With more data available to retailers now than ever, making sense of it is critical to merchants trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Key trends can be drawn from the information available to them, as long as they have the right tools to notice the subtle patterns hidden in their marketing and sales records. 

Solutions such as Retail Pro Business Intelligence can help convert raw information into long-term strategies and goals for vastly improving return on investment. By using the technology, merchants can draw on a wealth of resources from mobile device to the point of sale to enhance their operations. Interested parties can participate in this week's Retail Pro Business Intelligence webinar, which takes place on Thursday, September 9, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., PDT. Registration information can be found at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/500333434.

Neil McKeown, Product Manager for Retail Pro E-Commerce and Retail Pro Business Intelligence, will discuss how Retail Pro Business Intelligence can give merchants greater insight into their businesses and how to turn it into actionable information. He will detail the various metrics that the solution can track and the ways that brands can improve their sales practices. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, September 9th, 2013 at 8:03 am .

As critical as ecommerce is to the retail industry, it holds a similarly important role among shoppers, who are continually engaging with their favorite brands through digital channels. Just as some people enjoy window shopping or bargain hunting at brick-and-mortar locations, they also spend a considerable amount of time browsing online stores. 

Nielsen reported that mass merchandisers were among the top ten brands accessed by Internet users in July. While companies like Google and Facebook attracted larger audiences for longer periods of time, sites such as Amazon also brought in a considerable amount of interest from consumers. Retail web pages drew in nearly 110 million Americans in the lead up to back-to-school shopping, and on average, users spent nearly an hour browsing online merchants' pages. Brands like Walmart and Target received more than 20 million unique visits in July, and each consumer spent about 10 minutes or more on the respective sites. 

With online retail attracting such a large audience, merchants should provide their customers with a streamlined commercial environment. Retail management software that leads seamlessly from browsing items to the point of sale can ensure that shoppers return to a site month after month, helping to build consumer loyalty through a satisfying user experience. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, September 9th, 2013 at 5:50 am .

The back-to-school shopping season is swiftly drawing to a close, and with it, retailers can now assess their recent performance. Merchants have a brief lull before the holidays kick off, and they can use this opportunity to predict how they might fare in the coming months. 

According to Reuters, August's back-to-school sales exceeded expectations, but only because of considerable discounts. Chains such as Zumiez Inc, Buckle and Costco all beat out their projections, but an increase in retail merchandising promotions from 2012 may negatively affect their margins. Some stores offered discounts as steep as 50 percent. 

Shoppers buying more durable goods also contributed to weaker sales for discretionary items like apparel. Bloomberg reported that after consumers postponed purchases like automobiles and homes during the past few years, they are now more willing to invest in these big ticket items. 

However, the nature of large item purchases means that they will typically be longer-lasting. This could result in an uptick to retail sales in the coming months, as spending habits normalize. Additionally, Bloomberg noted that back-to-school spending may still increase once teenagers know what their friends are wearing. However, the source reported that retailers may have to retain considerable discounts to remain competitive. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, September 6th, 2013 at 12:32 pm .

The point of sale is arguably the most crucial moment in any customer-retailer relationship. Its success can sum up the sometimes lengthy shopping process and every detail along the way. Good customer service, a quality product, attractive displays and effective advertising all lead up to that event. Should a sale not go through, everything building up to it resulted in nothing. The consumer's time selecting a product or service has gone to waste, and the business hasn't made a sale. 

Because the POS is so critical, retailers should focus on it at least as much as any other perk they might offer customers. Increasingly, this may mean adding mobile payment options for shoppers. Citing a Chadwick Martin Bailey study, Bankrate noted that only 16 percent of the survey's respondents used a mobile wallet in the past six months. Despite this, PayPal's newly revamped app is now effectively a digital wallet, rather than just an outlet for e-commerce, as The Verge recently reported. Unlike other attempts to succeed with the technology, the source remarked that PayPal's current use by more than 132 million active participants may give it an advantage lacking in competing payment apps. 

