Retail is not easy. Ok, let’s face it – most days it’s downright hard.

That’s why retailers everywhere are taking a stand against retail chaos, in their own way, and every action counts.

Tell the world how you’re taking control of your retail environment to drive your strategy, and then find out how Retail Pro® can empower you to do even more at NRF 2016!

How do YOU #StopRetailChaos? Use this hashtag on social media to join the conversation.

Retail Pro International is pleased to announce the general availability release for Retail Pro Prism POS – 1.3.4. This release includes several enhancements to the Retail Pro Prism capabilities, including Physical Inventory functionality. Some of the more significant additions are noted below. Contact your Retail Pro Business Partner today for more details and to see if your business is ready for Retail Pro Prism®.

Keep track of all your inventory
Retail Pro Prism now includes a new Physical Inventory (PI) area so you can take regular, physical counts of your merchandise on a macro level in the store or warehouse, or on a smaller scale within a single bin or shelf.

Prism PI Capabilities:

• Start a physical inventory files for any location
• Record physical counts information to a physical inventory file already in process by scanning barcodes or manually typing item identifiers
• Import counts with a file (fixed-length or delimited)
• Read current on-hand values from inventory and write those values to the physical inventory file as the start quantities
• For easier review, a separate discrepancy display lists all items whose physical counts do not equal the starting values
• Print physical inventory information
• Send PI sheets to Retail Pro 9 for updating

Increase efficiency at the POS
This release includes a new Options button that increases efficiency through easier access to most common POS tasks, including:

• Transaction Lookup
• Pending Transactions
• Customer Lookup
• Gift Card Balance check (if use of EFT or central gift cards is enabled)

Look up customer details – securely
Customer area continues to be the focus as consumer-centric initiatives drive store processes. In this release customer functional area includes:

• New “Apply Customer Tax Areas” preference that gives retailers greater flexibility when it comes to assignment of customer tax areas
• Easy access to check and print customer’s central gift card balance (optional)
• New workflow with enhanced security functionality for checking a customer’s store credit balance
• New workflow for ‘forced tender’ transaction

Retail your way with ease

• Automatic Proxy recognition of hardware configuration changes in the Admin Console
• A new version of the Prism Launcher (1.6) for use with iOS 9 devices
• Additional designs for Document Designer
• Enhanced RP Prism Communications via PrismMQ

On October 17, global experts across the retail technologies ecosystem were awarded the Retail Pro business excellence awards for outstanding performance in their regional spheres. For the first time in Retail Pro International history, two partners tied for the coveted global Partner of the Year award, and were recognized for their outstanding performance – Retail Technology Company of Saudi Arabia and Grupo Ejje of El Salvador.

Success is not built in isolation.

At its very core, success is the synergy of collective effort of diverse individuals with distinct strengths, who come together to form something greater, more meaningful, more impactful.

When pursued independently, success is beyond reach even for the greatest of people. But when great people come together – when they persist in determined forward movement toward an even greater goal – that is when success is planted, takes root, and bears abundant fruit.

That is the nature of the alliance between Retail Pro International and its partners. We recognize your continued perseverance for growth. We commend your diligent work and congratulate your great achievement.

Retail Pro International and our expert business partners from all over the globe convening today in San Francisco to sync strategies around the future of retail, which is the reality at Retail Pro International: platform technology.

Retail Pro International is pleased to announce the support for Apple’s iOS 9 with the Retail Pro Prism app. Along with the support for iOS 9, several improvements have been made to Retail Pro Prism’s iOS app. Details on these are noted below:

• The Retail Pro Prism workstation name is now based on the iOS device name for easy identification within the administration console.
• Retail Pro Prism help files will now appear in a separate Safari window giving the user easy access to help while still maintaining access to Retail Pro Prism.
• This new Retail Pro Prism iOS update is only available to iOS devices running iOS 9. If you have not upgraded your iOS device to iOS 9, you will need to do so prior to downloading this update.

With Retail Pro Prism on an Apple device like an iPod Touch or iPad, you can reinforce your brand essence and engage your customers right on the sales floor with a highly interactive tool. It’s a resource for your sales associates, with inventory and customer details available right at their finger tips, for quick, effective clienteling.

On September 14 – 15, retail’s finest in the Middle East came together to see the industry’s top technologies at the 5th annual InRetail Summit in Dubai. Summit organizers report that over 250 decision makers from industries like luxury, apparel, beauty, and electronics, 34 speakers, and 9 leading industry sponsors gathered to discuss retail best practices and case studies, discover and test new products, and network.

Among them, Retail Pro International’s Bevin Manian and one of our expert Business Partners, Inditech, demonstrated the advanced technology of the Retail Pro® platform. In the context of customer-centric retailing in the omnichannel world, the Retail Pro retail management software stood out as the mission-critical tool for delivering a unified experience across channels. It converges all of a retailer’s organizational and transactional data, as well as data from every integrated tool, in one platform, which enables retailers to make smarter, data-driven operational and customer engagement decisions across channels. With Retail Pro, retailers are fully equipped to take on every challenge that comes their way as retail practices and expectations evolve.

This retail evolution was the focus of the InRetail Summit. Sessions topics included 7 challenges every retailer faces in the every-changing marketplace:

1. Expanding opportunities  – understanding future trends and how to make the most of new opportunities
2. Digital transformation – integrating new IoT technologies to improve business strategy and operations
3. Connecting with customers – how to make lasting connections with shoppers
4. Marketing strategies – personalizing experiences and using social media to attract customers
5. Big Data – turning data into actionable insights and personalized promotions
6. Smart operations – using innovative technologies for improved merchandising and inventory management
7. E-Commerce – identifying and capitalizing on new online opportunities

For a full review of the event, speaker biographies, and sponsor details, visit www.inretailsummit.com.

