Dive Summary:
- Ebay has introduced a new app service for brick-and-mortar retail stores which supplies customer data to in-store employees via mobile tablet.
- The Retail Associate Platform is a sign that eBay is attempting to work hand-in-hand with physical stores, according to some retail experts. “They make no effort to interfere with any retailer trying to do business with them,” states Bill Smead, Smead Capital Management.
- The technology could allow retail associates to have more immediately knowledge of in-store customers than ever including shopping habits and inventory supply data for merchandise stocked in other nearby stores.
From the article:
The new retail app, which works on tablets that retail employees can carry around the store, will supply information about customers, such as their previous purchases, items they’ve browsed on the store website, and their likes and dislikes. The app will also show inventory available in other stores and online, allow retail workers to order another size or color directly from the mobile device, and suggest purchases based on the shopper’s style and preferences.