As GigaOM highlighted, the app can already pre-order food from about 1,000 cafes and restaurants, or even pay at the table. This is in addition to the clothing stores and other retailers also working with PayPal. Integrating similar payment options may be the key to bridging physical and online commerce. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, September 6th, 2013 at 6:16 am .

Folsom, CA – September 4, 2013 – Retail Pro continues to gain momentum in a continuing effort to bolster its international footprint. Recently, a combination of several high-profile international deployments, upper management hirings in emerging regions, and the expansion of training offerings to include courses in other languages highlight this retail software developer's desire to establish a strong position in emerging markets to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the growing retail sector and in anticipation of future retail penetration by expanding multi-national retailers, many of which operate on the foundation of Retail Pro® products.

Retail Pro's focus on retailer expansion into smaller, emerging markets is consistent with recent findings from the 2012 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI). The index underscores the burgeoning opportunity for retail penetration into smaller Latin American and Asian markets, such as Chile, Peru, and Malaysia, while larger developing markets like India, China and Brazil continue to mature.

Middle Eastern markets also continue to remain attractive to expanding retailers. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait all rank among the GRDI's top 25 developing countries for retail expansion. Retail Pro recently strengthened its presence within the region by adding Israel to its footprint, bringing the tally of countries served by the retail software developer to 87.

"The Middle East has evolved into a key market for international retail brands", explains Alexandra Frith, Director of Marketing at Retail Pro International. "A progressive retail culture, strong consumer purchasing power and an unprecedented investment in general retail floor space throughout the region have set the stage for the emergence of the Middle East as a premier attraction for retailers across the remainder of this decade."

"We've been paying close attention to the emergence of the East Asian and Middle Eastern markets for the last few years", states Retail Pro International's CEO, Kerry Lemos. "I think the progress we've made in these regions reflects that. The way I see it, from a global perspective, is that as technology continues to create new possibilities, more and more retailers are clamoring for flexible solutions enabling them to separate themselves from competitors by improving experiences and internal workflows, in spite of hardware limitations or organizational challenges. Emerging markets have a lot of momentum in that regard, and you're seeing that in action in Saudi (Arabia), UAE, Jordan and other countries in the region."

###

About Retail Pro
Retail Pro International, LLC is a global leader in Point of Sale, Store Operations, Merchandising, Planning, Business Intelligence, and Payment Processing software applications for the specialty retail industry. For over 20 years, Retail Pro has enabled specialty retailers to achieve their full potential through a unique, scalable, reliable, and highly customizable retail management solution.
Today, Retail Pro is used by more than 52,000 retail stores globally in markets such as fashion, luggage, footwear, collectibles, gifts, home furnishings, sporting goods, and accessories. With unparalleled functionality, flexibility and ease-of-use, Retail Pro has established itself as a trusted solution for today's specialty retailers worldwide. The solution is delivered through a global network of business partners to over 87 countries, translated in 18 languages.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, September 5th, 2013 at 9:14 am .

The widespread ownership of mobile devices, as well as their growing popularity across nearly all generations, has made them an important tool for shoppers. Similarly, they should be a key consideration for most retailers' business strategies for the future. 

What decision-makers should possibly keep most prominently in mind, though, is that smartphones and tablets are deeply personal in a way that many other technologies are not. Unlike the family desktop of yesteryear, few people except the owner ever use a smartphone. Forbes recently suggested that retailers need to customize the shopping experience to the individual to appeal to device-carrying consumers. With retail software more advanced than ever before, businesses that aren't taking advantage of customer data and geolocation may be missing out on sales. The article also noted that, for mobile shoppers, personalization is an expectation. 

A friendly, easy-to-use and mobile-optimized retail website is also integral. According to an IBM study, 63 percent of respondents are unlikely to return to an online merchant if they have trouble using its mobile site. As mobile sales will only grow more frequent as more people purchase smartphones and tablets, a well-performing, mobile-optimized website should not be viewed as a nice customer perk, but instead as a standard business practice. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 at 3:36 pm .

