It is no secret that efficiency lies at the heart of any successful retail operation. Fast, cost-effective and accurate processes create a foundation for retailers that enables them to thrive. Efficiency creates more time for associates, who can better allocate their working hours to more value driven tasks. It can free finances to be re-invested back into the business, and it can deliver reliable data, which can be analysed and actioned more effectively for enhanced organizational performance.

Efficiency is everything. In the fast-paced retail environment, technology – and more specifically, automation – has quickly become a key driver in efficient processes that enhance operations.

What is Retail Automation?

As a concept, automation is simple. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term as ‘the use of machines and computers that can operate without human control’. Within the context of retail, this could be as straightforward as utilizing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to log and track customer interactions, and manage different marketing communications to customers who fit specific profiles. Retail automation has a wide range of use cases – from inventory and order management to post-transaction email receipts, and everything in between. These deployments are already in use across a number of retailers, and it has changed the sector as we once knew it, but the differentiator in today’s industry is in how retailers use automation.

The Challenge of Automation

As already mentioned, automation can be deployed across a range of touchpoints within the retail operation. This, in many instances, can drive significant results. If a retailer can automate 80% of its processes, all of which are otherwise slow, mundane admin-based tasks, why wouldn’t it? The retailer can save the necessary labor time for the remaining 20%, which is more value driven, based around delivering exceptional customer experiences.

In theory, this works brilliantly. 80% of tasks become highly efficient, accurate, and importantly, reliable. But in practice, this isn’t necessarily such a walk in the park. At some point, automated processes must communicate with other automated processes. The technologies deployed might not integrate with each other, in which case retailers have to insert a human-led process between the two automated tasks to facilitate the transition of data. This, ultimately, requires human intervention and defeats the point of automating tasks in the first place. The likelihood is that this will also be the case for other automated tasks throughout the retailer’s operation.

Before they know it, the retailer has actually only automated 60% of their operation because they have had to create new tasks in facilitating data transmission. Yes, they are likely still benefitting from their technology deployment, but the business will not be operating as efficiently as it could.

Creating Unified Commerce

Overcoming the challenge of multiple technology deployments within a retail stack can become extremely complex, quickly. But it doesn’t need to be.

 By finding the right partner, retailers can deploy an all-encompassing approach to retail technology. Teamwork Commerce provides a full-service product suite that delivers seamless automation to retailers, without sacrifice. Incorporating Inventory Management, Order Management, Secure CRM and Mobile Point of Sale (POS) and Clienteling, Teamwork Commerce’s solutions all communicate seamlessly, in real-time to ensure retailers operate at maximum efficiency with minimal human intervention. Better yet, all data is captured and presented to provide high-quality reporting and analytics, enabling retailers full, immediate access to information that enables them to make better business decisions, faster.

 With the right technology deployed, retailers can create efficient and effective automation. Furthermore, it delivers significantly enhanced business performance while freeing the time of associates to create exceptional customer experiences.

To find out how Teamwork Commerce can help automate your retail operations, book a meeting today.

https://www.sdcexec.com/software-technology/emerging-technologies/article/22918915/teamwork-commerce-how-can-retailers-lean-on-tech-to-operate-effectively

By Amber Hovious, VP Marketing and Partnerships at Teamwork Commerce

Labor shortage is a pressing concern for the retail industry. According to Statista, 3,053 employees working in retail went on strike in the US last year. Not only can low staff numbers impact retailers, they can also result in long queues and slow operations, ultimately hindering customers’ shopping experience.

To mitigate the impact of labor shortages, retailers must aim to improve efficiency at the point-of-sale (POS) and be able to seamlessly serve customers with reduced staff numbers. With technologies such as RFID-powered self-checkout and mobile POS, brands can reduce checkout queues, prioritize customer needs and free the time of in-store associates, enabling them to serve more customers in less time.

Enhancing Self-Checkout With RFID

According to CapitalOne, 79.3% of consumers use self-checkouts regularly and an estimated 10,000 global retailers will have installed self-checkout systems as of 2024. However, despite the popularity of self-checkouts, numerous problems are coming to the surface. Customers are constantly faced with product scanning errors, bagging area weight issues and product registering challenges. A process that is intended to be quick and easy can cause unnecessary wait times for in-store visitors, leaving shoppers feeling frustrated at the final touchpoint of their shopping journey.

