Article

Ten best practices for implementing mobile into retail operations

Mobile is the Internet of this decade, and devising a strategy to leverage it is a necessity.

July 11, 2011

Let's all take a moment to recall the mid 1990s. Retailers, along with virtually every other business, had to figure out how to leverage the fast-growing Internet to their benefit. Everyone knew they needed it, and a frenzy of activity ensued as people created websites, portals, intranets and more in an effort to capitalize on the Internet to improve their business.

Mobile is the Internet of this decade, and devising a strategy to leverage it is a necessity.

Sure, mobile makes sense, but how can retailers effectively incorporate it into the operations of their particular business? Retailers should not blindly take the "mobile plunge" without some careful planning and prioritization of activities. The opportunities for mobile deployments for retailers typically fall into three categories: marketing, commerce and operations.

Today we'll focus on mobile operations: how to use mobile to streamline store associate activities and mobile apps that improve how they service customers. Additionally we'll share how customer-facing and self-service applications can enhance the in-store customer experience.

Here are ten things to consider when extending your mobile capabilities:

1. Assess ROI

First things first: does implementing mobile technology make fiscal sense? While it's easy to get excited by the sexiness of new, user-friendly devices (Apple's iPod Touch and iPad), it's important to weigh the real long-term value. A simple, yet profound example of the cost savings that can be achieved by incorporating mobile point of sale is illustrated when you compare the cost of multi-thousand dollar legacy POS terminals to a $650 iPod Touch-based mobile POS device.

2. Develop a strategy

Your retail organization should establish a defined strategy in the early stages that determines how mobile can support every element of the business, from customer service to sales associate training to inventory management. Develop a list of potential uses and then rate them on a low/medium/high scale based on difficulty and cost to begin to prioritize what to do first. Which will provide the most bang for your buck?

3. Worker engagement

You've done the research, you've crunched the numbers and one of the most important steps in the implementation process is training your staff to effectively use mobile devices on the sales floor. This is more than simply "using your XX device 101."

Engage your staff in the design, deployment strategy and, of course, clearly convey the benefits your new mobile strategy will have on the business as a whole as well as its ability to improve the work environment. Include them in the process and the deployment will go more smoothly.

4. Device selection

As an added challenge, there are a myriad of mobile devices and hardware options – more than ever before – now available to retailers. These options are changing and evolving at an unprecedented pace. Be sure to do your homework and find the right devices for the right tasks, and the resulting payoff will be worth your due diligence. Remember that one size does not fit all and the right device for assisting a customer may not be the same one for doing receiving and heavy scan-based activities.

5. Store operations

Integrating mobile in-store is intended to streamline store operations, not slow them down. Therefore, it's important to develop a focused plan to maximize investment.

For example, in addition to using the iPad as a front of house tool to personalize selling interactions between store associate and customer, it can also be incorporated into back of house strategy as a digital "training manual" for sales staff. Imagine being able to eliminate entirely your paper-based training manuals and transfer over to digital content accessible on the iPad.

6. Breathing new life into existing store systems

New software technologies can allow you to deploy a mobile middleware layer to leverage your existing store systems and bridge the gap between the old ways of doing business and new mobile solutions. Investing in mobile is a seamless way to help you modernize existing store systems. Some store systems providers encourage undergoing costly and painful processes of ripping and replacing your POS system. Consider less costly alternatives.

7. Complementing e-commerce/m-commerce strategy

If you are considering implementing an in-store mobile strategy, chances are you've developed an e-commerce and even m-commerce presence. However, once your website is designed and your mobile app is securely in place, it's important to leverage these tools to generate (and capitalize on) new in-store traffic. Create promotions, content and special sales through these mediums so that your in-store strategy can pick up where e-commerce and mobile apps have left off.

8. Consider the challenges of managing more devices

With more and more devices being implemented, you need to consider how to remotely manage, track and deploy new apps to the devices. Before becoming overwhelmed, there are great, low-cost mobile device management (MDM) software options on the market to consider, so be sure to include MDM in your deployment plan.

9. While you're at it: Improve business process, don't just replicate

As you consider how to use mobile more effectively, think about how you can improve the process. For example, if you're deploying mobile POS, don't attempt to replicate every function that your fixed POS delivers – such as returns or gift certificates purchase. What else can you offer customers?

10. Measure success and gather feedback

After successfully integrating a comprehensive mobile strategy in-store, don't forget to solicit the views of your sales associates who are using mobile devices on the sales floor on a daily basis. They can provide valuable insight on how customers are responding to the new store technology, and may be able to provide ideas for better use cases in the store.

Sandeep Bhanote is CEO of Global Bay Mobile Technologies. (Photo by Grant Robertson)