FIELDREPORT
more valuable to the business in the process. No longer a nameless face, AG can communicate with these customers on a much more personal and targeted level.
"From a business point of view the data that we capture is also really interesting and gives us greater insight into our consumer and their tastes," said Gathercole.
While certainly not the final piece of the jigsaw (the retail picture is constantly evolving and never completed) AG's in-store iPad ordering system is another step on the way to strengthening its relationship with its customers across all channels.
They can now buy online for home delivery; buy online and deliver to store for collection; reserve for collection in store; buy in store; and now even order what they can't see in store while they're there! It's true omnichannel retailing, reinforcing the concept that every channel must work together to deliver a unified and consistent customer experience. And while AG's decision to roll out the in-store iPad ordering system had customer satisfaction as its cornerstone, there will be inevitable
other business upsides - increasing the lifetime value of customers, delivering slicker inventory turnarounds in-store and reduced instances of stock 'stuck' at the wrong store.
Said Trudy Hills, trading director of American Golf: “Making sure that we have the exact style and sizes for every single customer that comes into an American Golf store is a constant challenge for our retail teams. "With this new ordering system we are increasing the likelihood of achieving this objective.”
Equipping staff with tablets or other mobile devices might seem like a glimpse into the future, yet it was identified as a key driver for retailers as much as six years ago.
In 2008, the Store of The Future 2012-2015 report, commissioned by Visa Europe from the Centre for Retail Research, revealed that 47.2% of retailers expected to provide electronic devices for customers in the form of electronic kiosks, or screens or tablets, by 2015. At American Golf, the future has arrived. Perhaps it’s time for others to
follow suit?
SGBGOLF 5
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