Browsing vs. Buying in Retail: why do consumers leave without buying?

We've all seen it, we've all done it...entered a retail location, browsed a bit and then headed straight for the exit without purchasing - why?

For a brick & mortar retailer, this could be the biggest question facing them with so much on the line. Fixed costs after fixed costs add up - rent, staff, insurance, utilities, etc., the list goes on and on - a business cannot afford a storefront where consumers enter and leave without purchasing.

This behavior goes on day after day, so what is a retailer to do? The answer lies in the need to understand what consumers are experiencing within the four walls.

Notice and wonder by @bryanMMathers is licenced under CC-BY-ND

If understanding is the answer, the question is how?

Surveys right? To capture a consumers' experience with current platforms, they must make a purchase and become a customer to receive a survey.

No, then loyalty apps, right? Well, these require the consumer to own a smartphone, have the app installed and then analyze information from the app - if the consumer used it.

Challenge 1, traditional survey methodologies require a transaction (a purchase).
Challenge 2, smartphone apps, incentivized for discounts and rewards, requires the consumer to sign-up and expose their personal identity - not vogue in a society fraught with one data breach after another. 

Fortunately, there is an alternative that addresses the opportunity while avoiding the pitfalls. With Tapyness, consumers can simply tap a kiosk and leave feedback in a frictionless fashion - without ever making a purchase.

Know today what you didn't know yesterday. Show consumers you care, enable them to provide feedback as they browse or buy.

Ask, listen, learn, improve, repeat.