The Top 9 Retail Technologies You Need Today
Technology gives your retail operation strategic advantage. You
need to know manage your operation in real time, ensuring
accurate pricing, inventory levels are maintained and the
ability to communicate with customers in real time. Not having a
strategic retail technology game plan will quickly have you
placing "Going out of Business" signs in your store window.
Universal Product Code (UPC), Inventory is the lifeblood of
retail and if you don't have it fast, in the quality and
quantity you need - customers will shop elsewhere. UPC code
scanners are needed at the POS or cash register to quickly price
an item as well as tally its sale back to the inventory system.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is becoming
absolutely critical today. You need to know who your customers
are and proactively market to them. CRM allows you to track
customers, know what they bought and use the information to
market to specific segments. It creates the stickiness you need
for repeat business. Digital Signage - Having LCD screens at the
POS means customer scan get advertising messages while waiting
in line.
Interactive Kiosks are another example of video-integration in
the store, and provide customers with additional product
knowledge. Price Look Ups are other benefits of using
multi-media.
Data Mining Software - This windows-based software gives retail
executives a graphical view of the data they need to make sound
business decisions. Easily manipulated, the information can be
quickly sliced and diced to identify problems and opportunities
in your business. This is the 8:00 dashboard report that is
viewed with intense interest. Wireless Infrastructure -If sales
associates have wireless telephone handsets, one can easily
serve those customers waiting in line while communicating orders
to the other sales associates in the stock room. Inbound
customer calls can be transferred to the sales floor and dealt
with in a friendlier manner. This increases store revenues.
A wireless cash register is perfect for side walk sales. It can
be easily picked up and moved anywhere it's needed.
Taking inventory with a hand-held unit that can be downloaded to
your head office system is much faster and easier than gathering
it with a clipboard and pen.
Price checkers can also be used to assist in getting fast and
accurate pricing. Self serve price check kiosks are a timesaver.
2 Way radio headsets have also become popular to prevent
shoplifting, increase employee safety and monitor store traffic.
Pen Computing POS Pads - Signature capture at the POS is the
best way to get your customers' signature for credit card
receipts. And, if a customer returns to dispute their purchase,
your sales associate can bring up the store copy electronically.
Smart Cards - These are credit cards with microprocessors that
store the customer's money. No need to call in phone
authorizations, the purchase is taken right from the card. They
speed up the sales process and can be easily linked to CRM
software to analyze purchases or simplify rewards programs.
The E-commerce Website- if you haven't implemented an e-commerce
strategy, you better do it fast. The internet has become a
powerful tool that consumers use to make purchases or do product
research. At least get a web site up that provides information
on product lines, policy statements and stores locations. It
will help drive traffic to your bricks and mortar operation. It
is also a useful tool for customer service because it can link
with an email system. The ability to track and maintain customer
lists also allows you to generate electronic advertising that
links back to your web site. Distant or worldwide customers may
want to buy your products and an online method is preferred.
IP Telephony Systems - Today's retailers will benefit from the
numerous advantages these systems offer. They can easily
integrate with your wireless network to provide wireless
telephone handsets. They have built in ACD and Auto Attendant
features that allow calls to handled in the most efficient
manner. Linking the telephone system with other stores allows an
integrated network. Sales associates can contact another store
easily and inquire if an item is in stock. Customers expect real
time answers to questions and the IP telephony system allows
this. The ability for staff to have voice mail boxes means
managers can inform staff of important information. Corporate
Telecom managers can easily maintain and make changes to the
system remotely saving time and money. If you cannot communicate
to your customers when they call you by telephone then customers
will not visit your store.