The customer journey may always start with shopping, but it doesn’t necessarily end on a happily-ever-after note. Sometimes, the item just doesn’t meet expectations and the customer makes a return.
The return rate for the retail industry in the U.S. and Canada averages 8% of total sales, according to retail analytics firm The Retail Equation.
Returns are a “reverse logistics problem,” but also a fact of life for retailers, which cost time and money.
Because of that, it seems counter-intuitive to invest in improving the returns process — but it’s absolutely imperative. Having a good returns experience can help retain customers, and gaining a reputation for it can actually attract new shoppers.
It’s estimated that between 25 and 50% of online purchases are currently returned, so making the process simple and convenient is vital.
Retail flexibility for returns is a must in the omnichannel: after all, the customer can buy in any number of channels, so returns should have similar options as well.
In having omnichannel capabilities for customers to make returns, retailers can use the return as an opportunity to immediately offset any costs of returns. The retailer can use clienteling through whatever channel the return process is started; suggesting products in line with the general trends of their purchase history.
With a wealth of plugins available, Retailers can customize their omnichannel operations to offer return processes that are convenient for customers and work seamlessly with their retail and inventory management.
Order Management and the channels for returns
Once a return happens, being able to make that addition to inventory available soon after receipt increases the opportunity of achieving a full-price sale.
An order management system can provide instant visibility of returning goods, regardless of how they are being returned — to a store, through a courier service or directly to a warehouse.
In addition, having visibility of these items available allows the order management system to develop fulfillment decisions on how and where items should be sold to maximize profits.
A survey from Inmar found that most shoppers want to return in-store, largely due to the hassle of packing up a return.
Brick and mortars can benefit by enabling in-store returns of online purchases, as that drives store traffic and provides an opportunity to immediately recapture shoppers’ initial expenditures. Approximately 30% of Inmar survey participants said they “usually” or “always” stay in the store and shop with their refund money.
AppCard for Retail Pro provides a retailer with great tools for building personas for retailers various clients and personalize recommendations for them.
The future of returns and making them easy
Some e-commerce retailers such as Amazon make the return experience easy by requiring little to no packaging by the customer, allowing returns in different store locations, including return shipping labels in deliveries, as well as a QR code that can be used at a predetermined courier, which also increases efficiency for the retailer
Returns are an important element of a new online sales cycle: Increasingly, shoppers are employing a “buy and try” approach and they expect sellers to cooperate.
Research has found that much of the returns growth is due to shoppers purchasing more than one of the same or similar products with the intention of keeping one and returning the others.
Retailers must recognize the changing role of returns, understand that they will likely increase rather than decrease due to this new customer mindset, and optimize their processes to adapt and maximize customer satisfaction.
Customers love retailers with omnichannel strategies. Shopping is on their terms: They can choose the time, the location and – if they change their minds – the way to make the return.
No longer are the channels online stores and brick and mortars; today, a brand can also sell products through pop up storefronts as well as Instagram and Snap Chat.
It’s all about connecting with customers at their convenience.
When retailers give customers the flexibility to choose the way they shop, they are also able to connect and provide personalized promotions and timely recommendations. OptCulture for Retail Pro opens up the ability to create personalized promotions and loyalty programs by unifying customer data across channels.
With so many points of engagement between customers and brands, scaling operations is challenging.
Today’s shoppers don’t consider brick and mortar and online stores separate shopping destinations. Instead, they expect unified experiences across every touch point. Retail Pro Prism makes it possible to offer this convenient, omnichannel buying experience.
Order Management and flexible fulfilment
Order Management is critical for a holistic commerce strategy. It connects omnichannel demand to omnichannel supply.
Retail store associates, dropshippers, warehouses, distribution centers and third-party fulfillment providers use commerce technology to fill and deliver orders efficiently.
A system that has communication between each channel and allows seamless management of inventory and stock replenishment to take place is important for providing omnichannel and minimizing strain on your supply chain and operations.
