Retail has always been a tough industry, and nothing has changed over the 30+ plus years I have been involved in it. Against what seems like a permanent backdrop of uncertainty with rising cost prices, rents, inflation and staff wages, the pressure to remain competitive is always going to be the difference between many retailers surviving or thriving…so let’s look at 5 things that can help your retail business prosper.
- Environment – The days of having rooms full of computer hardware to power your store’s technology have long gone. In its place, an instantly scalable, 24/7/365 managed environment brings with it significant cost savings as well as speed of access. Metro has been specifically designed to operate in the Cloud meaning retailers can reduce IT costs in managing, as well as integrating new systems. All Metro modules are delivered as a simple monthly service charge – no need for big CapEx expenditure, you simply sign up, step in, and start using Metro’s technology.
- Integration – The ability to easily connect data and existing technologies are key to ensuring new technology can operate and be brought to bear quickly. Metro’s Foundation has been developed specifically with this in mind and in addition to managing business hierarchy, location attributes, security and authentication, Foundation facilitates the free movement of data in and out of the platform (as well as seamlessly between other modules) via RESTful API’s. Should a retailer wish to add another Metro module, existing data is used to minimise configuration/setup time and accelerate the go-live of each module – it also means we can quickly embrace new and emerging technologies to give you a competitive advantage.
- Mobility – Many of Metro’s modules are developed with mobility in mind to keep store teams out of back offices and on the sales floor delivering the best possible customer experience. Metro’s responsive design portal ensures it can be viewed perfectly on any device, including mobile phones, tablets or the latest PDA technology from vendors such as Datalogic. Having the ability to receive messages, find information, take a call or undertake and confirm task compliance whilst out on the sales floor are just some of the things staff can do. Price checking, stock counting and other due diligence/compliance-related activities can be promptly completed with results and information being instantly communicated back to head office.
- Productivity – Crucial when it comes to managing stores, especially those with finite resource which is why our simple to use WFM related modules works seamlessly with our Unified Comms module to ensure not only do stores get ‘the right messages in the right language, at the right volumes and at the right time’ we also ensure ‘the right people with the right skills’ are scheduled to receive them. Keeping stores informed, efficient and on-track is a constant battle for many retailers, yet so many get it wrong with confusing and badly timed communications from Head Office. Having worked in stores at the sharp end, I can assure you it’s the last thing busy shop floor teams need. Quite often lacklustre customer service and disengaged store staff are a direct result of head office’s failure to communicate consistently its vision and that, in my view, is reason enough as to why retailers should take a good look at how investing in improved communications delivers significant benefits both internally and to shoppers.
- Metro – Metro consolidates the RMS reputation for providing ‘best in class’ solutions, enabling customers to plan their own journey per their business requirements. Our Metro map provides a clear illustration of nine key ‘application lines’, each having interoperability, removing the need for dozens of disparate applications. RMS’ mission is simple – to provide software solutions that allow their customers to ‘do business better’ – each module works seamlessly ‘across browsers’ and with one another. Our ‘keep it simple’ approach ensures fast and efficient delivery of solutions and is evidenced by the commercial decision to offer RMS’ software on a simple ‘Software as a Service’ basis, including an option to ‘try before you buy’.
RMS are industry-leading trusted advisers in the retail marketplace. For over a decade, more than 80 of the best-known UK retailers have reported dramatic improvements in mobility; compliance; higher productivity of employees; and increased revenue and profitability. Get in touch to hear what we can do for your business
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