Trend report: 2013 Holiday Shoppers Continue to Conserve, Seek Exceptional ServiceDecember 3, 2013by Chris WadsworthTo remain a popular destination for holiday shoppers and reap the benefits of the most fruitful shopping season, retailers must offer sales that appeal to smart shoppers; a large, knowledgeable staff that can provide great customer service; and technology to help them through the many shopping trips they will inevitably make. Smart shopping In the… Read more
Trend report: Why Personalized Retail Is the Future of Brick-and-Mortar StoresNovember 26, 2013by Chris WadsworthThese days, consumers aren’t coming to brick-and-mortar stores for the prices or the selection – they can usually find better alternatives to both online. They’re coming for the experience. Libraries, museums and other public buildings are seeing this shift, too. These industries are feeling increased pressure to provide something that can’t be reproduced online, something… Read more
The Top Two Benefits of Omnichannel RetailingOctober 29, 2013by Chris WadsworthTo stay current, brick-and-mortar stores are redefining the in-store experience to make it a more convenient one. Today’s consumers are used to being online all the time, engaged in several different channels at once – like watching TV while browsing Facebook on their iPad or smartphone. Channels are starting to run together. Consumers expect brick-and-mortar… Read more
Why Retailers Need Analytics to Drive Business DecisionsOctober 15, 2013by Chris WadsworthAs the retail sector grows and the economy stays the same, it is becoming increasingly important for retailers to use metrics to make smart business decisions. Aberdeen’s 2012 Human Capital Management Trends study found that the most common pressures driving human capital management efforts are economic certain uncertainty requiring greater efficiency – cited by 46… Read more
How Retailers Can Leverage Social Marketing and BrandingOctober 8, 2013by Chris WadsworthSocial marketing and branding allow existing and future customers to see your brand more often and in more places. If the only place that they are engaging with your brand is in your brick-and-mortar store, then your items will be out of sight and out of mind. By the numbers: According to the American Marketing… Read more
How to Justify Requests for a Mobile POS SystemSeptember 11, 2013by Chris WadsworthA simple people counting system can save you money by optimizing each area of your store – so think about what the combination of that and a mobile POS system could do. Mobile POS is the hottest trend in the retail industry right now, and for good reason. It streamlines your store operations and increases… Read more
3 Ways to Fight Showrooming in Your StoreJuly 18, 2013by Chris WadsworthOver the past few years, brick-and-mortar retailers have seen a change in their customers’ behavior. The wide-spread use of the Internet and smartphones has led to a trend called showrooming – the act of browsing in-store and buying online. What is it? Showrooming includes comparing in-store and online prices, reading online reviews of in-store items,… Read more
3 Ways to Improve In-store Service Using People Counting SoftwareJuly 11, 2013by Chris WadsworthUS businesses annually lose an estimated $83 million due to poor customer service, according to Parature. 62 percent of US consumers have switched brands in the past year due to poor customer service. If you don’t give customers a good reason to set foot in your store, they’ll shop online instead. Online shopping is on… Read more
People Counting Systems: The Secret to Raising Retail Conversion RatesJune 13, 2013by Chris WadsworthSimply tracking your store’s sales isn’t enough. Retail managers and store-owners also need to know how many customers are leaving the store without making purchases. Counting customers can help determine the relationship between the number of visitors and the number of purchases in a store – or the conversion rates – and, ultimately, how to… Read more