Determining the best fulfillment options means finding solutions that shorten the distance to the customer, increase delivery speed, and reduce costs.
The omnichannel model emphasizes shipping from decentralized inventory sources, such as ship-from-store, buy online pick-up in-store, ship from a partner, or drop-ship from a manufacturer.
Making the right decision improves customer service, because delivery is quick, accurate and cost-effective. Ensuring the ‘last mile’ is optimized by collecting the data in a centralized visual analytics tool saves you money, time, and frustrated customers.
In a warehouse fulfillment model, orders are picked using a variety of methods, including discrete, zone, or wave picking or any combination.
Filling orders from a store limits the type of picking that can be done and retailers often use discrete picking and fill one order at a time. The benefit to in-store picking, however, is the proximity to the customer, who may opt for curbside pickup, eliminating shipping charges.
Curbside pickup has its advantages for shoppers in a rush but for retailers, enticing customers inside to make additional purchases has bottom-line benefits.
However, Pick-up-in-store customer personas are different from an online-only or in-store-only customer personas: They want immediate gratification — they can’t or won’t wait for shipping.
This is a demanding group that generally has little tolerance for friction during pickup. Therefore, clear, precise messaging about when the order will be ready and instructions for pickup are imperative. The pickup process can be made even more streamlined and convenient with Retail Pro Prism mobile POS.
And the pickup purchase process should be quick and easy for customers and employees. Customers’ perceived value of in-store pickup will evaporate if they can find the item on the floor faster.
Inventory management strategies and shipping
Shipping from the store can get customers their orders delivered more quickly. But other times, the warehouse is closer to the customer.
Having the option to ship from one location or the other is critical for flexibility and to keep customers satisfied.
In-store cycle counting can help by keeping inventory counts up to date and confirmed, so at fulfillment time products are where they are expected to be.
When they aren’t, sometimes items have simply been misplaced: an RFID system can help locate them very quickly. With RIOT RFID for Retail Pro, retailers can locate items out of the line of sight and complete inventory counts in a matter of minutes at an affordable price.
Customers have high expectations of how their shopping experiences should unfold, and retailers have a full plate managing and fulfilling orders while recognizing the unique characteristics of every consumer.
What delights one customer may not work for another. Retailers must be flexible and willing to implement customer feedback to create an efficient, intuitive customer experience that, ultimately, is profitable.
Retail Pro Prism POS gives you the flexibility and customization needed to connect your physical and digital store experience: offer customers fulfillment options, empower associates to order specific products from another store, discover shopper insights, and more.
In the shopper’s mind, your website reflects your store, so they look online for stock availability.
Some may complete the purchase online, but others may want to see the products in store first or pick it up as one to-do item on a longer list.
Save your customers from the poor experience of showing up at your store with the website’s promise of having the product they need – only to find that you’re out of stock.
Omnichannel is about making it easy for customers to buy from you, get their products from you, and make returns.
A shopper’s purchase journey goes through multiple stages and retailers must think through the omnichannel experience at each phase.
PRODUCT RESEARCH PHASE How do the online and in-store experiences complement each other to help shoppers get a tangible feel for the products they’re exploring?
PRODUCT PURCHASE PHASE How can we best simplify the path to purchase to win more sales and avoid losing customers due to out of stocks or poor experiences?
PRODUCT FULFILLMENT PHASE What are cost-effective ways to get customers what they’ve ordered?
PRODUCT RETURN PHASE How can we streamline the omnichannel returns experience for shoppers?
How much stock inaccuracy can you actually get away with in omnichannel operations?
Not much, in fact, very little. If a customer places an order online and doesn’t get it within the expected delivery window because it wasn’t in stock, odds are high that customer won’t be returning.
Likewise, if a website tells customers a product is available “in store” and it isn’t, that experience will erode customer loyalty. Understanding why those errors happen is key to preventing them.
Omnichannel operations that POS systems such as Retail Pro Prism give retailers lessens the likelihood that these scenarios that are detrimental to customer loyalty and business overall will occur by updating the inventory across channels automatically.
