Retail has a new frontier: How measuring emotions can lead to success

Remember when retail success hinged on cold hard cash and cutthroat advertising?

Well, times are changing. Welcome to the brave new world of experiential retail, where emotions are the metric to measure. 

Measuring emotions in retail

Picture this: You step into a bookstore, perhaps lured by the promise of a live author reading, or the cozy aesthetic you glimpsed through the window. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafts through the air as you browse the shelves. 

Staff listen attentively and recommend a title based on your recent reads. As you settle into a cozy nook to read a sample chapter, time seems to stand still.

Before leaving, you participate in an interactive AR quiz that suggests your next literary adventure. 

Even if you leave without buying anything, you’re buzzing with ideas, inspiration, and a list of must-read titles. You have a sense of belonging to a tight-knit community of book lovers now. 

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, traditional retail metrics are still the norm, but it completely misses the sensory (and digital) mark. 

Why traditional retail metrics matter

Retail Insider refers to this as the new ‘phygital’ world.

Online platforms are the new storefronts and physical stores are becoming marketing powerhouses. But unfortunately, we’re still measuring success like it’s 1999. 

Don’t get me wrong. Physical metrics matter. From foot traffic and conversion rates to sales per square meter and everything in between – you wouldn’t have a business without it. 

But those metrics are only one part of the story. It tells us what happened, but not why it happened. Traditional metrics look at customers through the door and the dollars they spend. 

But the new metrics measure smiles, gasps of delight, or moments of genuine human connection.

Why emotions matter in retail 

According to a Salesforce report, over 80% of consumers say they highly value the experience a company provides. Often more than the products or services themselves.

Consumers are even willing to pay more if it means they get a better experience out of the deal. 

Retail stores should no longer be just a place where you spend money. To truly stand out, they need to capture the magic. They have to become theaters of experience and showrooms of wonder.

So, how does one measure emotions?

Dragonfly AI, a company implementing AI into creative processes, suggests several ways to measure emotions. 

• Eye tracking to understand visual attention and which display holds a customer’s attention.
  
• Surveys and questionnaires where customers rate their emotional responses to products.
  
• Sales data analysis like conversion and engagement rates to measure emotional responses.
  
• Web analytics for understanding heat maps and bounce rates on websites.
  
• Social media sentiment analysis to track how customers express their emotions about products online.

Ask yourself: If a smile might mean more than just a sale – are you counting what truly counts?

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