TCS launches new retailer-customer bonding software in the US

TCSTata Consultancy Services, a leading IT company from India, today announced a new software that enables retailers to gauge customer behaviour data from sensors placed in retail stores that can measure and analyse their movements and buying behaviour, said the company.

This can help the retailers understand and deliver a personalised experience to their customers added the company.

Through this new software, retailers will be able to harness data from “Internet of Things devices” to send customers highly relevant and timely offers delivered in the right context.

The internet of things (IoT) is the network of physical devices like vehicles, buildings and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.

The new software enables retailers to build trusted consumer relationships over time by delivering valued, personalized experiences in the right context and driven by insights from a variety of real world and online data sources.

For example, a running enthusiast who’s been reading reviews of fitness trackers on a retailer’s website and app enters a store and is immediately greeted by a salesperson who shows her a display of wearable devices.

While examining them, she receives a smart phone alert offering her an opportunity to connect with a local community of runners who can demonstrate the products.

After making a purchase, her relationship with the retailer continues with invitations to running events, opportunities for discounted race entry fees and targeted offers for running shoes, supplements, etc.

Seeta Hariharan, Group Head TCS Digital Software & Solutions said,”The Internet of Things is further blurring the line between traditional and online retailing, forcing marketers to reconstruct the customer’s journey with their brands across both physical and virtual worlds. Retailers are moving from hit-or-miss marketing to highly relevant, timely interactions delivered in the right context that add real value to their customers. Their goal is creating binding emotional connections at every touch point with consumers to withstand the lure of discounting.”

Leslie Hand, VP IDC Retail Insights said,”Consumers buy through multiple channels, but online shopping has made them expect all retailers to understand them better. This puts pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers to transform how they market to consumers across their converging physical and digital worlds. By 2018, retail laggards who haven’t transformed how they use data from the Internet of Things and other real world sources to engage with customers will be closing ten times more stores than their peers to stay in business. With its persona driven technology, TCS is on the right path to help retailers interact with customers across these two worlds in a very personalized fashion.”

The company said that the software is now available in the market.