Challenges in the world of instantaneous omnichannel
With omnichannel fulfillment, online orders are filled from brick and mortar store locations. This type of fulfillment provides retailers tremendous flexibility: For example, customers can buy online and then pick up their orders directly from the store, or retailers can have inventory shipped from a fulfillment center to the customer.
Using stores to fill ecommerce orders offers advantages such as:
Faster delivery
Increased profit margins
Lower shipping costs
Fewer returns
Problems arise when retailers use the store to fulfill online orders but don’t account for a scenario in which a single item is sold twice: once online and then again in the store. Such sales generally happen simultaneously – or close to it.
Omnichannel encourages different order types, such as retail orders, e-commerce orders, or wholesale orders, but they all must be filled from the same inventory stock.
That’s why it’s critical to have a system that communicates with each channel, allowing seamless management of inventory and stock replenishment.
Safety Stock and Dropshipping
Safety stock is always held by traditional and ecommerce retailers to buffer against the supply of an item and its demand.
While a high safety stock level means a retailer is more likely to be able to respond to uncertainty, the carrying cost also increases. The amount of safety stock must therefore be carefully considered. Inventory management is crucial for companies to contain costs and remain profitable.
Dropshipping, where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock, can help alleviate out-of-stock scenarios. Orders are passed to their suppliers, which pack and ship orders directly to customers.
Dropshipping eliminates the middleman and reduces the timeline to delivery. If a retailer has limited stock in-store to fill online orders, it can use dropshipping from its suppliers to deliver orders seamlessly to customer.
Research indicates that dropshipping in omnichannel leads to increased revenue as well: Inventory is handled by suppliers or manufacturers, freeing up shelf and floor space at retail and eliminating costly holding expenses.
Omnichannel fulfillment helps retailers provide customers the best service at the best prices. That’s a potent combination that leads to loyalty at a brand’s digital as well as real-world outlets.
With Retail Pro Prism, you have access to omnichannel operations that become more and more necessary with every year, and to every integration your business might need for existing or new sectors of your operations along the way.
Optimizing the omnichannel experience in your stores? Let’s talk.
Ecommerce got an enormous boost during the last 18 months, as shoppers’ health-related concerns ramped up online sales as they took to shopping from the safety of their homes. But with vaccinations rising and people feeling more confident in being able to safely leave their homes, customers are headed back to brick and mortars.
However, customers’ expectations have been heightened during the past 18 months.
In August, Mastercard Spending Pulse reported that U.S. retail sales excluding automotive and gasoline increased 8.1% year-over-year, and 7.7% compared with August 2019.
Clearly, customers still want an in-store experience for certain items.
Retail Pro Prism is a modern and easy to use POS software and retail management system that makes the last impression, at the point of purchase – the most consistent thing across the board – an easy, flexible interaction.
Using Retail Pro Prism on mobile devices enables your sales associates to complete a sale at any spot in your store, making for a more personal and meaningful exchange.
Omnichannel Expectations and Inventory
However, they also want some of the retail enhancements that came about due to COVID protocols. For example, customers want to find stock availability in store when on a retailer’s website. Driving out to the store without inventory knowledge is unnecessary and frustrating.
Having omnichannel operations that allow customers to purchase items on their own terms is key to gaining their loyalty. Retail Pro Prism sets up retailers for omnichannel operations they can personalize to their own business needs.
Receiving inventory information is the ticket to admission customers want.
Enhanced inventory visibility allows associates to know where any product is at any time, and also provides the customer with real-time inventory views across all store outlets.
With Retail Pro Prism POS associates have visibility across stores and channels, and can go further in helping customers if they’re unable to find a certain color or size in one store.
Inventory Visibility Benefits for All
While associates can see stock location within warehouses and the supply chain, customers can use the insight to determine the best available fulfillment option of their orders, including-ship to-store, BOPIS, curbside pickup, or delivery.
Why do customers prefer in-store purchasing then, when an online purchase is in many ways easier? Because customers want:
Immediate fulfillment
To verify the product is what it appears to be – dimensions, color, etc.
