Shop Smarter: How Retail Tech PR Can Help Vendors Cut Through The Noise

The last few years have been a period of intense challenge and rapid change for the retail sector. Lockdowns placed many retailers under unprecedented financial pressure, whilst also forcing them to adapt to a huge surge in online sales. In the aftermath of the pandemic, global unrest has put pressure on supply chains, whilst the cost of living crisis has reduced consumer spending and made the market ever more difficult.

In this environment, many retailers will be tempted to cut spending, and put off digital transformation or technical projects. However, this can be a huge mistake. In a competitive market, it’s more important than ever for retailers to be able to evolve and offer consumers the best possible experiences, and these days technology plays a key role in this. Whether it’s implementing an order management system, updating their website or offering AI-driven recommendations, the latest tech can be a key differentiator.

The challenge for vendors offering retail technology is how to communicate these benefits to their potential customers. That’s where retail tech PR comes in. PR can be a vital strategy for illuminating the ways in which a vendor’s technology can bring direct business benefits. This blog will outline exactly what retail tech PR is, the benefits it brings, and how success can be defined.

Understanding retail tech PR

Retail tech is a huge sector, covering all of the technology used by retailers to manage and optimise their operations. Examples include POS software, inventory management, and digital platforms. It is a vital part of powering ecommerce, and can elevate the key processes that drive sales, as well as offering exciting and immersive experiences such as virtual try-on experiences or tailored recommendations.

Retail tech PR, therefore, is any public relations activity designed to raise awareness of retail tech, and the vendors who sell it. It is usually aimed at retail businesses and aims to cut through the noise and make clear the benefits that a particular product will bring. It can take a variety of forms, and involve a combination of press releases, thought leadership, trade show appearances, research, case studies, interviews and more.

One key challenge for retail tech PR can be that the media landscape is reasonably small in the UK. However, by diversifying activity and building strong relationships with the key publications, it is possible to make a PR splash.

A focus on consumer benefits

In B2B PR, there’s often a sense of remove from the eventual end user, with the main focus being on the initial business customer. However, in retail technology PR in particular, a vital part of the strategy is to make it clear to retailers exactly how the technology they may be investing in will shape and change the customer experience, in a way that will enable the brand to stand out, attract new customers and retain existing ones.

This may be through publishing research, which can demonstrate the consumer need for a particular product. For example, if a survey reveals that customers are put off by inaccurate sizing when buying online, it provides the perfect backdrop for a story about new virtual try-on experiences. Equally, vendors may be able to work with retailers to create a showcase of their tech, in order to generate positive publicity for both businesses. For example, L’Oreal recently offered augmented reality-powered makeup try-on experiences, delivered in collaboration with Facebook. Experiences like this also further cement the relationship between vendor and retailer, as the vendor tech is crucial in generating the positive consumer momentum for the brand.