The larger a retailer becomes, the longer it takes to get simple tasks accomplished.
Whether it is an associate’s inability to quickly respond to a customer’s product feature query, or the HR department’s delay in answering an employee’s benefits question, such examples are indicative of a systemic problem in providing relevant information when needed.
Then, when a global pandemic strikes, the inefficiencies resulting from operational growing pains are made all the more evident.
A systemic information problem
Inefficiencies tend to be rooted around lack of information.
A customer service agent doesn’t have visibility into the supply chain, for example, and can’t answer a customer’s question about order status.
In addition, the consequences of those inefficiencies are generally not confined to the backroom – one inventory problem can very quickly escalate to a customer service issue when a product shows up on the computer as in-stock, yet isn’t available on the sales floor.
Attempting to solve customer problems can be a frustrating process for both the employee and the customer, which may eventually lead to loss of trust and decreased retention for the business.
That threat can’t be taken lightly; according to Salesforce, 76% of customers report that it’s easier than ever to take their business elsewhere.
Gaining comprehensive visibility
A comprehensive suite of reporting and analysis capabilities is necessary to make sense of all the data a retail business collects through its various sales channels, including in-store as well as online and social media.
Customizable business intelligence dashboards and reporting tools like Retail Pro Decisions and Retail Pro Reporting deliver visibility of operational performance and exception alerts.
They are available on a wide range of desktop and mobile devices and provide not only decision-making data daily, but also a historical and trend view that offers strategic insights.
Selective archive search
Slow, inefficient archive operations force employees to struggle with storage and retrieval of in-formation that business analytics provides, stealing time from performing their core responsibilities.
Gathering too much information can be a major barrier to accessing the right information.
Some inefficiencies can be solved with archival systems that enable the easy application of multiple retention rules according to the document category.
For example, those HR records that require longer archiving periods than others would automatically be filed appropriately.
In addition, permissions are automatically allocated to those who require them according to skillset and authority.
All archived materials should be easy to access as needed.
Visibility into what?
Retailers are faced with gathering the answers to inventory questions, beyond what products are best-sellers and who is the target customer.
Such analytical questions include:
What products should be sold together?
What is the optimal shelf life is for certain products?
Is the pricing strategy impacting sales volumes?
What should the sell-through percentage be?
What is the stock-to-sales ratio?
What is the stock turn, and how many days of supply are there?
Best-in-class retailers head off problems from the start.
They understand the need for great reporting tools and the need to analyze the data, not just collect it.
They are proactive and require tools that alert them to potential problems, help them figure out root causes of successes as well as failures, and enable their businesses to be more agile so they can adapt when needed and profit from future trends.
Get answers from your data with custom Retail Pro reports >
Finding Opportunities in Your Business Data With Retail Pro Decisions
COVID-19 forced retailers worldwide to pivot fast to survive this unprecedented and wholly unexpected market downturn.
From shifting to ecommerce-only and fast fulfillment strategies, to staying connected with customers during lockdowns, your ability to adapt and take assertive action is crucial for your business to survive.
Now more than ever retailers must turn to their data to monitor KPIs and get insights that will help you combat the ongoing effects COVID-19 will have on consumer mindsets and economies.
Watch this webinar to see 7 insights you need to search out now from your data to help you shape your retail decisions post COVID-19 and position you to make the most of the shopping season remaining in 2020.
Watch this Retail Pro Decisions webinar to hear:
Smart ways retailers adapted to stay connected with customers and maintain retail operations
Why every retailer should re-evaluate the extent of data driving their strategy for customer engagement and inventory management
How to monitor every KPI with data from your POS, ERP, CRM, e-Commerce, and other critical applications integrated in Retail Pro Decisions visual analytics software
What insights you need to glean from your data now to shape your decisions as you reopen and reconnect with shoppers for the remainder of 2020
Finding Opportunities in Your Business Data
With Retail Pro Decisions
COVID-19 forced retailers worldwide to pivot fast to survive this unprecedented and wholly unexpected market downturn.
From shifting to ecommerce-only and fast fulfillment strategies, to staying connected with customers during lockdowns, your ability to adapt and take assertive action is crucial for your business to survive.
Now more than ever retailers must turn to their data to monitor KPIs and get insights that will help you combat the ongoing effects COVID-19 will have on consumer mindsets and economies.
