If you’re a major retailer, you’re aware of the importance of engaging with your customers on multiple channels — online review sites, in-store, mobile apps, social media, and beyond. Research has shown that customers who use multiple channels feel knowledgeable and ready to purchase. In the apparel, home, and electrical sectors they spend 82% more than customers who use only one channel.

However, even the biggest brands still struggle to create a truly unified experience for customers across these channels because they’re still, inherently, disparate. Each channel has its own systems, rules, and requirements. Online stores may function with inventory and systems of record that are separate from the brand’s physical store. Physical stores sometimes use highly customized POS solutions that don’t apply to online sales.

Digital objects on the blockchain makes the notion of a unified customer experience feasible and cost-effective. But before we look at the different components of your customers’ experiences (and how digital objects improves them), let’s have a quick refresher on the technology itself. Blockchain can carry immense loads of data. The data is distributed, transparent, and virtually unhackable.

Any object that exists in the real world such as a coupon, ticket, giftcard , etc can be replicated as a digital object. Because these objects exist on a blockchain, they have similar characteristics as cryptocurrency because they are finite, traceable and offer true ownership.

Make Static Objects Dynamic and Interactive

There’s endless potential for digital objects on the blockchain in retail, but let’s start with digital coupons. We’ve all drummed our fingers as the shopper in front of us at checkout fumbled to pull up a digital coupon. That’s the old paradigm — a coupon lives in a database, or on a piece of paper. The customer doesn’t own it. If a customer wants to use a coupon, they have to put forth the effort to browse to the right webpage, download the app, or clip the coupon out of a mailer. It’s a hassle. Coupons as digital objects on the blockchain, on the other hand, live in your very own digital wallet.

BLOCKv Demo: Capturing a Digital Object from a Display using the Web Viewer

As illustrated in the following demonstration, shoppers can capture unique digital objects such as an in-store redeemable coupon simply by snapping a picture with their phones. This is a great way for brands to drive trips and engage shoppers in store.