Retail Technology
A number of retail stores at Westfield Stratford City have adopted new communication methods from Call Systems Technology. Notably, John Lewis has invested in a new digital radio with a number of channels to help members of staff communicate.
something that Aaron Flanagan, Marketing Manager at AirPOS, strongly believes. “Shoppers today are shifting from a
single shopping approach to a multichannel experience,” explains Flanagan, “and you’ll need to connect and interact with your customers on all fronts or risk losing them to the competition. This is retail survivalof thefittest folks, where winning the race means having a stronger presence than your competitors”. With shoppers able to trial products in
Technology can be a baffling and isolating thing, and the installation of excessively complicated systems can alienate some customers. However, simple to use, effective and exciting technology can serve to enhance the retail experience for the customer and can also go a long way towards making life easier for the retailer. The Retail Business Technology Expo is a
yearly event dedicated to the exploration of new and innovative technology for the retail sector. The show’s organisers were delighted with this year’s show, and are looking forward to further exploring the world of retail technology next year. Nick Field, Event Director of Retail
Business Technology Expo, believes that the event team has done well to understand the sorts of technology that the retail sector is looking to invest in moving forward. “In our bid to make RBTE 2013 even
better we’ve conducted extensive research throughout the retail community, speaking to our visitors, retailer steering committee and other industry experts to find out what their big issues and challenges are,” explains Field. “The message has come back loud and clear – they want to find out what solutions and services are out there to help them improve the customer experience, from customer facing technology, especially around mobile, to solutions that are helping store staff provide an even better customer experience”. The customer should ultimately be at
the heart of all technology investment decisions. Retailers should be asking themselves: will this improve the customer’s experience instore? This might be in the form of making administration easier so that retailers have
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more time to spend with customers, or in the form of exciting and eyecatching new technologies that simply make the retail experience that bit more fun. Improvements can be simple, and
Richard Olds, CEO at Vista Support, also believes that the customer should be a retailer’s prime concern; “A key place to start is the customer experience. Whether it is finding the products they require quickly and easily, or moving through the point of sale efficiently, ensuring a streamlined shopping experience will mean the time the customer spends instore is likely to be longer. It makes sense that the longer the consumer spends in the shop, the greater their potential spend is likely to be”. Any technology that can be invested in
to ensure that customers feel satisfied with their store experience will help to reduce the likelihood of walkaways. One thing that retailers need to consider is the reliability of technology once it has been installed, to ensure that customers are not left waiting as a result of failing systems. “An efficient maintenance support system will help to maintain maximum equipment uptime and get retailers back trading at full capacity as soon as possible. After all, time is money,” concludes Olds. The payment process can often be one
that makes or breaks a customer’s experience. An inefficient or needlessly long process may discourage customers from returning to a store, so investing in the latest EPOS technology is definitely worth considering. An aspect of the shopping experience that has changed drastically recently is the improvement of multichannel retail, which retailers need to get on board with in order to keep ahead of their competition, which is
store and then buy products online, it is essential that retailers capitalise on the abilities of technology, and use it to encourage customers to make purchases in store. Martin Neill, CEO and Cofounder of AirPOS believes that technology can help retailers have a more personalised experience with their customers; “The trick is to get back to the days of loyal shoppers and personalised services, and technology can be a huge tool in helping you to achieve this at minimal cost”. An aspect of multichannel retail that
is really taking off is mCommerce, which is becoming a really valuable tool for retailers, especially when it comes to payments. Alan Moss, VP Marketing at Verifone WEMEA explains; “Mobile technology offers an exciting opportunity for the future of retailing. Retailers are under pressure to incorporate new payment technology into their existing retail architecture, while also remaining relevant and interesting to their customers”. Keeping on top of technology can be a
daunting task, but being aware of new trends is the key to maintaining a competitive advantage. The team at VeriFone believe that one of the most important aspects of mCommerce will be the use of Near Field Communication (NFC), which will speed up the process of paying for goods and encourage loyalty in customers through retail apps and incentive programmes. One of the best ways to tackle the popularity of online retail is to capitalise on it, which requires a link between different methods of payment. “As retailers strive to glue these worlds
together they need integrated payments platforms, such as VeriFone’s PAYware Ocius managed service solution, capable of delivering unified services across multiple channels with valueadds that offer rapid deployment of engaging new offers,” concludes Moss. Timo Ronkainen, Global Head of Mobile
at Tradedoubler, also believes that mCommerce may well be the key to bringing retail into the future, and can be a simple procedure for those who know the best way to tackle the technology.
www.a1retailmagazine.com
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