Watch this webinar to see 7 insights you need to search out now from your data to help you shape your retail decisions post COVID-19 and position you to make the most of the shopping season remaining in 2020.
Watch this Retail Pro Decisions webinar to hear:
Smart ways retailers adapted to stay connected with customers and maintain retail operations
Why every retailer should re-evaluate the extent of data driving their strategy for customer engagement and inventory management
How to monitor every KPI with data from your POS, ERP, CRM, e-Commerce, and other critical applications integrated in Retail Pro Decisions visual analytics software
What insights you need to glean from your data now to shape your decisions as you reopen and reconnect with shoppers for the remainder of 2020
COVID-19 obligó a los detallistas de todo el mundo a reinventarse rápidamente para sobrevivir a esta desaceleración del mercado sin precedentes y totalmente inesperada.
Desde cambiar a estrategias de entrega a domicilio y de comercio electrónico, hasta mantenerse conectado con sus clientes durante los bloqueos, su capacidad de adaptarse y tomar decisiones asertivas es crucial para que su negocio sobreviva.
Ahora, más que nunca, los detallistas deben recurrir a sus datos para monitorear los principales indicadores de desempeño (KPIs) y obtener información que los ayudará a combatir los efectos continuos que COVID-19 tendrá en la mentalidad de los clientes y en la economía global.
Mira este seminario web para ver 7 ideas que necesita buscar ahora en sus datos para orientar sus decisiones de venta al detalle después de COVID-19 y posicionarlo para aprovechar al máximo la temporada de compras que queda en 2020.
Mira este seminario web de Retail Pro International y PA Latinoamericana para escuchar:
Formas inteligentes que los detallistas han desarrollado para mantenerse conectados con sus clientes y seguir tocando las operaciones
Por qué todo detallista debería reconsiderar la extensión y las fuentes de datos que orientan su estrategia para el compromiso del cliente y la gestión de inventario
Cómo monitorear cada KPI de su negocio con datos de su PDV, ERP, CRM, comercio electrónico y otras aplicaciones críticas integradas en el software de análisis de Retail Pro Decisions
Qué información necesita obtener de sus datos ahora para orientar sus decisiones a medida que vuelve a abrir y se vuelve a conectar con los compradores para el resto de 2020
PS: Can’t make it to the webinar? Register now to get the recording sent straight to your inbox!
COVID-19 forced retailers worldwide to pivot fast to survive this unprecedented and wholly unexpected market downturn.
From shifting to ecommerce-only and fast fulfillment strategies, to staying connected with customers during lockdowns, your ability to adapt and take assertive action is crucial for your business to survive.
Now more than ever retailers must turn to their data to monitor KPIs and get insights that will help you combat the ongoing effects COVID-19 will have on consumer mindsets and economies.
Join us in this webinar to see 7 insights you need to search out now from your data to help you shape your retail decisions post COVID-19 and position you to make the most of the shopping season remaining in 2020.
Save your spot for this Retail Pro International and PA Latinoamericana webinar to hear:
Smart ways retailers have adapted to stay connected with customers and maintain retail operations
Why every retailer should reevaluate the extent & sources of data that drive their strategy for customer engagement and inventory management
How to monitor every KPI with data from your POS, ERP, CRM, e-Commerce, and other critical applications integrated in Retail Pro Decisions visual analytics software
What insights you need to glean from your data now to shape your decisions as you reopen and reconnect with shoppers for the remainder of 2020
Stores are starting to reopen across the world, and we are watching this very, very carefully.
We’re learning a ton of new things while watching what they are doing, because some of these stores are doing excellent business.
In some cases, they are exceeding last year’s numbers! Let’s take a look at what the most successful retailers are doing to make this happen.
Overall, you have to approach opening as if you were opening for the first time.
It has to have that level of excitement, that level of enthusiasm.
So my first, best advice to you is to get super pumped up about opening!
1. Store Presentation and Layout
This is the perfect time to reassess your store’s layout and shop-ability.
You certainly want to organize your store so your shoppers can maintain the proper social distance from each other and still see all the great merchandise you have in stock.
Here are some tips you can apply:
Start at the front door, and look inside your store as if you’re visiting for the first time. Can you see all the way to the back wall? Can you identify key areas that you want to go to to see the merchandise?
The most important real estate in your store is the immediate right. Do we have some of our best merchandise there?
