Clever retail technology solutions
Employing the latest technologies will help to improve the experience your customer will have in your store. ShelfLife speaks to some experts in the business to hear what is coming down the line
Print18 June 2015
Securing a sale while a customer is in-store is paramount for retailers especially with the increasing presence of omni-channel shopping. Consumers are savvy and know how easy it is to check prices and shop around. A common belief is that buying online is cheaper so if a customer leaves your store empty handed it is more than likely a lost sale. Having stock availability and the right information at hand is vital to push a sale through and managing queue times is important in a world where the majority of people are time poor. Using mobile point of sale, wireless networks, RFID supply chain solutions and mobile labelling can all improve a customer’s in-store experience and in turn, your bottom line.
VisionID offers clever technology solutions
Padraic O’Brien, VisionID’s retail technology solutions manager for Ireland
Padraic O’Brien, VisionID’s retail technology solutions manager for Ireland, highlights a number of issues faced by retailers and the solutions on trend to face these challenges using new and emerging technologies.
The aim for today’s retailers is to make shopping more enjoyable and build the brand experience for their customer. Retailers are facing their biggest challenge in history: the tech savvy customer, who are more knowledgeable then previous generations and can buy when they want and where they want through multiple channels.
Retailers need to have an infrastructure in place that entices their customers’ in-store to engage with them.
VisionID creates tailored solutions for those within the retail industry who wish to do just that, commercially cross-selling and up-selling customers whilst increasing staff productivity and efficiencies.
Retailers are under pressure to meet customers’ expectations with quick and easy shopping experiences that give instant gratification from their purchases by enabling customers to walk out of the store with a same day purchase, stock outs are a big no-no and lead to negative customer sentiment and lost sales. One of many solutions to avoiding negative sentiment which affects brand and lost sales is queue dispersal during peak times with the goal to limit queue size permanently to no queue at all. It’s simple; eliminate the queue – capture the sale.
VisionID’s retail solution set deploys a mobile point of sale (mPOS) which cuts queue time during peak hours and enables staff to advise customers on availability of products and expected delivery dates, merging online purchase with in-store same day collection.
Merging your omni-channel touch points into seamless strategy for retailers can be difficult but by combining the best of both worlds online and in-store you will secure more and more satisfied customers and sales Traditional retail stores tend to operate in standard working hours which can make it difficult for them to complete with online retailers who can operate and take orders 24/7 online and in-store is a must. A compelling in-store experience can be achieved through technologies such as guest Wi-Fi networks, personal shopping solutions, smart loyalty kiosks along with personalised special offers via beaconing and micro-locationing.
Every day retailers lose sales because they are temporarily out of stock or shelves not being replenished on time. To combat this retailers can implement an RFID supply chain solution providing a real-time live stock count leading to effective replenishment and stock availability.
By implementing solutions such as shelf edge labelling, push to talk communications and WIFI, retailers can increase their capacity to meet consumer demand. Allowing them to become more efficient during their operating hours while always ensuring a positive in-store experience which keeps the customer coming back in-store.
ADC recommends Zebra mobile printers to improve efficiency
Zebra offers a complete range of mobile handheld and forklift-mountable wireless printers
ADC Barcode describes how to boost the efficiency of warehouse processes through mobile labelling technology
With an increasing emphasis on cost reduction, the warehousing and logistics industry is looking for ways to improve efficiency and accuracy. To remain competitive these companies must change the way they label and track goods.
Success depends on maximising efficiency throughout all supply chain operations – front to back. Exploiting mobile labelling technology is fundamental to achieving optimal efficiency.
The most effective way to improve efficiency and keep labour costs under control is to minimise the amount of time required to label materials, work in progress, finished products, boxes and pallets. Centralised labelling solutions significantly reduce productivity and inject inaccuracies; thus, even the slightest improvement to the handling process will yield significant cost savings.
Mobile printing solutions equip workers with seamless mobility throughout the warehouse – wherever and whenever they need it. Printing at the point of use with mobile printers saves time and improves labelling accuracy in many common warehouse processes, including receiving, quality assurance, putaway, picking, packaging and shipping.
Efficient mobile printing requires a solution that delivers wireless-enabled communications, unmatched usability and versatile label encoding options. Zebra offers a complete range of mobile handheld and forklift-mountable wireless printers that meet diverse environmental and application needs for both barcode and RFID labelling.
Zebra mobile printers extend the functionality of centralised thermal transfer printers, enabling workers to print labels on the spot – which improves worker productivity.
Embedded with common language support, Zebra mobile printers can create barcode or RFID labels using the same commands as with other Zebra tabletop or desktop printers. Workers can print complex labels, symbologies and graphics quickly and easily. Zebra mobile printers enable several wireless connectivity options including 802.11, Bluetooth, and dual radio support for using Bluetooth and WLAN on the same printer.
The Zebra P4T mobile printer is a mobile printer ADC Barcode would most likely recommend for a warehouse environment. The compact printer enables you to print long-life barcode labels and documents up to 4” wide. Uniquely flexible, the P4T offers the advantage of thermal image durability, advance wireless connectivity options and included direct thermal mode in a versatile variety of combinations.
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