To support local merchants
According to enVista’s 2019 survey, 67% of consumers consider inventory visibility across stores, online and mobile is an important service to offer. An optimized supply chain and POS solution are imperative to obtain accurate physical inventory counts that reconcile with the data that reflects what’s on the floor.
Innovations and Customer Experience
Having enjoyed the innovations retailers came up with to entice and satisfy customers during the lockdown, shoppers are eager to continue – and enjoy enhancements to — many of the new conveniences.
As retailers recover from the restrictive lockdowns of the past year, sales associates are focused on delivering a superior customer experience.
That includes providing real-time product availability to avoid the disappointment of customers arriving at the physical store who find that the website’s promise of product availability was not kept.
Omnichannel inventory management eliminates any hesitation consumers have around the purchase relating to stock levels, timing and convenience, enabling customers to purchase with confidence.
Going to the
2022 Retail Technology Show?
26-27 April 2022 | Olympia, London | Stand 6e28
About Pinnaca Retail & IT Solutions
Founded in 2015, Pinnaca Retail & IT Solutions is a family-run business offering retail solutions, specialist management consultancy and IT services. Our company is UK based, with offices in London, and a client base across the globe.
We work with all levels of business to define and develop strategies focused on our clients’ needs and objectives. Our tailored solutions are developed and optimised to fulfil your key business demands.
Over time we have added to our 20 years’ experience in the field and built up a team of experts, with a wide range of experience and in-depth knowledge, who are eager to help your business succeed and grow.
About DataScan Retail Systems
Datascan Retail Systems are a leading UK and European supplier of solutions to the retail sector, from small businesses through to mid-tier and international enterprises. We have vast experience in the analysis and design of retail IT and the implementation of EPOS and Stock Control Systems and provide all the services required to plan, implement and maintain an effective Retail Management System. We are committed to match the Retail Pro System to the exact needs of the retailer, utilising our development, training and help desk teams.
About RIOT
RIOT is turning traditional RFID solutions for retail on their head with RIOT Insight. Insight is RIOT’s real-time inventory accuracy service offered as a simple but powerful add-on to a retailer’s existing systems. 100% inventory accuracy to support Omni-channel is now yours on demand.
About PAR
PAR Technology Corporation provides industry leading software and hardware solutions that are always there when you need them but never in your way.
State of the Art Point of Sale Systems.
Tablets and Portable Devices.
About XRetail
XRETAIL is a Global leader in Unified Commerce solutions, with a prime mission to empower enterprise retailers by helping to boost their sales and retain their clients. Through state-of-the-art technologies, integrations, and solutions, the XRETAIL platform creates unified sales channels including eCommerce, Mobile commerce, and Social commerce. XRETAIL’s Cloud-based platform creates seamless end-to-end solutions allowing enterprise retailers to blend brick-and-mortar and digital retailing into one unified platform, with notably enhanced customer experience both online and offline.
About Loqate
Combining leading technology with the richest data, Loqate provides several solutions to help bring businesses across the globe closer to their customers:
Address Validation A faster, easier way to capture and verify addresses in real-time for your online forms and checkouts.
Email validation Increase email delivery rates, boost customer marketing and reduce bogus registration when you verify email addresses upfront.
Mobile & phone validation Take the guesswork out of reaching customers. Capture the right phone number, mobile or landline at the point of entry.
Data maintenance The foundation of any customer management strategy, Loqate’s cleansing and maintenance software helps build lasting customer relationships.
The struggle is real for customers hoping to take some of the legwork out of shopping by researching products online before heading to a store – only to make the drive and discover the product they decided on isn’t available, as it is in omnichannel experiences they have at other stores.
For retailers, such deflating experiences can mean a loss of loyal customers as well as a damaged reputation.
As shoppers become more strapped for leisure time and less willing to browse for hours just for fun, connecting a physical and digital store experience is increasingly critical for retail longevity.