One technology that is combatting this issue lies in RFID-powered self-checkout. Aside from significantly improving the speed of checkout, RFID-powered self-checkout can reduce queuing times and minimize customer frustration by making the process seamless. Once items are placed into a designated area at checkout, RFID readers automatically scan all items in a customer’s basket, immediately and accurately. This allows shoppers to complete checkouts in 30 seconds or less, providing a seamless shopping experience. Importantly, the technology requires minimal assistance from staff.

Without being tied to checkout terminals, in-store staff can better spend their time on providing value to customers, personally assisting them with queries and building healthy relationships. In turn, this can significantly boost consumer loyalty.

How Mobile POS Helps Optimize Flexibility

To cater to customers who desire human-led checkout experiences, retailers can empower their staff with advanced mobile POS solutions, enabling them to serve customers from any part of the store. With this level of flexibility, staff are no longer restricted to stationary kiosks, giving them the freedom to meet customers on the shop floor, answer any queries and complete checkouts on the spot.

The ability to complete transactions on the move significantly reduces wait times for customers. However, alongside optimizing operations, mobile POS can also enable staff to offer a range of payment options and provide a more bespoke and personal service that demonstrates flexibility and leaves customers feeling valued. With a plethora of information at their fingertips such as inventory data, customer purchase history and their buying preferences, in-store staff can provide high-quality experiences quickly and with ease. From a customer perspective, they can experience a seamless shopping experience that is tailored to their unique needs.

The Key to Operational Efficiency 

POS technology plays an important role in helping retailers on the shop floor during labor shortages. However, from an operational perspective, retailers must also deploy innovative technologies to streamline wider operations such as inventory management and order fulfillment. RFID technology can significantly enhance inventory management, enabling retailers to automate stock counts. This can free hours of valuable time of human associates that is spent in conducting manual stocktakes.

RFID-powered stock counters can streamline inventory management by updating stock-level records in real time. With the right solutions deployed, in-store associates can complete these tasks in seconds, simply waving a handheld RFID reader over inbound stock, and near-instantly scanning all products, each equipped with RFID tags at item-level.

Armed with this information, retailers can make better decisions, faster. They can control the entire inventory process, relocating stock where necessary and ensuring all locations can keep shelves replenished efficiently. For customers, this also relieves the pressure of going into stores and being left disappointed when faced with out-of-stock items.

This enhanced visibility and improved decision-making capability can play a significant role in building trust between brands and customers and helps to create customer loyalty. RFID deployment also creates the foundation for omnichannel capabilities, facilitating Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS), Buy Online, Ship from Store (BOSFS) and Buy Online, Return In-Store (BORIS) fulfillment options. Not only does this allow customers to shop in ways that best suit them, but each of these options creates an efficient transaction that, once again, streamlines the time of in-store associates while delivering improved customer experiences.

Labor shortage is a pressing challenge for retailers and technology can play a critical role in helping them minimize its impact. By leveraging innovative technologies such as mobile POS and RFID, brands can significantly improve their operational efficiency and empower their staff to serve more customers in less time seamlessly. Ultimately, this allows them to operate during busy shopping periods despite reduced staff numbers.

Retailers have been busy over the summer! While the Paris Olympics and EURO 2024 took consumer audiences by storm, UK retailers have spent the last couple of months evolving in preparation for a climactic year-end. Integrating a range of innovative technologies, a number of brands are showing their determination to boost the performance of new sales channels, put customers at the centre of their strategies and strengthen their brick-and-mortar presence.

In our latest Retail in Review blog, we explore a few of the most notable stories that have come out of the UK retail environment during July and August…

Striving for Exciting Experiences

Customers remain at the heart of retail operations. Over the past few months, several retailers have reiterated this narrative by adopting  more customer centric strategies, designed to exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint.

