Shopfloor FOCUS: THE POWER OF ONLINE Integration of


your online and instore systems


36 By Rupert Woolger | Director, Calculus Software Solutions


Te pandemic has brought about an acceleration in the transition from instore to online retail, but also a boost for consumers to shop locally. Tis means that it is simply no longer good enough to consider an online operation as simply another form of static advertising, it needs to be able to fully represent your instore operations, and allow consumers to interact with your business online just as they would in person. Deep integration between your online and instore systems is key to this – unless


you are sharing data between your platforms automatically, you will either be failing to promote your full range of goods and services in both channels, or you will be spending excessive time and resources on manually keeping these both up to date. If your online operation expands to cover multiple online channels, then this


integration becomes even more critical to help keep those different channels aligned. Te instore NCompass system from Calculus collates data from a variety of integrations,


pulling in stock and pricing data, adds rich content such as specifications and images, and then supplies this to your online and instore operations, keeping all channels constantly refreshed.


For example, if a competitor changes their selling price for an item, this triggers our


systems to generate a new price for your item and pushes this through to all your online channels in seconds. You may not have any stock of the product, but as the system has confirmed it is available from your supplier, your channels show it as in-stock with an estimated delivery date, based upon when your supplier will deliver to you. We offer connections to a range of Product Information Management (PIM)


systems, which provide specifications, images and more as well as stock and pricing details from suppliers. As your business grows, further services can be added ¬– such as automatic


repricing, which will compare your competitor prices and automatically update your selling price to keep you competitive and increase your margins when your competitors go out-of-stock! Calculus helps independent retailers extend the same level of face-to-face customer


service to their websites. If a customer needs something urgently, then real-time stock information helps them find something available for quick delivery, and linking the instore delivery diary means they can pick the date that suits them without overbooking your vans!


‘We are a real omni-channel player’ By Chris Sargant | Head of Operations, RDO Kitchens & Appliances


We have changed our website a lot over the years and today we believe we are a real omni-channel player in the home appliances market. We help ensure our customers have a positive shopping experience by offering 24/7 live chat support, real-time stock levels, excellent reviews, delivery date transparency and much more. And perhaps it’s old-fashioned, but we also call every


online customer to thank them for their order. Tis personal touch is quite unique but this allows us to set expectations, reduce returns and build a relationship for the future. Customer reviews are crucial for us online to help promote our high level of service. So we encourage customers to leave a review aſter payment or delivery – and our Trustpilot rating is 5/5!


Our site is also extremely packed with useful


information on all our products, because we all know that customers bounce around various websites doing their research, so we want to be the one place that gives them everything they need. Te chat facility is very important to us and we make sure that we always capture people and answer any questions as quickly as possible. Te RDO website is powered by Magento 2, but the


information is managed on our own custom database. We have a talented in-house team that can easily make changes to the site and we have also partnered with an external developer for many years. Recently we launched our new website branding and we have been polishing the site to make our brand ‘pop’ and ensure


RDO won Best Electrical Retailer Website at the ERT Awards in 2020 and 2021!


we remain relevant in an increasingly competitive environment. And looking ahead, we will continue to focus on


improving the customer journey. Tis will come in the form of further refinements, adding functionality, improving our product range, improving our chat function and offering even more delivery options!


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