Retail encompasses a variety of specialties, from apparel and accessories to furniture and food. Although most industry professionals know the value of both ecommerce and brick-and-mortar sales, many recognize that some of their customers prefer one channel over another. While every tablet is essentially the same, the way clothing looks on shoppers is less certain, so they may be tempted to buy their electronics online and their garments in person. But even those individuals represent only a portion of potential revenue sources. 

Reign of the omnichannel merchant
Merchants can maximize their sales and reach the most consumers possible by operating across multiple channels. According to Deloitte's recent findings, omnichannel retail can generate 76 percent more revenue than brick-and-mortar sales alone. Shoppers who buy items in person, on the Internet and with their mobile phones are expected to spend $1,643 on average during the coming months. 

But while omnichannel sales have the potential to garner the most sales this holiday season, ecommerce will be the preferred point of sale for most customers. For the first time since Deloitte conducted its survey, Internet-based retail will draw more shoppers than department stores. Because of this, merchants should ensure that every item they have available for sale is displayed online. Deloitte's study discovered that 77 percent of consumers will go elsewhere if a desired item is not listed. By contrast, only 45 percent of respondents said they would go to another chain if they could not find what they wanted. When finding products is as easy as tapping a few keys, retailers must strive to make as much of their inventory available online as possible. 

Holiday sales dates may be less important this year
Just as omnichannel retail and ecommerce have risen in importance, once-critical sale dates appear to matter less to shoppers. Forty-five percent of respondents to Deloitte's survey said that Black Friday is not as important as it once was, and only about 25 percent of consumers intend to purchase items on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. This could take some of the burden off staff members during traditional rush days, but merchants may want to factor in a more spread-out revenue stream into their holiday business strategies. 

For optimum results this holiday season, merchants should utilize POS software that seamlessly integrates all aspects of their enterprise and can meet customers' shopping needs regardless of their preferred channel. Convenience will be one of the key motivations for customers, so retailers will want to ensure an easy experience across all channels. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, October 29th, 2013 at 11:30 am .

In the past few years, retailers have had to adjust their business strategies to account for the latest technology that shapes the way customers shop. Mobile point of sale systems, omnichannel advertising and branded apps are just some of the industry's responses to the latest mercantile landscape. 

All the while, consumer shopping habits are continuing to evolve. While smartphone and tablet ownership is widespread, many individuals still do not own these devices and are only now growing accustomed to how they assist in product research. Google and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) recently revealed that the total retail search volume increased by 12 percent in the third quarter of 2013 in comparison to the same time last year.

Smartphone-based searches grew by 58 percent, while those on tablets rose 100 percent. As mobile devices become more popular, this also means that fewer people will rely on their desktops, and Google and the BRC's data backs this up with a 10 percent decrease in searches from personal computers between the third quarter of 2012 and 2013. Figures also showed that international interest in U.K. retailers rose, with search volume increasing by 23 percent, compared to only 16 percent during the second quarter. Overseas consumers were particularly interested in clothing and beauty brands. Much of this also originated with mobile devices. As portable devices proliferate, consumers will be able to enhance their research efforts and businesses should be ready for an uptick in curious customers, both international and domestic. 

"Retailers are continuing to invest significantly in their multichannel offer, so that they can provide customers fast and user-friendly ways to browse and buy whether in-store, at home or on the move," said Helen Dickinson, director general at BRC.

More information for a wider audience
While ecommerce is often a convenient way for customers to shop online, a Web presence can also improve sales by reaching new audiences or providing consumers with more information. Some shoppers will always prefer to buy in person because it gives them the opportunity to try on apparel, test the quality of an item or otherwise get a feel for what they are buying. However, being able to look at products online can drive their initial interest.

As for international buyers, merchants must offer a versatile system that details products to customer satisfaction, and that has a streamlined POS solution to create a simple purchasing experience. By using the right retail management software, businesses can handle an ever-diversified customer-base, regardless of whether they are interested in research alone or a more involved delivery process. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, October 29th, 2013 at 11:29 am .

Loyalty programs are an important part of many retailers' business strategies. They help encourage additional purchases, draw shoppers back into brick-and-mortar locations, gather customer data and often enable the personalization that many consumers crave. While Mintel reported that enrollment in these initiatives is up for all retail categories, it also found that many customers (32 percent) are concerned about how tracking their purchases might affect their privacy. 

The inherent contradiction between consumers' desire for privacy and personalization may come as a surprise to some retail industry professionals, but 13 percent of loyalty members are frustrated with the amount of information requested of them, and 10 percent want more control over their privacy in their programs.

Additionally, some consumers (16 percent) do not think their loyalty programs represent their shopping habits, and 20 percent of the millennials polled are even more likely to believe this. A few of these customers may believe that they are offering their personal information without receiving anything in return, which may need to be addressed by merchants. 

"Reassurance of privacy is undoubtedly a key strategic tool in loyalty program engagement, but there is a paradox at play here between personalization and privacy," said Ika Erwina, retail and technology analyst at Mintel. 

