool to bridge the digital and physical in a way that efficiently meets the needs of the cross-channel shopper on a mission. It is not difficult to envision the experience of shopping for furniture, an automobile, or a new outfit with the assistance of an iPad.

There are some occasions when shoppers want to be dazzled. The iPad can link content and discovery with commerce. The rich applications that can be developed for the iPad, and for successive platforms, offer that promise. Think about shopping for formalwear or a wedding dress and being able to view, right from the dressing room, your selections on video of models moving down a runway.

Associate-controlled iPads create awareness for a retailer’s app and allow web content to be leveraged in-store. The Pew Research Center (Rise of the Apps Culture, September 2010) found that only 24 percent of recent downloaders have put retail apps on their phones. Games and social networking apps account for far more downloads thus far. It seems intuitive that people will only use so many apps. The retailers who get it right and get on phones and tablet devices first stand to benefit.

A tablet in an associate’s hand helps equalize knowledge. A study of consumer electronics and computer shoppers by ComScore (The Value of Retail Search and Position, July 2010) revealed that half of shoppers come to the store armed with information they’ve gleaned online. As product lines become more complex, the challenge of adequate knowledge is one many retailers face. A salesperson who is at least as knowledgeable as the customer helps deliver on your brand promise.

The Practical

To deploy multiple tablets in-store, we have to jump from a discussion of the possible to the practical. To provide associate-controlled iPads retailers must invest in a docking station that provides security and accountability. This calls for checking devices in and out in a way they can be tracked and recharging them efficiently. This will be a backroom operation for some and a visible store fixture for others. A charging station is not a one-size-fits-all product; rather it is a custom project that must be designed to meet the requirement of individual retailer’s store operations plan.

Likewise, there are challenges to retail deployment of iPads that must be overcome with a thorough understanding of hardware and software. For example, to serve its retail purpose users must be confined to the desired app rather than be allowed to roam as one would in using a personal device.

The Preferable

Do the limitations of tablet devices keep them from being the “new kiosks?” Are self-service kiosks preferable to assisted selling devices?

It is natural for industry watchers to want to jump to the end of the story and declare winners and losers. The reality is that shoppers have different preferences, some for self-service and some for personal attention. Individual preference for shopping tools may change from category to category. Retail winners will recognize there is likely not just one mobile shopping enabler or one self-service option.

Kiosks, tablets like the iPad, and programs aimed at smart phones give retailers a chest full of tools to target customers’ preferred shopping modes.  Just as we use multiple advertising mediums to reach an audience, so too will we provide an arsenal of in-store experiences focused on customers’ needs.

It’s tool time!

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