It can be difficult keeping up with all the latest technologies hitting the market in today’s digital world and it can be tempting to ignore the bombardment of advice, however keeping on top of technology can be a great way to stay competitive in the world of retail and can really help your retail business expand and grow.
The following four tips are just a few suggestions of ways in which you can utilise technology to your advantage :-
1. ‘Local’ digital marketing
Many of us now turn straight to our phones when we need to look for relevant products or services in our area.
Indeed, Google My Business is one of the most popular directories in the world, and helps millions of people find local businesses every day and according to Google, 76% of people who conducted a local search on their phone visited the business within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
In this way, cultivating a sleek Google My Business page with plenty of details about your business can do wonders for your retail shop, and make you easily searchable. Read our recent blog post - How can Google My Business help my retail business and SEO efforts? - to find out how you can optimise your Google My Business shop page.
2. Leverage social media
Social media is ever present nowadays and is a great way for you to get your Shop name out there.
It can improve brand awareness of any size retailer, increasing your visibility and attracting new customers to your retail shop.
Using the social media platforms that your customers are likely to frequent, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Snapchat, Google+, LinkedIn and others, you can promote your latest products, store promotions and sales, as well as shop information, helping you to market your product range to your target audience, cost effectively.
Also, social media can help to form two-way interactions between your brand and your customer, having that conversation which in turn can make your brand seem friendly and approachable. It gives the customer the chance to ask questions and leave reviews about your products which can increase trust and loyalty, as well as providing feedback and much more.
3. Keep on top of your stock with an inventory management system
Tracking incoming and outgoing stock can be a tedious job in retail and manual methods of stock taking are very prone to mistakes and miscounts, leaving retail owners needlessly stressed and worried. Inventory management has come on a long way thanks to the digital revolution. Investing in a decent inventory management system allows retail managers to easily view and assess stock levels, it can even track and control customer returns and exchanges.
What’s more, they can even receive low stock alerts via email, as well as alerts like stock replenish features, if certain items need urgent replacing, ensuring retailers never run out and stay in control of their stock. Other benefits include the ability to view the products that are selling well and the products that are not, providing the retailer with a deeper understanding of what their customers want to buy.
Read our blog post dedicated to successful inventory management to find out even more about how a modern ePOS system is able to save businesses a great deal of time, money and stress.
4. Ability to sell through multiple channels
As the world becomes digitised, so do customers’ preferred shopping methods. In fact, as one of our previous blogs explored how many shoppers, 70% of those studied, carried out their online retailing research first, before going in-store to find and buy their desired item.
This is known as ‘webrooming ’ and its burgeoning popularity is testament to the fact that the mere existence of ecommerce stores and Internet marketplaces, like Amazon and eBay, is in fact highly beneficial to physical stores.
Having the ability to buy multi-channel is almost expected these days by the customer and retail businesses who have been able to create a seamless shopping experience for their customer, that integrates the different shopping channels, have gained significant customer loyalty by answering their customers’ needs and ensuring customers keep coming back.
Ultimately, keeping up with digital trends can not only help you stay competitive in the world of retail, but it’s often the smart way to conduct the admin tasks of your retail and online store more smoothly, leaving you time to develop your brand, engage with customers and grow your retail business.
How can ShopTill-e help your retail business?
ShopTill-e has been created for retail businesses to take advantage of the variety of ways to sell, easily. It takes away the headache of running multiple systems by providing one central hub that synchronises and powers all the sales channels, making it easier for the merchant to offer a seamless shopping experience for their customers, as well as easily managing their retail shop and ecommerce business. Try ShopTill-e free for 14 days