It’s all about what some refer to as Retail FOMO: That is, customers’ fear of missing out on things they want, and retailers’ fear of missing a sale.
Here are 6 ways you can connect your physical and digital store experiences with Retail Pro Prism POS and retail management software to remove some of the friction shoppers are experiencing while retailers are building their omnichannel strategies.
1. Show in-store stock availability online
Research suggests that roughly a quarter of customers won’t visit a store if they aren’t sure what they are looking for is available. In addition, more than half will leave a store disappointed if they can’t find the item they had in mind.
One way to avoid that is by showing customers stock availability online. That way e-window shoppers can be assured that what they are looking for is available when they visit.
And, in the unfortunate case that a particular item is sold moments before a shopper arrives, enabling in-store ordering for free home delivery is one way to compensate the customer.
Retail Pro Prism has accessible APIs and hundreds of Plugins and integrations on the Retail Pro App Market to help retailers connect their ecommerce with inventory information in Retail Pro.
The ability to straightforwardly integrate any technology retailers already use (or might choose to use in the future) gives retailers control over decisions like which platform will be the data master through which they’ll reference and report on stock availability and needs across all their store locations, including ecommerce.
2. Show off your full selection with endless aisle
Endless aisle can accommodate retailers that, often because of a small physical footprint, can’t stock a wide range of products.
The technology lets customers virtually browse or order a wide range of products that are either out of stock or not sold in-store and have them shipped to the store or their home.
Because Retail Pro Prism is browser-based software and not solely a mobile or desktop app, retailers can run Retail Pro both on their desktop computer or laptop at the till – or on an iPad or other mobile device so that sales associates can access inventory information when helping customers on the sales floor.
So when a product is not available at this store, sales associates can easily show customers the item images for the product they want and place an order for them, saving the sale.
In addition to providing a better customer experience, providing inventory information drives customers into stores, opening the door to additional purchases.
Impulse buys are more common for shoppers at brick-and-mortar retailers, because those stores can influence customer shopping experiences by tailoring layout and staffing decisions based on their clientele.
According to A.T. Kearney, 40 percent of customers make unplanned purchases at physical stores and spend more money, compared to 25 percent of online shoppers.
4. Reward their loyalty across channels
Aligning physical and digital stores also means ensuring that shopping benefits are equivalent.
Loyalty rewards should be earned in the same manner, for example, and coupons should be valid online and in-person. Being a rewards member should be the ultimate frictionless experience.
Using an integrated loyalty platform like AppCard or OptCulture with Retail Pro Prism not only saves your associates and customers time at checkout when handling loyalty, but also ties in the POS transaction data with your loyalty platform so you can run campaigns based on actual purchase data.
Despite the best intentions of retailers and customers, sometimes merchandise must be returned. How a retailer handles this onerous process with the customer is reflective of its overall commitment to customer service.
By working through the kinks for in-store returns of online purchases, retailers can offer their shoppers a less stressful initial purchasing experience, because they are assured that if they are unsatisfied, returning is a simple process.
Because all inventory items (whether online or in-store) would have been created in Retail Pro Prism and then used to populate a retailer’s online inventory when integrated, retailers will be able to accept the online inventory without the backend hassle of accounting for online versus in-store purchase origin.
Once the item is returned, it can be assimilated into the physical store inventory, accounted for and ready to be resold.
6. Help your store staff get to know your omnichannel shoppers
When a customer begins a journey online, or has a history of shopping through a retailer’s online channel, that data can and should be used to personalize the in-store shopping experience.
By analyzing and connecting transactional data from their Retail Pro POS into one holistic view, retailers can learn how often a customer shops, what they purchased, where they are from, how much they spend across different channels, and whether they are new or repeat buyers.
That can help inform associates in the physical store as they engage with shoppers, as well as help form future decisions for an omnichannel product and customer engagement strategy, especially when retailers use an integrated business intelligence and visual analytics solution with the rich data they collect at the Retail Pro Prism point of sale.
