RetailT


for new ways to engage, excite and involve our customers.” Mountain and snowsports retailer, Ellis


Brigham, is another company aiming to capitalise on the advantages of pursuing an omnichannel strategy after purchasing a full suite of communications systems and services from UK provider, Daisy Communications. Robert Brigham, Ellis Brigham managing


director, explained: “Having been in existence since the early part of the last century, we had a certain way of doing things. However, at the start of last year we acknowledged that we needed to dramatically transform our onsite technology to create a sustainable operational model.” The retailer now uses a number of


communications services from Daisy, including business mobiles, connectivity that powers its electronic point-of-sale (EPoS) systems and internet protocol (IP) telephony that has improved internal communications. But now that the investment has enabled staff to collaborate efficiently and cost effectively, improving the overall business strategy, the firm has also begun to utilise technology to enhance the customer experience. Daisy now hosts its award-winning website,


ensuring visitors have an efficient and seamless experience. And visitors to Ellis Brigham’s flagship store in Covent Garden can benefit from free Wi-Fi access. Brigham continued: “Businesses are now operating in environments where there is literally a competitor just down the road; there is a definite need to enhance the customer experience in order to influence them to choose your store.” He added: “By offering free Wi-Fi access, the


onsite experience is improved and people are more likely to come back to a compelling and truly interesting place to visit. We hope that solutions like this will increase the time they want to spend in our stores, ultimately contributing to further trade. Research from JiWire (now known as Ninth


Decimal) last year found that nearly 80% of shoppers were influenced to shop in a store whether it had Wi-Fi or not. Brigham concluded: “As a business operating in the 21st century it is imperative that we utilise technology advances in order to drive sales, increase custom and also improve the customer experience. “Research backs up our desire to implement technology that benefits the customer.”


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echnology


MULTICHANNEL ROUNDUP


Retail Technology rounds up the key trends that retailers should be aware of, to factor into their strategies for serving ‘omnichannel’ consumers


CUSTOMERS STRATEGY


Multichannel integration is no longer enough to offer an omnichannel experience


According to a report, Beyond the Check


out Cart,


published by MIT, more than 80% of store shoppers check prices online (November 2013)


INTEGRATION Align multichannel


operations to ominchannel customer-facing execution One third of UK and


German consumers used multiple channels during a recent purchase (The


omnichannel opportunity, eBay, February 2014)


OPERATIONS MOBILE


Evaluate the use of mobile technologies to enhance online and store offers


64% of shoppers cited a


better instore experience when retail staff were using mobile technology


(Omnico survey of 1,344 UK consumers, August 2013)


PAYMENTS


Optimise m-commerce operations to improve checkout experiences


Some 20% of global transactions came via a


mobile device last December, up from 12.6% in 2012 (Ayden Mobile Payments Index, February 2014)


TECHNOLOGY WIRELESS COMMS


Examine the benefits of enabling communication technologies like Wi-Fi


Worldwide the number of public Wi-Fi locations saw a significant boost over a 12-month period,


growing from 682,929 in 2011 to 820,262 in 2012


(Report by Ninth Decimal, December 2012)


MARKETING


Exploit multichannel integration for more


compelling engagement A recent 7,000-strong


global survey found 87%


of consumers thought that brands needed to work


harder to create a seamless shopping experience


spanning multiple channels (Zendesk, November 2013)


Spring/Summer 2014


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