Mobility Is Changing The Retail Landscape

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Discover the latest Retail Trends

Shoppers want a high quality product at the best possible price, as soon as they can get it. They ignore the distinction between online and in-store to create the shopping experience best suited for them on an item-by-item basis. Retailers are embracing this omnichannel trend and leveraging mobile technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) throughout the entire supply chain to support it.

SOTI MobiControl delivers end-to-end security and management of mobile devices and IoT endpoints across the entire supply chain. SOTI streamlines retail operations, protects regulated data, and empowers associates to keep pace with shoppers’ changing demands.

Improve The Customer Experience

Getting customers into the store. Helping them find what they want. And then allowing them to checkout quickly is the key to successful retail. Beacons entice shoppers into your store. As well as helping them find what they are looking for. Digital signage delivers an interactive platform that engage consumers at the point where they browse your shelves and pick their purchases. Retailers know that long lines are detrimental to the consumer’s retail experience. To the point that it can impact brand loyalty. Mobile technology is solving this problem. By delivering fast, secure point of sale (POS) directly to the customer anywhere in the store.

Streamline Operations

Retailers are looking to do more with mobile technology and the IoT. They are equipping warehouse workers and store associates with mobile devices that include barcode scanners or RFID readers. Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), trailer track and trace systems as well as different types of trailer sensors deliver end-to-end visibility of product wherever it may travel. Realtime knowledge of where items are located and in what quantities, allows companies to shrink their inventory. In addition to increasing product velocity through the supply chain.

WHAT CAN SOTI DO FOR RETAIL?

* Maintain Compliance, Security & Privacy

Smartphones and tablets are being used for accepting payments in retail locations. Mobile devices used as point of sale (POS) terminals must adhere to the PCI-DSS standard to protect cardholder data to reduce credit card fraud. SOTI MobiControl helps retailers meet the requirements mandated by the PCI Mobile Payment Acceptance Security Guidelines. In addition to securing payment information, new and existing data privacy regulations such as GDPR make it mandatory to keep all customer data private.

* Deploy Devices Quickly

SOTI MobiControl gets mobile devices into the hands of your workers faster ensuring they are set up according to company mobility policies. It delivers express enrollment via barcode scanning or NFC ‘Bump,’ and also integrates with many rapid enrollment solutions, such as: Android Zero-touch enrollment, Apple DEP, Samsung KME, Windows Autopilot and Zebra StageNow.

* Eliminate Downtime

The more mobile technology a retailer deploys, the more they depend on it to run their business. Companies need to find and fix device and app problems as quickly as possible to reduce expensive downtime. If your POS system is down, sales and customer satisfaction are going to suffer. SOTI MobiControl’s remote support features (remote view/remote control, file sync and two-way chat) fix device and application problems quickly and easily from anywhere.

* Manage Everything

All the new endpoints, sensors and devices being deployed in-store require full lifecycle management more than ever. Retailers that have previously focused on dedicated purpose mobile devices for their supply chain will now be dealing with hundreds of new types of mobile devices and IoT endpoints. These new devices and endpoints will range from simple little motion sensors to complex systems such as drones and robots. SOTI MobiControl delivers management and security for these new mobile devices, sensors and endpoints, as well as their apps and content.

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Retail Trends For 2021

1. Technology will create a new look for retailers post-COVID

Bricks and mortar shops have long been struggling to increase customer foot traffic, boost sales and engage customers. As a result, offline and online retail has started to merge, as the desire for the retail industry to reinvent itself by investing in innovative technology solutions to improve customer experience increases.

As customers demand both the immediacy of online shopping, with the personal touch of in-store, technology solutions, such as artificial intelligence (AI), hold the key to a successful 2021 for retailers willing to adapt. One such example of a brand using an AI solution is that of H&M, which uses the technology to analyse store receipts and returns to evaluate consumer purchases and trends, producing data which allows the retailer to promote and stock the most popular items.

As technology investment increases, 2021 will provide us with in-store shopping experiences like never before. Whether it’s the increased use of retail kiosks to improve customer service, the emergence of customer service robots – such as SoftBank’s humanoid robot, Pepper – or online retailers trialling bricks and mortar locations, like Amazon Go, the retail industry is due a technological resurgence.

2. Autonomous deliveries will come to life

While retailers have contemplated autonomous deliveries, such as self-driving vehicles and delivery drones thanks to the pandemic, we’re likely to see these delivery methods start to come to life.

COVID-19 has brought with it a vast amount of change and, with customers looking for safe methods of shopping, these contactless forms of delivery will accelerate in 2021. This steep change in consumer attitudes will change the future of delivery mobility but, to make this a reality, retailers need to invest in more robust mobile technologies now, to manage logistics and blockchain, to ensure security along the supply chain.

3. Omnichannel will benefit from the connection of technologies

The connection of technologies, including AI, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT), will enable retailers to create a truly omnichannel experience, ensuring there is a singular, high quality customer journey. We will see this connection bring online and in-store shopping closer together, adding value for customers in the new year.

Next year will also see the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) increase, making both the online and in-store experiences far more interactive for consumers. For example, in-store shoppers will be able to use AR to scan physical products for instant information, and VR will enable online shoppers to indulge in immersive experiences. Makeup brands are already using this technology to their advantage, including L’Oréal, which is allowing customers to virtually try on makeup to match their foundation to their skin colour via AR.

Next year, we will see the convergence of online and in-store continue as retailers look for even more creative ways to use technology solutions to prosper in the post-COVID.

4. Mobile technology will improve the whole chain

Given going back to ‘business as usual’ is looking unlikely for the foreseeable future, those retailers who have previously not invested in their digital strategies are now fast-tracking digital transformation plans in order to survive. Part of this includes large investments in mobile technology – something retailers need to be doing in preparation for the post-COVID world.

In 2021, we’re likely to see mobile solutions enabling warehouse staff to become more efficient, as handheld devices allow them to process orders in less time than traditional systems. Alongside this, logistics staff will benefit from more reliable devices and apps to keep them on the road, and management teams will be afforded complete visibility of the supply chain, from warehouse to shop floor, allowing them to fix any issues quickly and ease the burden of device downtime.

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Source: SOTI Retail Report

* T & Cs – The SOTI licence is only free for the duration of the rental of the Honeywell device.