Many stores are putting markers on the floor that direct people through the store, creating a path to follow, much like grocery stores or Ikea have done. The benefit of this is that when your shoppers walk the path, they can see merchandise they might not have seen. This is creating add-on sales!
As you walk the store, make sure your displays make people want to stop and check out the merchandise. Make the displays compelling with cross-merchandising, props, bundles, and multiple levels.
From each display that causes a shopper to linger, where will they go next? Merchandise your displays that lead the customer through the store, directing their eyes to the next great display of merchandise.
Signage is super important. Yes, you want to have signs that remind people to obey social distancing, but they don’t have to be negative or serious. A western apparel store put up signs that say, “There should be a cow’s distance between us!” Another store posted a sign that said, “If you can read the label on my jeans, then you’re too close!” Make it fun!
This is also a time to ensure you have excellent lighting that shows off and spotlights your great products.
2. Marketing
For many years, I have said that marketing should have a two-word definition, which is “Creating Demand.”
That means that any messaging you send out, whether it be by email, social media, or texting, should first be checked to see if the message makes anyone want to come to the store or the website, or to find out more.
If it doesn’t, rework it until it does.
I think the best messaging for reopening is, “We are back, we are safe, and we are ready for you!” Customers need to feel like you are welcoming a long, lost friend to the store.
Show them in your videos (you ARE doing videos, right?) and posts how you are working hard to keep the store clean, safe, and fun.
There is a lot more activity in social media and emails now. More retail stores have had to quickly open up e-commerce sites, and the only way to promote those was to send out tons of social media posts and videos, and emails. So it’s noisier out there, and to compete you have to generate as much activity as everyone else. That means 2-3 emails per week, multiple posts on social media every day, and at least a couple of videos.
While I’m talking about videos, did you know that YouTube is the #2 search engine on the planet? That means that you need to have your own YouTube channel, post all your videos on there, and make sure you tag them properly so people can find and watch them, and want to come to your store.
I have to confess that up until recently, I was not doing much with hashtags in social media.
But I have come to learn that they are the best, most direct path to getting more customers to follow you.
That said, they have to be the RIGHT hash tags – in other words, “#clothing” is not going to help you, but “#darkwashskinnydenim” will.
Look at other stores and brands that you admire and take a look at their hashtags.
Incorporate those into your posts and see if they get you more likes and followers.
3. Staff
As you open your business, you’ll also need to give careful consideration to your staff’s needs and your personnel needs as well.
Keep in mind that with social distancing, you may not need as many people on the floor as you did previously. Also, your store may have different hours now. So first, consider what you really need in terms of floor coverage, and then deal with any employee issues.
Some of your staff may be reluctant to come back. It may be that they are scared of the virus and don’t want to return. It may also be that they are enjoying the extra money they’re getting while on unemployment. This is all understandable, but you cannot be held hostage this way. Retailers who have faced this have had to get new staff, and you may have to do the same.
The ones that do come back will need some additional training. First, they need to learn some new procedures in the store, especially regarding cleaning. We need to show customers that our stores are clean and safe, and so your employees will need to know how to clean and which areas to clean. Of special concern for apparel retailers is the dressing room. It needs to be cleaned between visitors, and I would recommend posting a log inside the dressing room that shows how often the dressing has been cleaned.
Staff will also need to be trained on how to sell from 6 feet away. How do they still engage with customers, make recommendations, and lead them to the purchase? Certainly, one of the things I think they’ll need to work on is how to move the conversation from the awfulness of this pandemic, to positive things. It’s something they need to drill before you open.
4. Selling
The politics of salesmanship are yet another challenge we have to get past.
Scroll through social media for 2 minutes and you’ll see tons of divergent opinions about how this whole situation should be handled.
Some of your customers are going to be worried about being out. Make sure they feel warmly welcomed, and make sure they see that you are cleaning the store, that you are safe, and that it’s OK to be there.
Other customers will want to completely ignore that there is a virus at all. Be careful about any customers who do not obey social distancing, for this reason only: you could freak out other customers who see it, and that could get you a nasty scene on the sales floor, or a nasty online review.
Lots of stores are stepping up sales by setting appointments to visit the store. An appointment is almost a guaranteed sale, because you wouldn’t make an appointment unless you had a strong interest in buying product, right?
