Less than a third of the top 50 UK high street retailers offer free Wi-Fi – and it takes ages to access when they do.
According to a new study released today, most of the UK’s top 50 retailers (as ranked by Retail Week) are missing the significant opportunities that can be gained from offering free Wi-Fi to customers – including improving the in-store experience, boosting their bottom line and gathering valuable customer data.
The research, conducted by digital agency Head, found that many of the biggest high street stores in the UK are failing to reap the significant rewards available from offering free Wi-Fi to customers. Specifically:
- Just under a third (29%) of the top 50 retailers offer free Wi-Fi – and of those only 20% (three retailers) have signage letting customers know it’s available.
- Among those stores offering Wi-Fi, just a quarter (26%) redirect customers to their own retail website
- The average connection time is a whopping 2 minutes 1 second – mainly due to lengthy sign-up forms
- Just two top 50 retailers (Marks and Spencer’s and Dunelm) followed up the Wi-Fi sign-up with targeted marketing communications by email
- The average Wi-Fi speed (download) was 15.86 Mbps.
Meanwhile, only a quarter (26%) of the retailers with free Wi-Fi achieved a 5 star rating for how easy and simple it was to bring customers onboard, although around three-quarters (73%) offered 5 star coverage throughout the store. This suggests they have one of the key components needed to accurately track customers’ in-store missions, as they don’t have to worry about coverage dropping out in parts of the store and losing data.
Rebecca Simmonds, managing director of Head, comments: “Properly used Wi-Fi data can be gold dust to retailers; it allows them to know exactly who’s in their shop, how long for, where they go and how much they spend. Therefore, getting on the Wi-Fi network needs to be as quick and easy as possible for shoppers. Retailers need to let people know Wi-Fi is available, make it work throughout the shop and require only minimal sign-up information.
“But more than that, Wi-Fi is also the first step in turning high street stores into what we call ‘digital smart spaces’: environments that use location technology like Wi-Fi, beacons or Google’s Physical Web to make in-store experiences more personal, improve the effectiveness of customer service, and boost customer retention.
“Retailers can use Wi-Fi data to see exactly how shoppers use the in-store environment and create efficiency gains around key services. Imagine if a customer was to walk in the store, and the staff received a notification that they’ve arrived, what their shopping preferences are, and any special requirements they may have. The opportunities to provide an enjoyable, convenient experience are unparalleled when you use Wi-Fi data and technology.”
Simmonds continues: “Wi-Fi may seem a ubiquitous technology but it’s astounding that in 2016 retailers are still either not using it or failing to maximise its potential to drive sales. Today’s shoppers are hyper-connected and expect to be online all the time, whether or not there’s a mobile signal available. Offering free in-store Wi-Fi should be considered as fundamental to the shopping experience as having the heating on in winter.”