EDITOR’S MAILBOX
Dear Editor, The news that retailers struggled
during the Christmas period due to bad weather comes as no surprise, and is a recurring problem for the High Street. However, bad weather shouldn’t even factor into sales performance. The issue of bad weather affecting performance can be rectified if retailers adopt a multichannel approach to futureproofing their business. Through integrating their online and offline ecosystems, stores could see considerable benefits – just look at the success of John Lewis once again this Christmas. Voucher codes are the current bridge
between the online and offline world, increasing sales not only online, but also boosting footfall to the retailers’ physical stores. Research from Tradedoubler conducted last year, found that 44% of consumers use a voucher code on their mobile phone when shopping on the High Street. By offering online vouchers, businesses can provide a mechanism for consumers to find the deal they want and transact immediately, increasing instore sales. It also works to increase online sales too, as consumers can search for codes or discounts having been to the physical store. The major advantage of voucher
code use, from a retailer’s perspective, is that they are flexible both on and offline, and that consumers can use them regardless of adverse weather conditions. All retailers should be considering
bolstering the relationship between their traditional bricks and mortar stores and their online offering, particularly if they want to survive in today’s harsh retail environment. Yours sincerely, Dan Cohen, Regional director at Tradedoubler
Dear Editor, Retailers across the country are finding that poor IT service support
54 Winter 2014
contracts are hindering their operational performance. The downtime caused by poor support when there is an IT problem in store is having a direct impact on profitability and performance and as a result, many are being forced to review their current provision as they enter 2014, according to the latest insight from Barron McCann. Barron McCann, as an industry
service support specialists, received a record number of enquiries in recent months from retailers who are unhappy with their current service contracts, citing poor quality service rather than costs as their reason for searching for a new supplier. With retailers continuing to
compete for every consumer pound, Barron McCann has also noticed that retailers are now placing an even greater emphasis on maintaining the instore customer experience as the attraction of the internet and mobile shopping continues to pull valuable business away from the High Street. In retail, there are certain things
that can’t be compromised, and IT performance is one of them. Downtime not only directly affects the amount or type of sales the store is able to process, but can also negatively impact on the customer experience. This is dangerous ground, as even the slightest inconvenience could cause already stressed customers to simply take their business to a competitor. When assessing the risk and rewards of a professional, reliable support contact, retailers realise it is most certainly better to be safe than sorry. Yours sincerely, Alan Watson, Managing director of Barron McCann
Dear Editor, Few would argue with the fact that
there has been in surge in cyber attacks against organisations recently. It seems that every day there are numerous stories in the mainstream press about
websites being breached by hackers and confidential customer information being stolen. Essentially, cybercrime is rife, everyone is a target and retailers are no exception. Yet, despite the huge attention
cybercrime receives in the media, retailers and many other organisations still do not seem to be taking the threat seriously enough. In order to combat this, the European government has proposed a new European Union (EU) Data Protection regulation, which will increase the security of doing business in the EU. The proposed new EU Data
Protection Regulation is going to have a huge impact on organisations as it affects all companies that trade in Europe, even if they are headquartered elsewhere. Under the new rules, organisations will be required to give notification to authorities of all breaches, within 24 hours after they happen, and those that do not comply with will face huge fines of between 2 % to 5% of their annual global turnover. In order to minimise the risk of
being hit with negligence fines when the EU Data Protection regulation, retail organisations will need to go beyond PCI [Payment Card Industry] compliance by looking critically at their security investments. They need to evaluate the performance of their security infrastructure against real world threats that are constantly evolving. They must also communicate the
results of these efforts effectively and succinctly to senior management. This isn’t an easy undertaking, but organisations must take the necessary steps in order to be prepared for the increased scrutiny that will inevitably result. Failure to do so will lead to significant consequences for those businesses found to be lacking. Yours sincerely, Dwayne Melancon, Chief technology officer at Tripwire
www.retailtechnology.co.uk
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