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RSSBuild Visibility To Save The Sale
November 23, 2009
•Article: Build Visibility To Save The Sale
By Scott Carter, Locate Product Release Manager, MICROS-Retail
Recently, while in a national shoe chain, a mother was returning shoes that were too-tight for her child. The desired size was sold out in the store, and the associate said without hesitation, "We can find it online and have the shoes shipped directly to your house at no charge. If those shoes don't fit either, you can return them at this store, no problem." She was delighted—no more driving and trying on shoes—and the associate saved the sale at full price. The exchange transaction was completed in a couple of minutes. There was no lengthy process or management approval required. The associate handled the transaction independently and then moved on to assist the next customer. It was business as usual.
This type of scenario will become more commonplace as retailers unite their channels and improve the customer experience. Today's technology literally delivers what the customer wants.
If You Can See It, You Can Sell It
For the last several years, retail software solutions have promised "true visibility" and "inventory
transparency." These are usually delivered, with varying success, within a single channel. Most multichannel
retailers can now see very clearly where their store inventory resides, how much has been sold
in the last day, who has sold it, and similar information. Likewise, they can see within their direct
commerce channel and evaluate what has been ordered, what is available, and what is on back order.
Now, however, visibility across channels, and the ability to fulfill an order from any channel,
differentiates leaders from laggards.
•Article: Build Visibility To Save The Sale