You may be familiar with the Price Manager tool in Retail Pro. The Price Manager allows you to change prices for every item in your inventory quickly and easily. Increase all of your prices by 5% or mark down your inventory for the big weekend sale – all it takes is a couple of keystrokes to adjust your entire inventory.

Did you know you can also create multiple price levels for your inventory? Use can set unlimited price levels to create:

• A pricing structure for different parts of your business
• Various prices for stores in different geographic locations or for different customers
• VIP or employee pricing structures
• A wholesale price level to sell direct to other businesses.

With so many price levels, you may be worried that updating your prices will create a monumental amount of new work for you. As easy as it is to change prices for one price level, won’t it take time to change prices for all of your price levels?Not when you are using default discount percentages. This tools in Retail Pro lets you update all your price levels instantly.

How to do it in 3 easy steps

1. Set up default discount percentages in the pricing area of your Retail Pro settings (System Preference → Local Preferences → Merchandise → Pricing → General).

2. Set the Default Discount % amount to the discount below your active (base) level. There’s just one rule that you must follow when using default discount percentages: Each of your discount price levels must be less than your base level.

3. Check the Use Default Discount box for all price levels you want to automatically change.

The next time you use the Price Manager to change your base prices, all the price levels using default discount percentage will be changed automatically.

Let’s practice

Let’s say you offer your VIP customers a 20% discount on anything you sell. How would you do that in Retail Pro?

Set up a new price level for VIP customers and set the prices to 20% less than your basic inventory cost. Then set your default discount percentage to 20%.

When you use the Price Manager tool to update your basic inventory cost, your VIP prices are automatically adjusted without having to do anything else.

There’s a saying in retail that the “customer is always right”. While this motto is often relevant for retailers and other business owners alike, letting customers call all the shouts won’t make a retailer successful. And while every merchant is different and every store has it’s own demands and goals, the following habits are repeatedly observed among many successful retailers.

Habit One: Prioritizing is Key. 

Retailers are busy folks, with those not in the industry often misjudging just how much is on their to-do-lists. From ordering inventory to researching market trends to merchandising displays to training staff and planning in-store events to scheduling online marketing and more, running a retail business means constantly having something to do. With this in mind, successful retailers recognize the value in scheduling what is necessary to do and eliminating what is not. This also means recognizing that while some responsibilities are more enjoyable than others, allresponsibilities must be prioritized to effectively run a successful retail business. Scheduling time limits and deadlines – even as your own boss – can help make retailers stay focused and on schedule, eliminating extra time spent where it shouldn’t be.

Habit Two: Letting Go Is a Must. 

With a lot on a retailer’s to-do-list, who has time to dwell on the past? Sure, it’s easy to fall into this habit when mistakes are made or opportunities are missed. But more importantly, it’s better to learn from these scenarios. Retailers are bound to make poor inventory investments or have a slow month; however successful retailers analyze these situations as opportunities to learn from versus beat themselves up over. It’s important for retailers to move forward since after all, their customers already have. One of the best ways to do this is lean on data, which successful merchants implement into their store operations through a variety ways. This often includes incorporating a point of sale (POS) system, using social media monitoring software and tracking customer loyalty. The more retailers know through hard data, the better they are in supporting their customers.

Habit Three: Training Staff is Vital.

Stores spend a lot of money to open their doors and keep them open, which is why it always surprises  me when a sales associate has no idea how to support the customers in their store. The people of any business are the faces of that brand… whether they want to accept that role or not. As employers, it’s key to understand this reality and train associates to best represent their stores. Retailers who successfully run their businesses recognize the value in their associates and not only train them, but train them often. New hire trainings are very important, but don’t stop there. Opportunities to train staff can range from store operational procedures to customer service updates to product training to seasonal staff meetings and more. The key is to invest time and dollars into your employees to reap the rewards of strong associates and as a result, strong sales.

Habit Four: Knowing the Competition is a Priority. 

Whether it’s your big box competitors or your local Main Street stores, successful merchants know who their competition is. And while it would be easy to simply read about their competition, savvy retailers take the time to actually visit the stores that compete with their business. Analyzing their product assortment, customer service experiences, in-store displays, online shopping opportunities, special events, dress code, store packaging, visual displays and overall consumer impressions are just a few of the things smart retailers look for when it comes to checking out their competition. Often, this type of routine analysis allows retailers to recognize new industry trends, missed opportunities, new strategies to compete for sales and other ways to stay afloat in the competitive retail marketplace. Note – what they don’t do is ignore their competition. Consistently analyzing the constantly changing retail environment is key.

Habit Five: Shifting Store Inventory is “Okay”. 

Often, retailers open a store because they love a particular product category and as a result, they enjoy buying inventory to sell in their stores. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a recipe for retail success. Merchants who have become successful and more importantly, stayed successful, are willing to shift their inventory plans to accommodate their customers versus themselves. This may mean eliminating a product line or an entire category of inventory, as well as introducing a new product category that even the retailer is surprised by. When merchants listen to their customers, react to consumer trends, work with their vendors and respond to what their customers want, they are able to more effectively buy inventory for their stores. Using data will once again help monitor this, as well. And as a result, retailers are able to sell more.

Finally, successful retailers typically have one more thing in common… and that is the acceptance that they can’t run their stores alone. For some, this means hiring great people to effectively manage all the necessary operations of their stores. For others, this means investing in outside consultants, service providers or companies that can aid their retail stores in a variety of ways that the store owner alone cannot. For all, however, it means willingly investing in people and companies to help their stores achieve success. And on a final note, each of these habits wouldn’t exist without the willingness to accept change. Recognizing that retail is always evolving and that consumers are, as well, can help retailers stay competitive and relevant in today’s modern marketplace.

See the original post on Forbes