COMMENT


RINGING THE CHANGES T


echnology is taking on a more prominent role within retailers. The


most successful generally tend to be those deploying technology to increase efficiency or service while, in recent times, those that struggle can often trace the cause back to operational and security issues that are in some way or another IT-based. Take the department store retailer John


Lewis on the one hand. In this issue, we cover its work to put point-of-sale tablets into the hands of its store associates (page 7) in its quest to break down any buying barriers between its digital and physical retailing presence. Marks & Spencer (M&S), on the other hand, has had a torrid time of it on the sales front recently, as it tries to recreate the success it had from its Amazon based e-commerce site with a newly relaunched version of its own (page 6). The impact shopping online has made


technology core to every retailer’s business. So it is fitting that our annual feature looking at integration across retail channels serves as a timely reminder of what it takes to meet customer expectations that do not distinguish between price or service, whether that is off- or online (page 21). When I first took on the role ofR


etail T


echnology editor nearly 10 years ago many retailers were wrestling with the need for integrated multichannel operations.


And, to some extent, it could be argued that many still are, hence the reason the magazine has continued to devote one its regular features to the theme. But the scale of consumer technology adoption and its impact on retail propositions have brought the industry to a tipping point. Only those that can align all of their


sales channels into one seamless customer proposition can hope to succeed in becoming what we therefore now refer to as ‘omnichannel’ retailers. And the best practice examples of lastminute.com (page 10), Argos and even QVC (page 27) in this issue are a testament to benefits to be gained from achieving this objective, building a strong brand presence and capturing loyal custom that spends more in multiple channels than in just one. With our increased reliance on the


automated efficiency and convenience that technology offers us, as both consumers and retailers, the industry also now knows that the importance of the human touch in delivering good customer service cannot be overstated, be it in a store, call centre, live chat or during a home visit or delivery. This is why the annual workforce management (WFM) feature (page 35) serves as a good counterpoint to the technologies that often focus on self-service as a means to enable retailers to offer greater convenience.


Editor Monica Heck e: monica@retailtechnology.co.uk t: 00 353 1523 34 10


©Zendu Contracting Services Ltd.


Design Rory Seaford Design e: rory@roryseaford.com t: 07976 941282


Looking to the future, they say the only


constant is change. And the same could be said for R


etail T echnology recently,


as I’m sure you as readers feel about the speed of change in your own customer- facing businesses. I have always been passionate about the importance of the role technology plays in enabling better retail experiences and, through a number of redesigns online and in print, I feel we’ve been on a similar technological journey of discovery together. So much so, that last month, ownership etail T


ofR echnology magazine and website


transferred wholly to the company I have operated for a number of years. And, with that change, the time seems right to introduce some fresh thinking, while I move to more of a background role on the title and take on new challenges. So I’d like to thank all those that I have worked with over the years and introduce Monica Heck, who will be taking over as Editor from the next issue. Some of you may know Monica


through her experience in the broadcast industry, but she is already doing a great job on RetailTechnology.co.uk, so I hope you will help me welcome her to the role. I’m sure she will find it as enjoyable, exciting and dynamic a job as I have all these years. Miya Knights,Publisher


Sales Director Lynn Neil e: lynn@retailtechnology.co.uk t: 0208 123 5040


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Owned and published by: Zendu Contracting Services Ltd. West Sussex PO22 6JR


t: 0208 123 5040 www.retailtechnology.co.uk


Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations 6,749 Jan 11 – Dec 11


ISSN No 1359-0146 04 Spring/Summer 2014 www.retailtechnology.co.uk


Reasonable care is taken to avoid errors in this magazine but no liability is accepted for any errors which may occur. No material in this publication may be reproduced in anyway without the consent of the publishers. The publishers will not accept any responsibility for the safe return of unsolicited manuscripts, software or equipment. Please keep a copy of all work submitted for publication and do not send original artwork. We will assume permission to publish any unsolicited material unless otherwise stated.


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