HOSPITALITY 29
WELCOMING IT WITH OPEN ARMS
with the rest of the customer-facing businesses it covers. But our annual feature focused in this area gives us the chance to examine its particular requirements. Helen Wilde, UK managing director of Microsoft software-based vendor Retalix, said that food retailing in particular has never been a more competitive, price- driven market, with retailers battling hard for customer loyalty. “However, strong customer loyalty cannot be gained and sustained on price alone,” she said. “In 2012, retailers will demand technologies capable of unifying formerly disparate channels and touchpoints; including those in the physical store, online channels and the emerging mobile touchpoints. Doing so will help to achieve a consistently high standard of personalised customer
M
ost of the year Retail Technology magazine includes food service retailers and hospitality providers
experience, while improving operational effi ciency and lowering costs. “Technologies in the back-offi ce, such as demand-driven replenishment will also help food service and hospitality fi rms signifi cantly enhance the customer experience. Better forecasting and optimised product inventory ensure the right stock levels are on the shelves, in the warehouse and on order at the right time. This will improve availability, the tailoring of offers and promotions to the customer, in addition to minimising excess inventory and spoilage.” Thomas Heldner, executive director and head of enabling solutions at SIX Card Solutions, added that 2012 would see the UK launch of Google Wallets, as just one of many smartphone applications which will allow users to pay for goods at the tap of their mobile phone. “Contactless payments represent a world of opportunities for retailers,” he said. “However, the number of retailers exploiting
these opportunities is few and far between. A big challenge is a lack of awareness from consumers but also on the merchants’ part. “Considering that NFC [near-fi eld
communication] devices have the potential to take a large share of the payments market, it is imperative that food service and hospitality retailers get up to speed with this technology and fully inform their customers in order to embrace contactless payments and the consumers who use them.” Steve Wanklyn, head of hospitality at
communications provider Daisy Group, said this retail sector also particularly needs to gear up for the 2012 Olympics in London: “Some hoteliers are reluctant to invest in technology, but if they want to manage and maximise their revenues, achieve greater room occupancy and revenue per available room (RevPAR), they have to invest in the latest technologies to beat their competition and attract more guests.”
HYDE PARK RESIDENCE BOOSTS PRODUCTIVITY
Hyde Park Residence (HPR) has implemented Opera 3 payroll and human resources (HR) systems from Pegasus Software. Having used Opera II payroll and HR for more than 10 years, the luxury serviced apartments provider earlier this year worked with
Pegasus’ Platinum Partner Intsys to take advantage of the new features and functionality in the latest version to speed up payroll processing for its 200 employees. “Having used other payroll solutions in the past, we had no hesitation in moving to the latest version of payroll and HR from Pegasus
Software, as the solution is so simple to use. It is easy to fi nd, and then drill down into the documents or reports we need,” commented Helena Lapczynska, Hyde Park Residence payroll manager. “The system prompts us if we enter something wrong, which is useful, and saves time on checking and re-entering data. It’s also incredibly intuitive in supporting our specifi c needs in payroll.”
IT SUPPLIERS SERVE UP
RESTAURANT EPOS WINS Electronic point-of-sale (EPoS) restaurant software
provider Tevalis and its hardware partner J2 Retail Systems have recently installed systems for four new customers. The 10 Cases of Covent Garden, Spice Room of Acton and Rhythm Kitchen at Westfi eld Centre (pictured) in London, as well as The Watch House at St Mawes in Cornwall have each installed Tevalis front-of-house and back- offi ce software for EPoS and retail management operations, tailored where necessary to individual requirements. The chosen hardware platform is the PC-based J2 650 touchscreen till.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
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