The retail experience is transforming and how! As digitally savvy customers demand an in-store experience focused on convenience and trust, forward-thinking retailers are looking to reinvent the customer experience journey.
Biometrics are emerging as a transformative solution in the global retail landscape to boost customer loyalty, create a more satisfying in-store experience, and increase revenue.
Across the world, biometric technologies are making it possible to tailor the shopping experience to individual needs and preferences by equipping retailers with the power of quick, safe, and seamless customer identification.
A person’s unique physical traits, such as the face, voice, or fingerprints are used for biometric identity verification. Biometric advancements have made the technologies less expensive and more convenient to use with improved accuracy and speed.
Let us look at significant ways in which biometrics are transforming retail:
Expedite employee log-in: Employees simply scan their faces or touch the fingerprint reader to log in to the point-of-sale (POS) terminal. No forgetting or fumbling with log-in credentials.
Eliminate time and attendance fraud: Instead of entering a code or password, using faces or fingerprints ensures employees are physically present when reporting to work.
Hold employees accountable for transactions: Biometrics-backed proof of presence prevents an employee from pretending to be someone else or sharing credentials for transactions. For example, authority cannot be delegated to approve discounts and overrides.
Reduce internal theft: Biometrics offer a quick and cost-effective way to prevent and reduce POS losses by deterring employee theft.
Prevent shoplifting: Advanced facial recognition systems can help retailers scan, identify, and notify security personnel of known or suspected shoplifters.
Improve in-store promotions: Biometrics enable retailers to track shoppers’ buying behaviors and place personalized ads throughout a store to motivate shoppers.
Facilitate age verification: Facial recognition can speed up the purchase of age-restricted items by verifying age instantly without any employee intervention.
Enable biometric payments: Biometrics provide a greater level of protection unlike credit cards, which are wide open to fraud and theft—integrating biometrics with credit cards prevents fraudulent use.
Deliver frictionless self-checkouts: Contactless payments lead to shorter transaction times and waiting lines when customers complete and pay for transactions with their faces or fingerprints.
Transform customer experience: Customer onboarding is faster and easier for retailers leveraging biometrics. Biometrics help reduce fraud and provide an omnichannel customer journey with a personal touch, such as a personalized product suggestion or promotion based on shopping history.
The ability to deliver a one-of-a-kind customer experience is making biometrics gain traction in retail while opening up a world of possibilities to accelerate transactions and streamline services from start to finish.
Research shows that people are more likely to buy when retailers offer more convenient, personalized, and secure shopping experiences.
In a highly evolving marketplace where the competition for customer attention and trust is getting fiercer than ever, biometrics can help. Retailers who use biometrics will be able to enhance the customer journey without compromising security and trust.
The article has been published by the editorial board of the Identity Herald. For more
information please visit www.identityherald.com
