FEATURE BIG DATA ON THE SHOP FLOOR
Big Data on the Shop Floor
Data is changing the way that we do everything, and it is having more and more of an impact on the way that we do business. Matthew Napleton,
Marketing Director at Zizo explains why the ability to provide online, actionable analytics into the retail environment is transformational.
By harnessing big data and providing relevant, up-to-date information via mobile to the shop floor, retailers can be one step-ahead in delivering a truly responsive and innovative customer experience. But what is big data? Well, simply put it is data that can come from anywhere and in any form at tremendous speed. It is the type of data that can’t be handled by what we’d call ‘traditional technology’, and this can mean information on anything from the weather to the internet, the company’s website or even on road traffic.
Shop Floor Decision Making
Retailers are embracing every aspect of technology innovation in the drive to engage customers in a fast changing environment - from harnessing big data to improve the price/product/placement effectiveness to new in-store experiences that leverage social media. Yet there is limited connection between these innovative ideas and the real time experience in each store.
Instead, from the introduction of iPads to the creation of planograms, retail strategy is implemented from head office, in advance: despite clear changes in behaviour and attitudes, the retailer is still second guessing the customer’s expectations.
Retailers need to get real-time data onto the shop floor and into the hands of the decision makers that can make a real difference to both bottom line profitability and customer experience.
28 | Spring 2015 Tomorrow’s Retail Floors Customer Experience
When it comes to innovation, retailers are leading way. From stock-free stores to the use of iPads to allow customers to gain validation regarding product choices from Facebook reviews and Tweets, the focus is on creating a unique retail experience. But with consumer behaviour changing faster than at any time in the history of retail, are these innovations simply tinkering at the edge of the customer experience?
The problem with all of these ideas is that they are created at head office and implemented ubiquitously across the retail estate. There is no local input and no way for managers on the shop floor to change activity based on actual customer behaviour in real time. So while customers are offered the chance to check stock via an iPad in store, managers are still wandering around with stacks of paper, Excel spreadsheets and planograms based on information created at head office the day before, or perhaps several days ago.
The limitations of this model are extensive. Why are product promotions treated exactly the same in each store, when performance will differ widely between stores? And it is why it’s still possible for a problem with the pricing system to go unnoticed for over 24 hours – even when Twitter is awash with comments about a £10 case of beer promotion going through the tills at £1? Even when the store was selling out as a result?
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