Responding to shoppers' concerns
While there are a number of potential solutions to the privacy issue, a greater degree of transparency may reduce some consumer concerns. However, many of the features that consumers most appreciate in loyalty programs do not rely on personal data. According to Mintel's study, the most important attributes to loyalty members are the convenience of receiving rewards and earning points, as well as monetary rewards. Those benefits that are more reliant on personalization, like exclusive deals and coupons, still matter to shoppers, but not as significantly. 

Disentangling privacy and personalization may be difficult, but enhancing convenience should not be. Nearly 30 percent of respondents to Mintel's survey reported that they lack the time to redeem their loyalty points. Providing multiple options to do so, such as at the point of sale, through ecommerce channels and other methods can overcome this matter. Emphasizing these features over more data-driven benefits could assuage some consumer concerns. For younger shoppers, focusing on social and environmental problems may also be helpful, Mintel suggested. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, October 29th, 2013 at 8:42 am .

The holiday season is the busiest and most important shopping period of the year. Retailers are preparing to meet the surge of customers by hiring on new staff, purchasing a healthy stock of additional goods and improving both their e-commerce offerings and store operations to cater to all of their patrons. However, merchants should ready themselves for a slight decrease in their customers' budgets. 

Recent findings from the National Retail Federation (NRF) anticipate that consumers will be spending less this holiday season. Consumers will be spending $737.95 on average, a 2 percent decrease from last year. NRF predicts that self-gifting will experience a similar reduction. But while shopping budgets might be lower, total retail sales are still expected to increase by 3.9 percent from 2012 to each $602.1 billion. 

While brick-and-mortar sales will still be key to retail success this season, brands that emphasize their e-commerce merchandising may still benefit from an uptick in profits due to a potential 15 percent rise in online purchases. Because many customers will be shopping on smartphones and tablets, it is important that retailers use a versatile point of sale system that works easily across all platforms. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, October 28th, 2013 at 10:52 am .

In the 13 years that IMRG and Capgemini have tracked online sales in their e-Retail Sales Index, the research has never discovered as much sales growth between August and September as it did this year. The index found that online purchases rose by 13 percent in that period, and by 20 percent between 2012 and 2013. 

This record was set strongly in part by mobile devices. Smartphone and tablet adoption has continued steadily, and m-commerce has expanded with the trend. Notably, consumers appear to be increasingly comfortable buying products on their smartphones, as as these gadgets accounted for 23 percent of all mobile sales in September, up from 15 percent in August. 

"The fact that e-retail has seen its sharpest period of growth for September suggests that consumers are shopping with confidence," said Chris Webster, Vice President and Head of Retail Consulting and Technology at Capgemini. 

As mobile devices achieve a larger share of online sales, retail industry professionals will want to adapt to changing consumer habits and ensure that their point of sale software is set up for smartphone- and tablet-based purchases. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, October 28th, 2013 at 10:13 am .

Even as the ecommerce market expands, some retailers are considering how to draw customers back to their brick-and-mortar locations and what they can do to compete against online merchants. Trying to match online prices is one option some industry professionals take, but the minimal overhead of Internet-based sales leaves this an uncertain strategy. Furthermore, it might not be the right one.

According to Internet Retailer, many shoppers seek something more than low costs when purchasing items online. Categories like books and clothing are often bought based on their price, but consumers prefer 24/7 convenience in the routine commodities category, while variety was the most important factor when buying groceries.

"We're a big fan of value, and not a big fan of using price, price, price to go after consumers," Susan Lee, a partner at consulting firm Simon-Kucher & Partners, told the source. 

Lee suggested that when shoppers enter brick-and-mortar locations, retailers should consider why the customers are there. Internet Retailer noted that someone who is painting his or her home might also buy brushes and other related items when employees take the opportunity to speak with the individual. This level of attention can be hard to replicate online, and just as price is not always the motive for ecommerce, retail industry professionals should not assume the same about in-store purchases. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, October 28th, 2013 at 9:04 am .

International sales are an important part of the retail industry. While managing purchases across multiple borders, languages and other differences requires powerful point of sale software to handle the diversity of customers, a wider range of shoppers promises a greater degree of success for growing businesses. 

That said, merchants that are only just now contemplating moving from a domestic to international business model may not be aware of all the pitfalls awaiting them once their products cross into another country. Some are self-evident – unless retailers plan on building a brick-and-mortar store or working with local suppliers in another nation, shipping costs are going to rise. Even then, the specific expense may not be known without a little education on the subject. 

Integrated Solutions for Retailers delved into some of the common problems in more depth, explaining that linguistic and cultural differences are two of the main considerations merchants should keep in mind before moving into international business. Currency, delivery times and custom taxes are also issues that should be planned for ahead of time. 