British retailer, Pets at Home, unveiled the first of its four planned concept stores – fitted with digital and interactive innovations to educate and guide customers through their pet care journeys. This investment reflects the brand’s commitment to customer experience and is expected to continue to influence its in-store strategy moving forward.

Plush toy brand, Jellycat, delivered a creative store experience with an interactive pop-up at Selfridges London towards the end of July. The stuffed toy company celebrated the launch of its ‘Fish & Chips’ collection in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The new and exclusive experience allowed customers to  book slots to visit the pop-up and play a part in ordering their delightful soft toys, inspired by the famous british dish.

As retail strategies continue to revolve around the customer experience, pop-up stores and concept flagship stores are becoming a significant part of how retailers are transforming their relationships with consumers.

Focus on Blending Operations

Home and leisure retailer, The Range, caught headlines when going live with new iOS and Android mobile apps recently. The new deployment will make online ordering even easier, giving customers the ability to access thousands of products through an entirely new sales channel.

Whilst The Range upgraded its sales strategy to enhance the digital experience of customers, electrical retailer, Currys, set its sights on developing a blended in-store and online omnichannel model to match customer demands. 50 of its biggest stores will undergo a makeover which includes the launch of new categories, seasonal showcases and envisioning in-store merchandising. This  follows shortly after the announcement of the reimagining of 65 store layouts to make the retailer’s mid-size superstores more navigable. In total, Currys plans to transform 115 of its 305 UK stores throughout 2024/25, all focused on enhancing customer experiences.

Online marketplace, eBay, official sponsor of ITV’s hit show, Love Island, capitalised on the success of this summer’s series which saw 2.2 million people tune in to the first episode – the highest it had been since the 2022 series. Making the most of the hype, eBay reimagined its typical online sale strategy with the hosting of the first ever Love Island eBay Live.

The pre-loved fashion retailer showcased several items collected from iconic moments viewers would have witnessed over the years with a live shopping event that allowed fans to get their hands on statement pieces from their favourite islanders. The never done before live shopping event was an innovative way to encourage fans and customers to interact while browsing pre-loved fashion.

Developing Relationships

As we progressed through the British summer, the unpredictability of the weather (as always) continued to keep us on our toes. However, one constant and reliable trend within retail proved to be the continued effort to strengthen partnerships and relationships for the benefits of the end user.

One of the most noteworthy came from fashion giant, ASOS, extending its relationship with Microsoft by signing a 3-year agreement to push the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) features, which can be integrated into ASOS’ online model. This continuation of the relationship aims to not only allow ASOS to ensure it is operating in the most effective and efficient manner, but will also see further developments with the rollout of AI tools to change and enhance the customer experience.

Whether for operational purposes, or for improved customer experiences, the integration of AI within retail has quickly gone from an exciting promise to a very real deployment. These stories are certainly worth keeping a close eye on as the technology continues to mature and evolve.

Navigating Seasons Changing

Sights are firmly set on strategy as we navigate towards the end of the year. July and August have highlighted how the positioning of customer experience is continuing to drive innovation and strategy, with an importance placed on blending operations and thinking outside the box. 

As we move forward, the focus will likely remain on perfecting the customer experience, especially with the festive shopping season slowly approaching…

Want to know how technology can help you meet evolving consumer needs? Get in touch.

In today’s digital landscape, data breaches and privacy concerns often dominate headlines. Retail brands and consumers alike are left feeling vulnerable. From a customer perspective, consumers are more conscious than ever before about how their data is being used. In turn, retailers must work hard to not only ensure the security of consumer data, but to prove to their customers that they can be trusted with sensitive information. Retailers need to take appropriate steps to protect their critical data as well as sensitive information of their customers.

Consumer data is a valuable asset for retailers, enabling them to personalize shopping experiences, optimize marketing strategies, and improve overall customer satisfaction. However, with handling large amounts of personal data comes great responsibility. Any mishandling or breach of this data can lead to severe consequences, including financial losses, legal repercussions, and damage to the brand’s reputation. Retailers must deploy technology that can effectively safeguard customer data, integrating data privacy solutions into their core operations and technological infrastructure. This commitment not only improves retailers’ reputation, but can also foster consumer trust, which is essential for long-term success.