The information conduit flows both ways now, not just as a funnel into one channel or another, so retailers can fix broken customer journeys and convert more sales, improve efficiency and increase loyalty.
Bringing both worlds together – digital and physical – will mean some parts of the journey will still have bumps along the way.
But addressing the operational challenges in each of these areas will help retailers smooth some of the friction that arises as they build their omnichannel strategy.
Going to the
2022 Retail Technology Show?
26-27 April 2022 | Olympia, London | Stand 6e28
About Pinnaca Retail & IT Solutions
Founded in 2015, Pinnaca Retail & IT Solutions is a family-run business offering retail solutions, specialist management consultancy and IT services. Our company is UK based, with offices in London, and a client base across the globe.
We work with all levels of business to define and develop strategies focused on our clients’ needs and objectives. Our tailored solutions are developed and optimised to fulfil your key business demands.
Over time we have added to our 20 years’ experience in the field and built up a team of experts, with a wide range of experience and in-depth knowledge, who are eager to help your business succeed and grow.
About DataScan Retail Systems
Datascan Retail Systems are a leading UK and European supplier of solutions to the retail sector, from small businesses through to mid-tier and international enterprises. We have vast experience in the analysis and design of retail IT and the implementation of EPOS and Stock Control Systems and provide all the services required to plan, implement and maintain an effective Retail Management System. We are committed to match the Retail Pro System to the exact needs of the retailer, utilising our development, training and help desk teams.
About RIOT
RIOT is turning traditional RFID solutions for retail on their head with RIOT Insight. Insight is RIOT’s real-time inventory accuracy service offered as a simple but powerful add-on to a retailer’s existing systems. 100% inventory accuracy to support Omni-channel is now yours on demand.
About PAR
PAR Technology Corporation provides industry leading software and hardware solutions that are always there when you need them but never in your way.
State of the Art Point of Sale Systems.
Tablets and Portable Devices.
About XRetail
XRETAIL is a Global leader in Unified Commerce solutions, with a prime mission to empower enterprise retailers by helping to boost their sales and retain their clients. Through state-of-the-art technologies, integrations, and solutions, the XRETAIL platform creates unified sales channels including eCommerce, Mobile commerce, and Social commerce. XRETAIL’s Cloud-based platform creates seamless end-to-end solutions allowing enterprise retailers to blend brick-and-mortar and digital retailing into one unified platform, with notably enhanced customer experience both online and offline.
About Loqate
Combining leading technology with the richest data, Loqate provides several solutions to help bring businesses across the globe closer to their customers:
Address Validation A faster, easier way to capture and verify addresses in real-time for your online forms and checkouts.
Email validation Increase email delivery rates, boost customer marketing and reduce bogus registration when you verify email addresses upfront.
Mobile & phone validation Take the guesswork out of reaching customers. Capture the right phone number, mobile or landline at the point of entry.
Data maintenance The foundation of any customer management strategy, Loqate’s cleansing and maintenance software helps build lasting customer relationships.
It was a long time coming: Retailers have for many years positioned themselves with the technology and supply chains to become not simply multichannel, but omnichannel.
Whether shopping through an app, their computers or by walking through the door, customers are shopping again.
As a result of COVID, consumer behavior has changed, with e-commerce gaining steadily in popularity. During the pandemic, online buying increased by leaps and bounds: A survey from PYMNTS found that roughly 36% of consumers were buying goods online in the second half of 2020, up from 29% in mid-April when most brick-and-mortar stores were locked down.
The Statista Digital Market Outlook reports that total revenue from e-commerce in the United States came to $431.6 billion in 2020, and estimates that by 2025, revenue will rise to $563.4 billion.
Combine that with the U.S. Census Bureau’s findings that consumers spent $211.5 billion online during the second quarter of 2020– a 31.8% increase quarter-over-quarter–and it’s clear that shoppers have embraced the convenience of e-commerce.
Embracing Digital Sales
While COVID-19 propelled brick and mortar retailers to get creative with their approach to sales, it was the catalyst for some shoppers to take their business digital.
