How Mobility Can Connect Retailers From The Sales Floor To The Warehouse
By Marco Nielsen, Stratix
Retailers face a number of challenges when managing operations that stretch from the production line to the showroom floor. They rely heavily on end-to-end mobility to lower costs while increasing efficiency on all fronts, including inventory, data management and even sales and customer service
Employing mobile solutions has become an industry standard, but many retailers stumble when it comes to ensuring issue-free software development and application. They are finding that new, agile software solutions are only as effective as the employees handling each stage of the retail operation.
This mobile dependency makes it vital to have a clear connection between the software development process and the end users. In retail, end users can vary from back-of-the-store warehousing employees to front-of-store sales associates, and it’s crucial to consider support across the entire enterprise.
Rugged back-of-the-store devices, for example, are equally as important (or more critical) as your ‘front of store’ devices at the fingertips of sales associates. Having recently been affected by Microsoft’s decision to end support for many of its legacy Windows operating systems, many retailers are migrating rugged devices to Android or iOS — even more of a reason to consider end-to-end mobile support regardless of the touch point.
The Changing Landscape Of Mobile
Mobility is everywhere. You see it in the form of a mobile POS device in the hands of a sales associate. It may be a tablet mounted on a forklift for inventory management. It surfaces at every step in a global supply chain. By 2020, 48% of the workforce will be mobile, and this rises to 70% for small businesses.
As retailers shift more and more operations to mobile solutions, it is crucial to maintain a seamless connection to all end users. This shift is seeing retailers preparing users for a number of new innovations, including:
- Wearable devices
- Artificial Intelligence in the supply chain/operations and app development
- Expanded voice integration
- Augmented/Virtual Reality
These innovations will fundamentally change how retailers approach their entire business. Technology will cut down on inefficiencies across the board — but only if they work from effective, interconnected and user-friendly software platforms.
Integrating current employees into the development and implementation of new software is needed to seamlessly transition into the new era of end-to-end mobility, as it will help ensure that the software achieves practical business objectives, enables appropriate management oversight and avoids the possible misuse of mobile software.
As the landscape continues to shift toward agile solutions, it’s better to adapt with your end users in the forefront rather than risk a disconnect between software development, your operations and your employees.
How Can Retailers Get
The Most Out Of Mobile?
The temptation to plunge into mobility is great when the potential benefits seem so obvious. Vital operational procedures can be developed or modified while on the go. Mobile POS systems allow store associates to offer better customer service, while tablets and other devices can offer inventory management and shipping updates from anywhere.
However, to optimize these great features, retailers need to move past the challenges of deploying mobile solutions. The top obstacles in mobile implementation we see are:
- Inadequate IT staff/skill sets to manage mobility
- Mobile security
- Lack of operational support (e.g. device support)
Even the best internal IT teams may be stretched when it comes to identifying, building and maintaining the most appropriate mobile solution. One common option is to rely on third-party managed mobility service providers with deep resources and know-how in mobile solutions. In addition to technical expertise, the better providers will have experience with incorporating the end user in software development and application. If staff ask questions and provide a user perspective, software development will yield far better results.
Part of relying on a managed mobility service provider is the importance of providing 24/7/365 mobile support for retail associates, as it will ultimately enhance and make for seamless customer experiences. Integrating mobile devices with direct OEM support, device logistics and device management will also drive more sales and vital usage of these critical devices.
Priority also must be given to preserving data integrity and eliminating security risks that will surface as retailers expand the use of personal devices. For example, authentication methods can be employed to secure all company and personal data in the event of lost devices. Coordinating with end users can help ensure this.
For many retailers, deploying an effective mobility strategy is easier said than done. But the rewards of a smart mobile approach will pay huge dividends, especially if developers and end users are on the same page.
Marco Nielsen is Vice President of Managed Mobility Services of Stratix. He has more than 20 years of cross-functional experience in systems architecture, operating systems, hardware and communications for large enterprises. Nielsen brings extensive experience, leadership and expertise to the development and execution of enterprise mobility initiatives for Stratix. He creates enterprise mobile strategies that align with clients’ objectives to assure that device deployments deliver business value. A recognized industry thought leader, Nielsen uses his real-world experience with large enterprise mobility clients to conduct strategic workshops on a variety of enterprise mobility topics, publish provocative white papers and create thought-provoking blog posts