Connecting with colleagues and other retail industry professionals is something merchants aim to do, but often don't have the time for. Fortunately, at this year's Retail Pro Global Conference in Barcelona, Spain, Business Partners and Customers will have the chance to network with attendees and establish valuable working relationships.

The Retail Pro Global Conference is divided into two summits – the Business Partner Summit, which will take place from October 18 – 20, and the Customer Summit, which will follow on October 20 -22. At both events, there will be a variety of networking opportunities for attendees, giving them the chance to connect with others in the industry and share their experiences. The agendas for both the Business Partner and Customer Summits can be found at https://www.retailpro.com/Community/2013Conference/Agenda.php.

Aside from networking, Business Partners and Customers will be able to participate in discussions on the latest trends and topics pertaining to the retail industry, such as mobile POS and omnichannel strategies. New Retail Pro technology will also be demonstrated, giving attendees the chance to see firsthand how these solutions can shape and improve their operations. Registration information can be found at https://www.retailpro.com/Community/2013Conference/Registration.php.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 at 11:38 am .

School is back in session and fall is almost in the air, which means that retailers around the world are preparing for the busiest shopping period of the year – the holidays. Although there are still a few months left until its official start, merchants are already gearing up for what they hope will be an excellent and successful holiday season.

BizReport explained that one trend expected to be seen throughout the retail industry in the coming months is mobile commerce. Citing research from IMRG and Capgemini, the source stated that mobile shopping has become increasingly prevalent within the United Kingdom, and this is sure to be reflected in other markets around the world.

The study revealed that in the second quarter alone, purchases made from mobile devices accounted for 23.2 percent of all retail sales. This represents an 11.6 percent increase from the same time last year. Additionally, visits to merchants' websites through mobile gadgets rose from 21.1 percent in last year's second quarter to 34 percent this year, the source noted.

For brands that want to leverage mobile commerce to boost sales during the upcoming holiday season, taking the time now to update point of sale systems and find out what customers want from mobile shopping options can help them successfully accommodate device-carrying consumers.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 at 10:08 am .

With the emergence of online and mobile commerce, merchants are looking for ways in which to improve their operations, both in their stores and on the Web. Having streamlined transactions and processes across an entire retail brand is one of the key ingredients for customer satisfaction and retention.

One such solution that can help businesses achieve these goals is Retail Pro Prism. This platform gives merchants the tools needed to make their operations more seamless while providing shoppers with an excellent experience. Interested industry professionals who would like to know more about Retail Pro Prism can sign up for this week's webinar, taking place on Thursday, September 5, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. PDT. Registration information can be found at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/923806562.

Presenting the Retail Pro Prism webinar will be Ket Venethongkham, Director of Retail Pro University, and James McGibbon, Retail Pro Training Specialist. They will cover the many benefits, features and capabilities of the platform, providing attendees with more insight into the solution. Additionally, they will detail how it can improve retailers' current operations by making point of sale procedures more efficient, workflows more flexible and inventory processes more manageable, among other advantages.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 11:35 am .

There are many factors that help retailers understand how the industry is performing and what they can expect in the near future. Perhaps two of the most important elements that merchants analyze is consumer confidence and spending, as these paint a picture of how shoppers are feeling and whether or not their optimism is translating into increased retail sales.

According to The Associated Press, consumer spending rose throughout July, as data from the U.S. Commerce Department found this figure jumped by 0.1 percent. While it's not a strong gain, it is a step in the right direction, and it follows June's spending increase of 0.6 percent. The source explained that nondurable goods, such as clothing, were the main items purchased during July, with a 0.8 percent boost.

As for consumer confidence, this took a small drop recently, as reported by Daily Finance. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index fell from 85.1 in July to 82.1 in August. Despite this decline, the news source noted that overall, consumers appear to be confident in the nation's economy as well as their own financial conditions. These factors could contribute to a successful next few months for retailers, which is welcome news as the holiday shopping season quickly approaches. 

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013 at 5:23 am .