Why Having a WIFI enabled Retail stores is a great idea. - latest tech tips

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Why Having a WIFI enabled Retail stores is a great idea.

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The migration is without doubt fully under way. Shoppers are giving up the High Street in favor of browsing and buying online. There are many different reasons for this but some are arguing that the ease with which
we can now get online through a variety of wireless connections and ISPs such as Comcast internet is only going to accelerate this trend.

In the UK, online sales jumped by almost 20 percent, according to the November monthly figures from the Office of National Statistics. This huge leap in volume, when compared with previous years, underlines the dramatic shift.

When you look at the average spend online, the change becomes even starker. The latest figures show a nearly £250 million increase when compared with 2010. Online sales now account for 12.2 per cent of all sales.

The picture changes further when retailers start offering online connectivity to shoppers. A survey in 2011 from Wi-Fi provider Devicescape found that more than 80 per cent of people asked would choose to shop at stores which provide Wi-Fi. As many as 65 per cent of them would use the Wi-Fi connection to take up any special deals offered by the retailer.

Other reports have suggested that these connections allow shoppers to browse online and compare prices of items they are looking at in store, read product reviews or even try to find online discounts.

If they are carefully managed and implemented, free Wi-Fi connections from ISPs such as Comcast internet could very well be turned into sales by the high-street shops. Of course, there's always the chance that shoppers will find a better price at another nearby store, but that is a risk worth taking. Provide good Wi-Fi access and a pleasant convenient shopping experience and shoppers will choose to buy something now rather than look elsewhere.




The best example of the draw of free Wi-Fi is can be found if you look at coffee shops around any university in the country. You will see that the busiest are the ones that offer free Wi-Fi. All they ask in return is that customers buy at least one coffee or cake an hour. These places positively bristle with open laptop screens, while others look on enviously.

It is, however, the unstoppable rise in the number of smart phones being bought and their ease of use that makes shoppers all the more aware of prices and special offers. But the heady days of unlimited broadband access are coming to an end, so shoppers will be looking for somewhere to piggy back onto a Wi-Fi signal.

Another Devicescape survey shows that well over half of those asked would not pay extra for unlimited data. Three-quarters of those who responded said that they would definitely shop around for another mobile provider if data caps were introduced. This could potentially be wonderful news for bricks-and-mortar shops providing free Wi-Fi.

Shoppers don't want to have to worry about their data usage while they cruise the aisles. They are more likely to head home and buy online. If a retailer gives them free access to read reviews, compare prices or email friends, they will keep the shoppers in store, raising the possibility of more real-world sales.

It seems clear, if a little complicated, that although shoppers are migrating online, the best way to keep them in high street stores is to provide free and easy-to-use Wi-Fi access.

This is a guest post by Adriana Jones who is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative articles on cable internet providers in different areas. She is an expert on topics related to cables internet, Comcast internet, broadband services, telecom etc.

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