Why You’re Missing Out if Your Task Management & Store Communications Strategy is not Based on a Solid Mobile Offering
While few stores or retail locations are mobilized today (many rely on POS terminals, PCs, etc. for store communications), the obstacles for doing so are becoming increasingly surmountable. In fact, those stores that fail to make the leap to mobile are sure to miss out on significant opportunity to streamline their business and drive results.
Here’s why.
The Tide is Turning…Fast
If you are not on board now, you may be left in the dust. The impact of mobile will be dramatic, as a recent study by the IHL Group confirms. According to the study, by 2015, more than 2.7 million tablet devices will be shipped for use in North American retail and hospitality, which is an increase of 450% over current rates.
450%! That is staggering growth. And these figures don’t even take into account the handheld devices that retailers are scrambling to roll out in mobile POS deployments.
What this means for retailers is that there will be a veritable storm of tablets and smartphones in stores in the next few years, along with dramatic changes in how retail does business - from the physical layout of stores to the way that information is communicated to the manner in which consumers interact with associates.
Mobility Changes the Game
Store Communications and Task Management solutions may have eliminated the tedious and costly process of transferring binder-bound monthly data to a store, but these solutions didn’t offer a genuinely optimized alternative. Even with a Store Communications or Task Management solution, a manager is still required in the back room to check the instructions and print them out.
But mobile has catapulted the process to the next level of employee efficiency. By providing information on a mobile device, the manager, associate and merchandiser all have access; they can leverage multi-media (video, pictures, etc.), interact in real-time with other team members and head office personnel and capture completed data in real-time.
The Competition has Already Jumped on the Band Wagon
Chances are, your competition has already gone mobile.
In fact, it’s only a matter of time before all stores can easily and affordably support the accommodation of tablets or smartphones for Managers and Assistant Managers. Vortex Connect recently rolled out to a client with 300 iPhones and it cost them absolutely nothing for the hardware (they deployed to the iPhone 3GS and while it isn’t the most current device available, it did the trick).
More retailers are recognizing that by becoming mobile, they save money. If associates and managers use mobility for POS, customer information and product information:
- processes become streamlined
- errors are reduced
- communication is faster and more strategic.
The return on the investment has become obvious.
Because mobile devices can enhance the retail experience – for both the customer and the store employees – it is an obvious next step for business growth. Mobility can ensure an improved retail experience, real-time access to information, and enhanced communication. Considering the barriers to entry are far less significant today, retailers have no excuse but to put mobility front and center as the foundation of their task management solution.