Products that are touched by customers need to be cleaned. Garments that have been tried on need to be steamed, and everything needs to get looked at to ensure safety. This is part of what your employees need to show customers on the floor – that we are safe, and the merchandise can and should be touched!
We are seeing a large variety of methods of selling right now. It’s a broad topic and way beyond the scope of this post.
The most important thing I can tell you is that we’re all learning how to sell in this new era, and there will be lots of tips and tricks coming.
5. Merchandise
Frankly, the absolute most important thing in this blog post is a discussion of your merchandise.
Having the right merchandise is the key to your survival.
First, look at your Spring merchandise. We think Spring will be extended by a month or so, since people have not seen a lot of the merchandise you received when then lockdowns started. Look carefully at what you have and what’s on order. Talk to your vendors and find out if they still have goods and negotiate for discounts on whatever they have left, but only if your Open to Buy plan (you do have one of those, right?) tells you that you need it.
Fall goods could be tricky. We’re already hearing that many manufacturers are not able to produce their typical Fall production because of the shutdown. Start talking to your vendors about Fall and see who can and cannot ship, and how that will affect your assortment plan.
Most importantly, you need a sales plan that you believe in, coupled with an inventory plan that enables you to turn goods even faster than you ever have. In all of our merchandise planning and open to buy planning, we are putting together models that ensure positive cash flow through proper sales forecasting using algorithms and artificial intelligence. Cash was always king, but now, it’s super-king. Make sure you have a solid plan to get you through the rest of this year!
One last thing, which is really, really from my heart. I believe in independent retail. I believe in you. Every politician says that small business is the backbone of our economy, and that’s true.
That said, small businesses are the people who build communities, who take leadership roles to give everyone a better life.
To that degree, you are more than the backbone of the economy, you are the backbone of society itself.
As such, your survival is hugely important!
And you can do it, if you apply these first tips that I’ve listed here.
So go for it. Make it happen, for you, your family, your community, and for the future for all of us.
We all stand with you, and we’re cheering you on!
Get the retail reopening checklist
Make sure you don’t miss any important details! Get this retail reopening checklist from Retail Pro and Management One today.
The current economic lockdown has exacerbated challenges many retailers have faced during the past several years, as decreasing foot traffic and increasing online competition has chipped away at margins.
Even as local governments consider when retailers’ doors can and should reopen, many customers will remain wary of running non-essential errands.
However, a vast majority of retailers already have employed successful strategies to compete with online merchants, and now they are redoubling their efforts to keep customers happy and satisfied.
For many retailers, that means continuing to invest in the online portion of their businesses to remain viable.
Current circumstances have forced them to offer new services — including some “out of the box” solutions — that may become permanent additions to their business strategies.
Here are 3 ideas that retailers large and small are using to meet, and even exceed, customer expectations during COVID-19.
1: Social media engagement
Topping the list of retailers’ worries is figuring out how maintain and possibly even increase customer relationships with their customer bases digitally.
These are strategies that are not only imperative when in-person engagement is impossible or reduced, but important also when competition from online merchants seems overwhelming.
Social media marketing via Facebook and Instagram are perfect tools for the task, as is direct-to-consumer email marketing.
Customer relationships can be nurtured, and clients can still feel the strength of their loyalty and engagement with brands using social media as well as personalized emails.
These can be targeted to specific sets of customers, and might herald the introduction of a new offering, or provide a unique service.
2: Unique offerings
Customers engage online with retailers that provide unique services online.
Offering an online class or special event can offer a much-needed “social” activity, while encouraging staying in the privacy of one’s own home.
Tying the online presentation to products for sale with handy links boosts sales as well as the retailers’ reputation.
Any retailer can offer a relevant online class, including flower arranging, lawn care, golf instruction, cooking lessons, makeup application, etc.
3: Expanding online and delivery options
Retailers that offer more stock online will reap more sales, and appeal to a broader customer base that may stick around long after social distancing mandates have disappeared.
Expanding the breadth of online offerings, including gift cards, lets customers support businesses 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.
If shipping is a problem, curbside pickup has become one innovation that is likely to become part of everyday shopping. The convenience of calling ahead and picking up without leaving the car is addicting.
In addition, it may actually require some retailers to hire “runners” specifically to satisfy those customers.
Omnichannel or online retailers are well-positioned to deal with restrictive store hours but should always be alert to maintaining the best experience for customers.
