In the age of eCommerce, retail venues that intend to keep their top spots are adapting quickly to modern technology. The tradition of department stores is having big glass windows displaying various products. Part of this tradition, is having a building so large it practically qualifies as a shopping theme park and providing customers with a map has become a well-known necessity.

For the last several decades, department store maps have been stationary, often unified with the shopping malls they have so often been a part of. Initially, the most high-end maps were backlit illustrations to help customers find what they were looking for. Say goodbye to boring 2D maps, interactive maps an help you stay current as well as caters to your customers needs. Let’s look at just a few of the benefits of having 3D map:

Improving Customer Experience for Retail

The Elusive Fitting Room

No matter where you put the fitting room or how clearly you post the sign, a certain percentage of your customers simply won’t be able to find it. Building a 3D map feature available on each customer’s mobile phone can help with this as well. With Concept 3D’s platform, you can create location pins in each store and if a customer gets lost, they can search the area they need and there it is!

Navigating Between Departments

Navigating between each department is frustrating, and a big time waster for your customers. If they become frustrated enough then they will leave and strictly stick to shopping online. This often results in hunting up an employee and even with verbal instructions, it’s still easy to get turned around or distracted along the way. A 3D map cannot only guide them to a specific destination, it can also help customers explore whats new on your map!/

Highlighting Sales and Events

The best part about having a 3D map is the ability to constantly update it. You can add location markers about current sales going on in each department. After creating the tab, just highlight where the sale and everyone who views the map will see it. If you integrate wayfinding into your map, after they click on the sale , the path will take them to the sale as quickly as possible.  The quicker you get those items off the shelves, the quicker you can get the new product on. 

Parking

Finally, large stores often are accompanied by spacious parking lots that can fill up easily during holiday season. You can incorporate a live data feed to let people know if the parking lot is full or not. Before heading to the mall, a customer can log onto the map and see how full each lot is, so they are not driving around forever. 

Improving Operational Efficiency in Retail

Training Becomes 5X Easier

Of course, customers aren’t the only ones who require some time before they learn your department and product layouts by heart.  Internally you can use more map to help new hires get up to speed. If a customer has a question, the new team member will still be able to help them out by using the map. Employees can use their own phones to quickly navigate to each new job task. This can helpfully eliminate the delays from getting lost in the time it takes to learn the store more completely.

Construction

Construction is a pain, incorporating it into your map is a really great way to inform customers and employee’s what roads/buildings are closed and opened. Whether it is a part of the mall being renovated or even a display being built. It is a great internal and external tool to keep everyone up to date on whats going on. Internally you can update employees on what displays need to be built, or see the progress of what is going on. 

 

Maintaining Brand Standards Across Stores

Among the signatures of nationally recognized retail brands is the ability to provide the same luxurious experience in every store location. Customers rely on your brand to provide Building a detailed 3D map of a venue that epitomizes your brand standards in floor plan, decor, use of space, and display design can serve as an example to model all other stores from. This can help you maintain your brand standards across multiple stores all over the country in a way that every location manager can clearly understand. Contact Concept3D for any questions on how to upgrade your map today!