According to a March 2020 consumer survey by Statista, nine percent of U.S. consumers bought a product online for the first time ever due to physical distancing and quarantine mandates during the pandemic.
And although brick and mortar retailers may have long had online components to their shopping experiences, COVID-19 forced many to try to integrate them into the in-store experience, including buy online, pick up in-store offerings and curbside pick-up.
For some retailers, omnichannel operations were assembled quickly as a way to keep revenue coming.
Now, as retailers are reopened and slowly lengthening their hours of operation, they have the time and experience to make adjustments for the long-haul, rather than just meeting the needs of the moment.
To standardize operations and make them scalable, retailers will need to optimize use of their technology. The Retail Pro Prism POS and retail management software acts as a platform for unifying data across channels and helps retailers manage omnichannel tasks in-store, including curbside pickup and order management.
Mobile POS for curbside shopping
With the web-based Retail Pro Prism software, retailers get full POS functionality on the mobile device of their choice and integrated EFT to complete the transaction where it began – whether on the salesfloor or sidewalk.
Retailers with using Retail Pro Prism POS on mobile devices can be ready at any time and in any place to take credit or debit card payment for items, and the shopper can stay outside.
mPOS systems can also be used for curbside pickup, a solution crafted out of necessity but now — without a doubt– certain to stay. The ease of convenience of curbside pickup is not lost on anyone who has ever done errands with a toddler.
Order management & data visibility across channels
Around the globe, people have changed their shopping habits in response to COVID, and retailers are needing to streamline order management across channels.
In Vietnam, more customers are shopping online and ACFC as the market leader is doing its best to bring a convenient shopping experience to its customers by launching the company’s eCommerce platform, Magento, as part of its New Retail program.
ACFC has more than 200 stores in major city centers across the country, and it plans to expand soon to 250. It is the exclusive retailer of well-known brands including Nike, Gap, Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Old Navy, Mango, Dune London, Cotton: On, Typo, Owndays, Parfois, Mothercare, Fitflop, OVS and French Connection.
With service from their Retail Pro Business Partner, LBC International, ACFC has successfully integrated Retail Pro Prism with the company’s eCommerce platform, helping the retailer satisfy the increased demands of shoppers who prefer to buy online and pickup in-store through the interface between the two systems.
“With data integrated between Retail Pro Prism and our ecommerce, it is easy to keep track of inventory and display online whether an item is out of stock or ready to be picked up, resulting in less frazzled associates and happier customers,” commented Vo Thi Phi Phuong, Managing Director at ACFC.
“When customers buy and pay on the eCommerce website, that order information is sent to Retail Pro Prism at the store, and the goods will be picked and packed, ready for customers to collect. The transaction data is also being captured, so stores will collect data on which styles are popular, which will influence product orders in the future,” explained Ms. Vo. An omnichannel retail strategy strengthens the customer experience and provides more avenues for shoppers––whether it is on mobile, web or in physical stores.
Going to the
2022 Retail Technology Show?
26-27 April 2022 | Olympia, London | Stand 6e28
About Pinnaca Retail & IT Solutions
Founded in 2015, Pinnaca Retail & IT Solutions is a family-run business offering retail solutions, specialist management consultancy and IT services. Our company is UK based, with offices in London, and a client base across the globe.
We work with all levels of business to define and develop strategies focused on our clients’ needs and objectives. Our tailored solutions are developed and optimised to fulfil your key business demands.
Over time we have added to our 20 years’ experience in the field and built up a team of experts, with a wide range of experience and in-depth knowledge, who are eager to help your business succeed and grow.
About DataScan Retail Systems
Datascan Retail Systems are a leading UK and European supplier of solutions to the retail sector, from small businesses through to mid-tier and international enterprises. We have vast experience in the analysis and design of retail IT and the implementation of EPOS and Stock Control Systems and provide all the services required to plan, implement and maintain an effective Retail Management System. We are committed to match the Retail Pro System to the exact needs of the retailer, utilising our development, training and help desk teams.
