Tim Denman, Senior Editor at RIS News, interviews Walter Deacon, principal, Boston Retail Partners, at the 2015 RetailTechCon event in Orlado, FL. Walter Deacon shares is insights on retail trends, including how online and in-store retailing is converging to provide consumers a seamless customer experience.
Retail CRM has certainly evolved into more of a business philosophy than a software solution. A successful CRM philosophy starts by answering two simple questions about your retail value proposition:
1. What is the added value you are creating for your customers?
2. What is the added value that your customers create for you?
Fiscal budget responsibility for networking in retail has become fragmented. Under present day circumstances, ownership of the networking budget is commonly divided amongst many divisions within a retail organization. These divisions are rarely viewed holistically by the organization. For example, in many cases managing data, “plain old telephone service,” Private Branch exchange (PBX), fax machines, Wi-Fi, and burglar, smoke and fire alarms are delegated to various corporate departments, and are maintained on a decentralized basis.
When formulating a plan in support of a corporate network design, a network roadmap is one of the most essential tools that a retailer can utilize. Advances in networking have made it an exciting time to be in retail, as the range of opportunities to satisfy the customer with superior customer service has grown substantially in the last decade. At the same time, with access to such a plethora of technological options, navigating through all the available possibilities can be overwhelming.
Use of a strategic roadmap in the planning stages can help a retailer focus in and ensure that all critical networking elements are included and work concurrently together and with other organizational objectives. The following list simplifies the process by stating 12 of the most elementary yet critical application considerations to make when preparing a network roadmap in a retail environment.
In the past decade, technological advances in networking capabilities have transformed the retail space. Consumers are now accustomed to having 24/7 network connectivity and real-time access to information everywhere across all channels of commerce.
As a retailer looking to provide best-of-breed networking, the obstacles to upgrading can seem daunting. A lack of upfront planning and continual monitoring can lead to excessive long-term spending, missed opportunities to grow the business, or worse a failed disaster recovery plan due to networking issues.
Significant advances in networks in the past decade are transforming retail, as we know it. However, the transformation isn’t pervasive yet, as the adoption of the latest network technologies requires planning and commitment. We are at a strategic inflection point where the network is truly transforming retail and the customer experience.
Imagine this experience at your local tire store… You drive in with a problem with your tires or brakes or something else and when you are greeted by the salesperson, they can immediately show you what the good, better and best prices for the products you need based on your vehicle make, model and year – without even asking you any questions about your car.
How is this possible?