Adopting Secure CRM

Often stored in customer relationship management (CRM) tools, consumer data holds significant importance for retailers and customers alike. In order to ensure data privacy, retailers must store consumers’ sensitive information in secure CRM tools. By deploying a secure customer relationship management (CRM) tool, retailers can build a single source of information around each individual customer. This allows them to gain significant insight into customer behaviors and purchasing habits across all channels while ensuring their personal information is kept safe at all times. As a result, retailers can personalize their strategy, trailer interactions and drive consumer loyalty.

Teamwork Commerce Secure CRM uses the highest level of security to protect customer data, and is compliant with the constant evolution of European and USA data regulations. The software adheres to these regulations through tokenization, where sensitive data is replaced with unique identification tokens to help mitigate the risk of data theft during a transaction.

Teamwork Commerce has achieved SOC 2 Type 2, a highly regarded and trusted accreditation which serves as a benchmark for a company’s ability to safeguard clients’ data. Customers can benefit from comprehensive security measures that are proven by the attainment of the accreditation, highlighting that the company adheres to the best practices concerning data security, availability and confidentiality.

Implementing Secure Payment Systems

In addition to deploying secure CRM tools, retailers must also ensure their payment systems and gateways are secure. This allows them to securely complete payment transactions, ultimately boosting consumer confidence and earning their trust. Brands must adhere to industry regulatory requirements and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards to ensure high security for their payment systems.  Retailers should also consider integrating biometric authentication and multi-factor authentication to add additional layers of security for online transactions to protect customers’ sensitive data.

In an omnichannel world where customers use a number of online payment methods, retailers must ensure they have the right solutions in place to complete transactions in a safe and secure way. Teamwork Commerce’s Pay by Link solution, in partnership with Adyen, enables retail customers to pay for items through a secure URL link.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning can significantly enhance data privacy measures by identifying and mitigating potential threats in real time. AI-powered security systems can detect unusual patterns and behaviors that may indicate a data breach, enabling swift action to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data to identify vulnerabilities and predict future threats, allowing retailers to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.

Ensure Customers Security

In a time where consumer data privacy is paramount, retailers must empower themselves with the right technology to protect their customers’ information. By deploying robust technology that empowers retailers to safeguard consumer privacy, retailers can both comply with regulation and reinforce consumer trust.

Want to know more about how technology can elevate operations? Find out more here.

William Heckadon

Global Sales Director

Next up on our blog series – Five Minutes With… – we get to know William Heckadon, Global Sales Director at Teamwork Commerce. William is a music and movie connoisseur who has even gone as far as featuring in a few films himself. Here we find out all about his experience working at Teamwork Commerce.

 What is your role at Teamwork Commerce?

I am the Global Sales Director for Teamwork Commerce. My responsibilities involve driving the company’s sales strategy on a global scale, while managing and coordinating teams internationally.

Explain your career path. What inspired you to join the retail tech industry?

Retail is such a vibrant and fascinating industry which, like tech itself, covers multiple areas with businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to global enterprises. It’s an exciting time to be in retail tech, particularly in terms of artificial intelligence, tailored consumer shopping experiences and growth in several strategic areas. I’ve been in the tech industry for many years, and it felt like a natural progression.

What is your favourite thing about working in the retail industry?

It is constantly evolving both from a business and consumer perspective. Retail covers extremes making it a dynamic and compelling industry with its multifaceted technologies and evolving consumer demand. It’s a rewarding and exciting industry to be a part of.

What is the best career advice you have ever received?

Never assume you have all the answers and always continue to learn. Also, ‘work hard and be nice to people’.

What is your favourite thing about working at Teamwork Commerce?

Aside from Teamwork Commerce being a leader in its field, it would have to be the culture. It’s great to work for a company with such a supportive, diverse, and driven team.

 Who are your key role models/inspirations?

My parents are my biggest role models. My father taught me by example how to lead with kindness and respect and still be very successful. My mother continues to teach me to always persevere with good humour and to never stop learning.