The website experience should be straightforward and welcoming, so customers can shop and engage in a frictionless, easy way.
Engage the whole supply chain
The retailer-vendor relationship is also crucial during these uncertain times.
All of the supply chain is in uncharted territory, so continuous partner engagement is critical.
All links in the chain should be encouraged to provide the best customer experience for their customers, in ways that can be mutually beneficially for all partners, such as passing along special offers through finance partners or working with distributors to provide free shipping.
Those relationships will become particularly important as customers return to in-store shopping, as retailers rebuild their customer loyal bases and engage the newer customers who were attracted by the retailers’ digital presence.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands have unfiltered insight into customer behavior.
With no retailer in the middle, they can easily obtain customer feedback and tailor their offerings accordingly.
Born in the online world, D2C brands remove the retail middleman in order to own the entire relationship, from production to distribution to sale.
And, because they have streamlined supply chains, D2C brands can offer highly competitive prices.
So how can traditional brands compete against those digitally born, like Dollar Shave Club, Casper, and Warby Parker?
Customer data puts you in the know relationally
D2C brands own the customer relationship, so they hold a large amount of detailed demographic and behavioral data about their customers.
Customer data is tracked — from browsing history to final purchase — allowing the brand to optimize for better, more targeted recommendations.
And each D2C transaction is an opportunity to interact with an engaged consumer.
Traditional brands with a robust omnichannel and social presence should also have that type of data available for analysis.
Get demographic data from ecommerce & advertising
Ecommerce platforms and digital advertising provide demographic data such as gender, age, preferences, geography and more.
Analyzing customer information provides retailers with a roadmap that details which products are popular, as well as where there may be product gaps.
In other words, data can also show what customers may be looking for but aren’t able to find.
The most successful D2C players have identified markets that consumers felt were overpriced. By working with their suppliers and providing them nuanced customer personas, traditional brands can trim costs, provide more personalized products and increase sales.
Understand psychographics from web & social media data
Psychographic data, comprising information about a person’s values, attitudes, interests and personality traits, can also be extremely important in targeting prospective customers, and website analytics can help gather that type of data.
Reviewing existing site content and previous special offers can paint a picture of what has moved site visitors to click, call, or buy in the past.
That insight will not only inform ecommerce positioning, but in-store marketing as well.
In addition, surveying regular customers can also improve a brand’s understanding of its clientele.
Psychographic data is easily acquired when advertising on social media platforms.
A robust social advertising strategy has tools that can spread awareness quickly to a targeted set of customers that goes well beyond demographics.
For example, if a sporting goods store learned that many of its customers are mothers, aged 35-50, who run, buy youth soccer equipment, and are also in dog rescue groups, its promotional materials might easily be tailored to reflect that persona.
By using personalized data, traditional brands can adjust their websites, products, and messaging to address their D2C competitors effectively, increasing sales and customer loyalty.
Many retailers ask customers for ratings on the service they received during a shopping trip.
Often, these requests to complete a survey are made from the associates themselves, and reinforced through a reminder on the receipt.
But exactly how valid are the results from these surveys?
At least one team of researchers say the answers aren’t as truthful as retailers might hope.
Customers are biased in favor of employee security
This week, NPR’s social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam talked on-air about a conversation he had with John Horton, a business school professor at New York University.
Horton and his colleagues had studied what the consequences were when people were asked to rate their service.
It turns out, there is bias inherent in such survey questions, because people are reluctant to give others a harsh rating: Fearing their answers may jeopardize employee jobs, respondents tend to rate service higher than it deserves.
So, even if a customer feels that an associate could have been friendlier, or more knowledgeable, he or she will give a three or four-star rating, rather than a more objective one or two-star rating.
Customers know that there are companies that will fire employees that have low ratings, and many don’t want to be responsible for someone becoming unemployed simply if he or she was having “a bad day.”
Use feedback for training
That does not mean, however, that customer feedback can never be trusted.
To obtain meaningful results, the survey must itself be constructed without bias.
Horton and his colleagues analyzed data from a large online platform with over a billion dollars in transactions.
They learned that when a rating platform informs users that the feedback is going to be private and that it won’t be used to punish providers, users will provide more critical feedback.
The lesson is that even simple, one-question surveys can provide valuable feedback, as long as they don’t appear to threaten the livelihood of individual who is being evaluated.