About RIOT
RIOT is turning traditional RFID solutions for retail on their head with RIOT Insight. Insight is RIOT’s real-time inventory accuracy service offered as a simple but powerful add-on to a retailer’s existing systems. 100% inventory accuracy to support Omni-channel is now yours on demand.
About PAR
PAR Technology Corporation provides industry leading software and hardware solutions that are always there when you need them but never in your way.
State of the Art Point of Sale Systems.
Tablets and Portable Devices.
About XRetail
XRETAIL is a Global leader in Unified Commerce solutions, with a prime mission to empower enterprise retailers by helping to boost their sales and retain their clients. Through state-of-the-art technologies, integrations, and solutions, the XRETAIL platform creates unified sales channels including eCommerce, Mobile commerce, and Social commerce. XRETAIL’s Cloud-based platform creates seamless end-to-end solutions allowing enterprise retailers to blend brick-and-mortar and digital retailing into one unified platform, with notably enhanced customer experience both online and offline.
About Loqate
Combining leading technology with the richest data, Loqate provides several solutions to help bring businesses across the globe closer to their customers:
Address Validation A faster, easier way to capture and verify addresses in real-time for your online forms and checkouts.
Email validation Increase email delivery rates, boost customer marketing and reduce bogus registration when you verify email addresses upfront.
Mobile & phone validation Take the guesswork out of reaching customers. Capture the right phone number, mobile or landline at the point of entry.
Data maintenance The foundation of any customer management strategy, Loqate’s cleansing and maintenance software helps build lasting customer relationships.
Shoppers love the convenience of online shopping, but still want the benefits of visiting in-store, which is why having an omnichannel presence is so important.
A unified commerce experience means shoppers can start in-store and finish the purchase online – or vice versa. Returns are easy and customers can even plan their in-store trips with updated inventory available at a mouse click.
Driving both online and in-store sales
Unified retail can offer the customer flexibility to shop how and when they want, while also giving them targeted and appropriate offers and recommendations that are exclusive and will enrich the overall experience.
Digital doesn’t just drive e-commerce; it also gets people in stores.
Smartphones have become a personal shopping assistant for people once they’re inside. Marketing strategies must therefore accommodate customers and help them buy products and services on any channel.
Research has found that omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel. Unified retail helps convert shoppers to buyers seamlessly and with minimal effort on their part.
Many retailers are still running on systems that operate independently of each other, with data unintegrated between the two systems.
Siloed information stores information in separate databases and servers. A better system communicates between data and connects all applications, including e-commerce but also POS, back office, vendor supply chain, mobile and order management.
That type of integration can mean, for example, that inventory can easily be moved from a web warehouse to a store and associates can anticipate and plan for that shipment.
Better stock visibility and operational time savings like this can help retailers improve decision making and efficiency, which will be key to scaling brand growth.
Create Better Profiles
With siloed data, brick and mortar retailers only see a subset of information about their customers – the part that is reflected by in-store sales. Likewise, e-commerce sites can only recommend products based on previous online purchases.
Investing in a 360-degree view of the customer provides holistic visibility and provides data on which to base predictive models.
Customer information can be varied and may include: past purchases, contact information, size preferences, website browsing history, wish list, and customer service interactions.
Armed with more complete customer profiles, retailers can shape more personalized offers and experiences, helping customers get what they need and enjoy from the retailer.
Retailers seeking to unify commerce should determine how product information should be formatted, and then consolidate all of it into a single location.
That will result in fewer redundancies and errors in product information and will allow you to trace and manage products more easily. Retailers should also invest in technology that helps associates check inventory in real-time on the sales floor.
A better handle on products and their availability will help retailers ensure customers don’t leave disappointed by out of stock situations but rather have their need met, even if via a different store in te retailer’s chain.
Unified retail is the next step in providing superior customer experiences. By implementing solutions that work to provide enhanced communication between inventory and the customer, retailers will see more robust sales and, potentially, repeat business due to a more responsive, personalized experience.
