Fashion brand Ted Baker has announced today that it will launch Wi-Fi services in its 38 stores across the UK and Ireland.
In partnership with technology network operator The Cloud, the British retailer also intends to install Wi-Fi-enabled tablet and table-top devices in stores to give customers the opportunity to order out-of-stock items and browse the company‘s complete product range.
Ted Baker‘s move to enhance its in-store technology offering comes after a month-long trial in three of its stores, and at a time when retailers such as Tesco, Phones 4u and John Lewis have all started offering their customers mobile internet access in shops nationwide.
Craig Smith, Brand Communication Director at Ted Baker, said: “Our ambition is to do nothing less than revolutionise our in-store shopping experience, and we feel that Wi-Fi is integral to achieving this and exceeding consumers‘ expectations of what a fashion store can be.
“People expect fast internet access wherever they go nowadays, including when they are browsing around shops, and they use it almost instinctively to research purchases or connect with friends for recommendations and endorsement through social networks.
“After trialling Wi-Fi it became clear to us that this technology is vital to serve the changing ways customers behave and has huge benefits for us as a marketing and engagement tool.”
The retailer is also aiming to take advantage of consumers‘ growing interest in smartphone technology, by running an in-store QR code-based competition for customers to win weekend breaks via their mobile handsets.
Vince Russell, Managing Director at The Cloud, added: “Ted Baker is an example of a brand that really understands Wi-Fi‘s role as an enabling technology.
“Wi-Fi broadens the range of services they can provide to their customers to help drive sales, enhances the shopping experience to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, and creates whole new ways for them to interact via in-store initiatives and competitions.”
