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RETAIL TECHNOLOGY


Will footwear retailers feel the pinch in 2011 as more customers switch to the web? - By Scott Storey, MD of CTS Retail


I


nternet shopping will continue to grow strongly in Britain this year despite concerns over the


economic outlook and for footwear retailers, this could mean big business. But with an increasingly techno-savvy customer and online sales continuing to soar, how can footwear retailers best capitalise on this trend and boost revenue?


Now more than ever, customers want to engage with a retailer that is able to combine the benefits of the high street store experience with the flexibility and 24/7 nature of the web. A recent report* by Capgemini and consultants IMRG predicts that online retail sales growth in 2011 would hit 18 percent, with total online sales estimated at £69bn. The study highlighted a 40 percent year-on-year rise in December online sales of clothing, footwear and accessories. It is clear that more customers than ever are turning to the web as their destination of choice and if footwear retailers want to stay ahead of the competition, they will need to embrace the online world by having an effective and functional online presence.


The Online Customer Experience Typically footwear retailers have managed


online stores and ‘Bricks & Mortar’ as separate entities, both independently delivering a service to the customer. But in the current environment, a seamless integration between online stores and high street offerings is going to be key to truly understanding your target audience, building customer loyalty and boosting sales. Customers don’t care what ‘channel’ they use


to buy from you, they just care that whether they come to your store, or visit you online, that they receive the same level of service and care at both. So if your online offering isn’t up to scratch, you could be missing out on valuable sales!


A Pay As You Sell EPOS solution enables


retailers to pay less for their EPOS systems, so that when their sales are down they will be able to deal with the critical issue of stabilising cashflow, something which could mean make or break for many retailers. Cost per transaction EPOS systems like these


Screen Shot - Physical Count


F for F-Commerce? Facebook is revolutionising online retail and it is


clear that social networking sites like Facebook are becoming a valuable tool to the industry, leading this phenomenon to be coined ‘F-Commerce’. Topshop now has over one million fans on Facebook according to a recent report from research company eDigitalresearch and the majority of online retailers have more than doubled their following on the social media platform in the last six months. Also in the news, Asos.com launched its Facebook store, allowing customers to purchase its items directly from the global giant in what some people are calling F-commerce. Blake Brysha, the Senior Marketing Manager


for Power Reviews, an online community company which links, collects and analyses product and service reviews on behalf of retailers and other online business sees Facebook as an essential tool for e-tailers that want to stay connected with their customers and predicts that it could become the primary driver of online traffic. Things are moving pretty fast and it is


understandable that many footwear retailers are nervous about moving as as quickly as some of the retail giants of the industry. Whilst there is going to be an element of waiting to see how things settle down, what is clear is that the role of the online store and that of social media when it comes to sales and customer relationship management is growing in importance on a daily basis.


Costs per transaction models will rise in popularity


Those who will succeed will be those who can Screen Shot - Masters Report


see the benefits of integrating online and offline sales and creating a single customer experience, regardless of which channel the customer chooses to use. They will be the ones who look to invest in 2011 on smart EPOS solutions, such as cost per transaction alternatives, which will enable them to deliver the seamless multi-channel shopping experience that customers are now demanding.


28 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2011


have zero upfront license fees and have no additional charges should you wish to expand and open additional tills, as all costs are on a pence per transaction basis. A Pay As You Sell EPOS solution is already


available in the marketplace, delivered by Cervello. This sophisticated, yet cost effective software+services solution means that retailers can cut expensive upfront costs associated with EPOS licenses and simply pay as and when the sales come in.


For more information visit www.cervello-pos.co.uk.


Scott Storey founded CTS Retail in 1983 to


provide specialist custom solutions for growing out-of-town retail stores. Today CTS Retail is a Microsoft Gold Partner reseller of Microsoft dynamics and has an extensive portfolio of products and services offering solutions to retailers of all sizes. They are dedicated to helping retail businesses to be successful by meeting the change in demands of customers through technology.


CTS have recently developed an S+S


product (software and services) called Cervello. This is commercially available for free and is delivered, at no cost, either as a hosted service via cloud computing or as a managed service locally. This allows retailers for the first time to adopt solutions that normally require upfront investments of sometimes millions of pounds. Instead, retailers pay just a few pence per transaction, based on the volume of business. No additional hardware expenses are required, nor maintenance or upgrades, which are all done automatically at no extra cost.


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