Empowering Employees

Transcription

1 Retail Technology Trend Report Empowering Employees Next generation mobile devices boost instore services Joachim Pinhammer Senior Retail Technology Analyst A Service

2 Planet Retail is the leading provider of global retailing information, from news and analysis to market research and digital media. Covering more than 9,000 retail and foodservice operations across 211 markets around the world, many of the world s leading companies turn to Planet Retail as a definitive source of business intelligence. For more information please visit All images Planet Retail Ltd unless otherwise stated. Researched and published by Planet Retail Limited Company No: (England & Wales) Registered Office: 66 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2SB Terms of use and copyright conditions This document is copyrighted. All rights reserved and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of the publishers. We have taken every precaution to ensure that details provided in this document are accurate. The publishers are not liable for any omissions, errors or incorrect insertions, nor for any interpretations made from the document. United Kingdom: Greater London House Hampstead Road London NW1 7EJ United Kingdom Germany: Dreieichstrasse 59, D Frankfurt am Main Germany USA: 1450 American Lane Suite 1400 Schaumburg IL USA China: Tongxing Road Qingdao China Japan: c/o INSIGHT INC. Atami Plaza 1401 Kasuga-cho 16-45, Atami-shi Shizuoka Japan T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) T: +49 (0) F: +49 (0) Tel: + (1) Fax: + (1) T: +86 (0) F: +86 (0) T: +81 (0) F: +81 (0)

3 Contents Executive Summary 1 1. Customer-Facing Mobile Solutions 2 2. Merchandise-Related Mobile Solutions 7 3. Outlook Planet Retail 2012

4 Planet Retail

5 Executive Summary PlanetRetail T oday s tech-savvy consumers typically are well prepared and equipped when they do their shopping. They search the internet for product information, compare and evaluate offers and look out for the best deals. Increasingly, shoppers stay connected and use their smartphones and tablets to access this type of information on the go and also when browsing merchandise at bricks and mortar stores. So far, many retailers have failed to equip their store staff in a similar way. Although mobile devices have been commonly deployed for standard instore processes, such as goods entries, stock-taking, ordering or mark-downs, a multitude of customer-centric use cases have not yet been tapped by the majority of players. The next generation of mobile systems in the hands of store staff will empower employees to better serve their customers, providing real-time access to comprehensive product and shopper data across channels. Additionally, handheld devices will support the execution of new optimisation technologies, alerting staff to price changes and promotions or initiating stock-checks. This report will explain and assess the latest trends in mobile computing happening at retail stores, evaluate best practice examples from around the globe and predict future developments of instore mobile technology. The research identified the following key trends: 1. Handheld systems can empower store associates with real-time information to enhance customer service and enable a seamless multi-channel shopping experience. 2. Next generation handsets feature phone and text messaging to enable seamless staff communication. 3. By deploying mobile systems with an integrated payment option, retailers can check out shoppers on the spot. 4. Waiting times at the checkout can be significantly reduced by using handheld devices for pre-scanning or to receive alerts prompting staff to open another till. 5. Mobile systems with an online link to the merchandising system can boost store efficiency, supporting processes such as goods entry, price changes or replenishment. 6. Stock-taking with handheld devices providing real-time data access facilitates perpetual inventory and can help raise on-shelf availability. 7. To increase margins and revenues even in saturated markets, retailers can use modern optimisation tools which need mobile systems for efficient execution. 8. Mobile technology facilitates staff scheduling as well as employee tracking and can help retailers to optimise workforce management. 9. Mobile dashboards can free managers from their office desks and allow them to spend more time on the shop floor. 10. Retailers can benefit from a next generation of handheld devices combining the best of both the consumer and professional worlds. - Planet Retail