Increased convenience and social presence in retail technology enhances sales
Technologies that offer higher convenience and social presence can create a more vivid and engaging consumer experience, leading to improved sales outcomes.
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 2019
Key Findings
- 01In-store technologies can be categorized by their level of convenience and social presence.
- 02Higher convenience and social presence in technology lead to increased consumer vividness (involvement, imagery, elaboration).
- 03Enhanced consumer vividness ultimately leads to increased sales.
- 04Consumer traits, product/service dimensions, mental models, and social networks moderate the impact of technology on vividness.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing in-store retail experiences, prioritize technologies that offer high levels of convenience and foster social presence to create more vivid and engaging consumer interactions, ultimately boosting sales.
How to apply
For a smart fitting room, integrate augmented reality (high social presence) for virtual try-ons and seamless payment options (high convenience). For a smart shelf, use interactive displays (social presence) that provide detailed product information and easy reordering (convenience).
Project actions
- 01When designing a new retail app or in-store kiosk, think about how it makes things easier (convenience) and how it makes the customer feel connected or immersed (social presence).
- 02Consider how your design helps customers imagine using the product or feel more involved in the shopping process.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a clear conceptual framework for understanding complex technology impacts.
- +Identifies key dimensions (convenience, social presence) that are actionable for designers.
- +Highlights moderating factors, encouraging nuanced application of the framework.
Limitations
This paper is a theory, not an experiment. You can't say for sure that convenience and social presence *will* increase sales without testing it yourself. Technology changes fast, so what's 'futuristic' today might be standard tomorrow.
Reliability & validity
As a conceptual paper, reliability and validity in the empirical sense are not directly applicable. However, the framework's internal consistency (logical flow of propositions) and external validity (applicability to real-world retail scenarios) would need to be assessed through future empirical research.
Think critically
How might the definition of 'social presence' in technology evolve with new forms of interaction (e.g., AI companions, metaverse shopping)? What are the ethical implications of designing technology to maximize 'vividness' and influence purchasing decisions?
Design Principles
"Vividness through Convenience and Social Presence."
Consumers are more likely to purchase when they feel a strong connection to the product or service, and when the purchasing process is effortless. Technology can bridge this gap by making interactions more immersive and less friction-filled, tapping into fundamental human desires for ease and connection.
What This Means for Your Design
If you make shopping technology easy to use and feel more personal, people will get more excited about what they're buying and buy more stuff.
How to use in your project
- 1.When mapping user flows for a retail app, ensure paths for high-convenience actions (e.g., quick checkout) are prominent. For features requiring social presence (e.g., community reviews, AR try-ons), ensure clear navigation and integration within relevant product pages.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2019). The future of in-store technology. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00697-z Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/5e43dc80-a973-4ff2-824c-eb812a2d4814/increased-convenience-and-social-presence-in-retail-technology-enhances-sales
Paragraph starter
Grewal et al. (2019) propose that in-store technologies enhancing convenience and social presence lead to increased consumer vividness and sales, suggesting that our design for [your project feature] should prioritize [specific convenience feature] and [specific social presence feature] to maximize user engagement.
Source
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
The future of in-store technology
journal · 2019
View sourceQuestions about this research
- What does the research say about increased convenience and social presence in retail technology enhances sales?
- When designing in-store retail experiences, prioritize technologies that offer high levels of convenience and foster social presence to create more vivid and engaging consumer interactions, ultimately boosting sales. Evidence: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (2019).
- Why does "Increased convenience and social presence in retail technology enhances sales" matter for design?
- Consumers are more likely to purchase when they feel a strong connection to the product or service, and when the purchasing process is effortless. Technology can bridge this gap by making interactions more immersive and less friction-filled, tapping into fundamental human desires for ease and connection.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing in-store retail experiences, prioritize technologies that offer high levels of convenience and foster social presence to create more vivid and engaging consumer interactions, ultimately boosting sales.
- What were the main findings?
- In-store technologies can be categorized by their level of convenience and social presence.. Higher convenience and social presence in technology lead to increased consumer vividness (involvement, imagery, elaboration).. Enhanced consumer vividness ultimately leads to increased sales.. Consumer traits, product/service dimensions, mental models, and social networks moderate the impact of technology on vividness.
- What research method was used?
- Conceptual Framework Development.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- For a smart fitting room, integrate augmented reality (high social presence) for virtual try-ons and seamless payment options (high convenience). For a smart shelf, use interactive displays (social presence) that provide detailed product information and easy reordering (convenience).
- What are the limitations?
- This is a conceptual framework, not an empirical study; therefore, the propositions require empirical validation. The specific technologies and their impact will evolve rapidly.
- Is there evidence that social presence affects design outcomes?
- The paper proposes that in-store technologies offering high convenience and social presence create a more vivid and engaging experience for consumers, which in turn drives higher sales, with various factors influencing this relationship. Consumers are more likely to purchase when they feel a strong connection to the pr Source: Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (2019).
- Where does this convenience social research apply?
- Retail/In-store technology It sits within user-centred design research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
social presence design research · evidence on social presence · does social presence improve design outcomes · convenience social studies for designers · social presence and convenience social findings · user-centred design research evidence