 Rapid Fire Round…

What is your favourite?

Book: As an avid reader I find this is constantly changing. However, books I often return to over the years would be To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Movie: As with books, there are so many favourites, but if I had to choose, the Bond movies would always be up there and more recently I’ve enjoyed films such as Parasite and Dune.

Album: I’m going to cheat this answer as it’s impossible! My musical tastes span many genres and decades so I’m going to say my favourite album is a varied and interesting Spotify playlist!

Most people don’t know that…

Along with speaking a number of languages, I have also been in a few films, most notably as a reporter in Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe!

In my spare time…

I enjoy nothing more than getting together over a good meal with friends and family, as well as going to the gym, seeing new places, reading, writing, and compiling new Spotify playlists!

With retailers recognizing the value and potential of artificial intelligence (AI), the future of the technology in the industry seems promising. As per Statista, retailers using AI and machine learning technologies typically perform better than their competitors.

According to Gartner, 91% of retail IT leaders are prioritizing AI as the top technology to implement by 2026. As more retailers embrace AI, a number of areas within retail are likely to become more sophisticated. We anticipate that the tech will significantly revolutionize customer experiences, analytical capabilities, and marketing strategies for retailers. In this blog, we take a look at these key areas retailers can expect AI to transform…

AI-Powered Personalized Experiences

Being able to provide meaningful tailored customer experiences is a priority for retailers, and AI can be of great help. A Statista survey showed that retailers plan to use generative AI (GenAI) to generate personalized responses for customer-service agents, create digital shopping assistants, and for personalized promotions to drive loyalty. Experienced retail technology providers gauged this interest and have already started to explore ways to leverage GenAI. Last year, Teamwork Commerce partnered with Google Cloud to develop new generative AI features in its industry-leading mobile Point-of-Sale (Mobile POS) and Order Management System (OMS).

Ultimately, the key lies in delivering value to customers. PwC found out that 70% of CEOs believe GenAI will significantly change the way their companies create, deliver and capture value in the next three years.

While retailers embrace AI, they must be mindful of striking a balance between AI-powered personalization and human-led interactions. Customers still crave the human touch as part of their shopping experiences, and retailers must not solely replace it with tech. Instead, retailers should use AI tools to empower their staff to automate repetitive tasks, stay more informed, and focus on providing high-quality shopping experiences to customers.

Improved Analysis & Forecasting

In 2023, a Statista survey found that predicting customer behavior and needs and improving their shopping experiences were the most popular reasons for 60% of professionals to use AI. AI-powered solutions can quickly analyze large amounts of data and produce actionable insights for retailers. However, retailers must be able to feed accurate and up-to-date data in real-time to enable AI to produce reliable results. In order to achieve this, retailers can leverage the latest Inventory Management Systems that provide real-time visibility with accurate data.

Retailers can utilize data from the past few years and identify key trends and common types of items that are best-selling during a specific time period. This allows retailers to prepare ahead of time and fill their inventory with the items that are expected to be in demand. Additionally, retailers can go above and beyond for loyal customers, analyzing individual customer profiles and creating personalized discounts using AI. As a result, not only can they retain their loyal customers but also increase the positive word of mouth for their brand, ultimately attracting more customers.

Targeted Marketing & Advertising

From AB testing to content creation, AI tools help marketers automate tasks, and create effective marketing campaigns efficiently. However, with growing advancements, AI can do a lot more. By leveraging data analytics, AI can significantly segment customers based on information such as purchase history and browsing behavior. AI algorithms can further analyze these segments to predict future behaviors based on their past interactions. As a result, retailers can gain better insights and target their marketing campaigns towards specific groups that are more likely to convert. AI tools can also analyze which campaigns are more effective, enabling marketers to allocate their budgets more efficiently focusing on high-performing campaigns.

Retail marketing professionals can also use AI to analyze social media conversations to understand public sentiment about their brand or product. This allows marketers to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly based on social media sentiment. This is significant because retailers can tailor their marketing campaigns based on ongoing sentiment in the market and make them more effective.

Are you looking for the latest technology to help you meet your evolving business needs? Get in touch.