Another problem that merchants can run into is unwittingly selling restricted products in another country, so local laws should also be accounted for in the business plan. But with the news provider reporting that 95 percent of consumers exist beyond the United States, moving to an international business model could be key to growth. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, October 28th, 2013 at 8:51 am .

Innovations in the past few years have changed the face of ecommerce, as mobile device ownership rises and more people buy items from their phones. Beyond just evolving, the market has also been expanding, with Retail Customer Experience recently reporting that total ecommerce sales are up by 19 percent worldwide from 2012, having reached $1.2 trillion before 2013 even ended. 

Despite the burgeoning sector, there remains considerable room for growth. The source noted that brick-and-mortar sales still represent about 90 percent of the market, and some regions of the world are only just developing the infrastructure to process Internet-based sales. As consumer comfort with ecommerce increases, the number of sales through it will rise accordingly. 

Trends indicate that ecommerce will also evolve as it expands. Retail Customer Experience highlighted that social networks and new technology like smartwatches and biometric payment security will change how customers shop. Because of this, merchants will need to deploy versatile point of sale systems that can handle the range of hardware and software that their customers will use. 

Additional drivers to ecommerce
Other innovations that do not seem directly relevant to retail may also have a considerable effect on it. Driverless, electronic vehicles could change delivery and potentially create a more efficient, cost-effective way for customers to receive their goods. Last year, Amazon acquired Kiva Solutions to automate part of its packaging process, according to The Wall Street Journal. With the assistance of an employee, Amazon's robots can perform up to four times as much packaging per hour as a human might. 

Features like in-store delivery will also drive more customers to shop online, while augmented reality may encourage consumers to purchase items they typically want to see in person, such as apparel. The ability for consumers to see how they look in an outfit or how a piece of furniture will fit in their home adds to the chance that they will purchase from an online retailer. 

Rather than ecommerce stabilizing, Retail Customer Experience suggested that it will only continue to rise. Millennials are already well acquainted with ecommerce and it is more of an expectation than an innovation to them. A more tech-savvy consumer base will increasingly use their devices for everyday tasks like shopping. The more ways there are for them to purchase items online, the more likely they will be to do so. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, October 28th, 2013 at 8:21 am .

No matter where customers are, whether at home or otherwise, they are almost always online. When completing Internet-based purchases is as easy as picking up the phone, merchants will want to be sure they are providing robust e-commerce solutions to meet the needs of the anytime, anywhere shopper. 

Retail Pro E-Commerce provides industry professionals with software that links the Web store with in-store inventory management tools. Merchants interested in learning more about how the solution can improve their Web presence can sign up for the Retail Pro E-Commerce webinar being held on Thursday, October 24, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. PDT. Registration information can be found at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/525566842.

Using this system, retailers can customize their online store for different audiences and brands. This simple-to-use solution builds upon brick-and-mortar point of sale software, and integrates many of the processes between it and the Internet-based counterpart to create seamless, efficient operations both in-store and online. Pre-designed templates allow swift implementation of the technology, while its tools enable staff members to utilize the new system without need for additional training. Participants can explore these features in greater depth during the upcoming webinar. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, October 24th, 2013 at 4:37 pm .

While customers may sometimes spend more than an hour shopping as they browse or try out products, all that time in the store may not matter if they encounter a problem at the point of sale. At least that is what a recent study from Tensator indicated, with the company finding that nearly one in three shoppers walked out of a location without completing their purchase because of problems during self-checkout. 

Furthermore, 84 percent of polled customers stated they needed assistance when using the self-checkout line, which may account for why the majority of respondents preferred using staff-operated registers. Half of respondents were also unsure about where the line started when using the service. While merchants know they must be aware of poor customer experiences, this is more difficult to notice without enough oversight of self-scan areas. 

"This research makes very interesting reading against the backdrop of growing online retail sales, where queuing and the checkout experience is so different," said Cathy Barnes, professor of retail innovation at Leeds Metropolitan University. "Shops need to pay increasing attention to the experience they provide in store to ensure they do not drive consumers away to competitors or other channels." 

Potential solutions
To avoid customer dissatisfaction, merchants deploying self-checkout POS systems should ensure that their software runs smoothly and that it is focused on providing a simple customer experience. While the platform should be easy to understand, additional help to assist shoppers can also reduce the chance that customers won't finish their transactions. More clearly marked lanes may also minimize the amount of confusion about where a line starts and ends. 

Retailers might also consider eliminating self-checkout lines. Jewel-Osco chose to remove them earlier this year, according to the Daily Herald. Rather than attributing the change to problems at checkout, Jewel spokeswoman Allison Sperling stated that the company wanted to focus on providing more personalized service. Loss prevention was cited as a secondary reason for the decision. However, this runs the risk of alienating customers who prefer the option. One critic of the self-scanning option, Jeff Weidauer, vice president of marketing and strategy for Vestcom, remarked that it is like shopping online – but for some consumers, that may be exactly what they want, so long as brick-and-mortar locations can replicate its convenience. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, October 24th, 2013 at 4:37 pm .