With 60% of shoppers stating that retail technology provides value to their shopping journey, it’s no surprise that businesses are looking for new ways to engage consumers, streamline processes and personalize offerings with IT. See how retailers can also use these same tech trends to improve employee experiences. Learn more: http://ms.spr.ly/6009Tbp7S

1. Prepping your business for the future
Benefits of modern IT for retail workers
Enhancing employee experiences
Sources:
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Cisco. (2018). SMB Cybersecurity Report.PWC. (2018). Experience Is Everything: Here’s How to Get It Right.
Global News Wire. (2018, April 9). Driving Loyalty Through Customer Experience Is the Future for
Travel, Says Research Survey by Expedia Affiliate Network and Points.
Greene, M. (2018, Nov. 8). Self-Checkouts: Who Really Benefits From the Technology? CBC.
Nicasio, F. (2019, May 20). Why You Should Train Your Retail Employees on Technology – and How to Do It Right.
PR News Wire. (2018, June 26). The New Digital Workplace Divide: U.S. Workers Whose Employer Provide Outdated
Technology Feel Less Productive. Society for Human Resource Management. (2017). Human Capital Benchmarking Report.
Sweezey, M. (2019, Aug. 4). Key Chatbot Statistics to Know in 2019. Salesforce.
Creating effective,
positive retail
experiences
Putting the customer first
When tracking consumer trends to see how your business can improve,
here are some key statistics to keep in mind, according to PWC:
Improve productivity:
84% of retailers will be using mobile POS systems by 2020, and 89% will offer mobile
solutions to their sales associates within the next few years. Help workers:
• Capture consumer data on the spot.
• Speed up the checkout process.
• Reduce waste caused by paper receipts.
Enhance collaboration.
The ability to quickly get in touch with teammates working in the backroom, walking
the floor or manning the register can help streamline processes. Help workers:
• Answer consumer questions faster through knowledge-sharing.
• Avoid running to the backroom often, increasing face time with shoppers.
• Relieve stress by communicating where help is needed in real time.
Optimize scheduling.
Collaborative scheduling solutions:
• Help mitigate scheduling conflicts and minimize errors with time-off requests.
• Improve employee satisfaction by empowering them to choose their own times.
• Provide automatic alerts for uncovered shifts ahead of time.
• Forecast times where more or less coverage is needed based on historic data.
Using automated traffic counters can help enhance
visibility into your business’s average visitor count. Use
this information to improve your advertising strategy
and overall sales conversion ratios.
53% of midmarket companies in 26 countries
experienced a breach in 2018.
54% of these breaches caused financial damages
exceeding $500,000.
• Regularly conduct security audits to locate
vulnerabilities across your network and
connected devices.
• Invest in a reliable backup system linked to the
cloud to protect customer and employee data.
• Train employees on best practices for passwords,
internet use, logging in and out of systems, etc.
• Encrypt checkout systems both for in-store
shoppers and on your website.
• Payroll software: Automatically pay worker and
factor in taxes and bonuses.
• Operational software: Continuously update worker
apps for speed and accuracy.
• E-procurement: Have a single vendor for your
own device procurement for easy navigation,
customization and deployment assistance.
You can use IoT-enabled sensors to:
• Turn on, off or dim lights according to the work
schedule or sunlight provided.
• Remotely adjust either the room or fridge
temperatures.
• Predict maintenance requirements for your
devices to offset unexpected downtime.
• Track vehicle speed and location of delivery
vehicles.
Solution:Scenario:
43%
of buyers are willing to
pay more for a great
customer experience.
of buyers from the
United States would
like to experience more
seamless human
interactions in
the future.
One in three consumers (32%)
will walk away from a brand they
love after just one bad experience.
Three out of five
consumers feel retail
technology has
already improved their
shopping experience.
A consumer is in a hurry and can’t find the
product she needs. She asks one of your
employees for help. How might the worker
quickly locate the exact item she’s
searching for?
If your business effectively uses Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID) scanners and
barcode technology to enter products into its
system, your employee will be able to easily pull
up a list of inventory to find out if the product is
somewhere in the backroom.
61% of consumers still use coupons. Your
business needs a way to get new promotions
and deals out to your buyers. What’s a
cost-effective and green way of doing this?
Investing in a mobile app that leverages rich
data analytics coupled with the Internet
of Things (IoT) can help you send timely,
personalized promotions based on shopper
behavior or demographic — without
paper coupons.
More than two-thirds of American consumers
between 18 and 34 prefer to use self-service at
quick-serve restaurants. How could a midmarket
restaurant business incorporate this service
into its experience?
Having a small tabletop checkout system
based off of tablets on the tables empower
consumers to order, request assistance, pay
and leave on their own terms. Your staff would
then have more time to welcome in new guests,
clean, prep and serve.
Imagine a consumer shopping online looking to
return an item. It’s an odd hour of the night,
how can you assist them?
53% of service organizations expect to
implement chatbots for customer support
services. With a chatbot, your business will be
able to provide an instant, automatic, online
response about store return policies.
Speed, convenience, helpful employees and friendly service matter most,
hitting over in importance to consumers.
70%
The average
turnover rate for
the retail industry
is more than 60%
In addition to feeling unproductive
and unsupported, employees who
work with outdated technology are
750% more likely to be frustrated
and 450% more likely to quit.
New hires can cost a
company anywhere
between 1% and
2.5% of its total
revenue.
How can you offset these costs?
Reducing waste
Invest in software.Make more informed decisions.
Protect your data.
82%