Back To Front, Technology Is The Glue
By Brendan O’Meara, Senior Director, WW Retail and Consumer Goods, Microsoft Corporation
You don’t need to work for Microsoft to notice the impact technology is having on the retail market. Consumers have more information than store associates, store associates are looking to use mobile devices, and there is more data than ever available on shopping behavior. Technology has empowered the consumer with choices and insight, and retailers must keep up with their customers’ expectations.
Too often I hear retailers I talk with say they can’t afford to leverage the new technology that is available. I tell them that they can’t afford not to. Rather than being an additional expense, technology should be viewed as a tool for smart business growth that meets consumers and employees where they live. At Microsoft, we see retailers who are successfully managing the digital transformation, utilizing new technology to enable better customer experiences, more engaged employees, and smarter operations.
Disconnected and inefficient operations contribute cost and hinder the ability of retailers to meet customer needs. Broken links between channels and fragmented views of inventory and customers lead to suboptimal customer experiences and lost sales. Rigid and difficult to integrate systems decrease business agility and slow innovation. Legacy POS equipment restricts store associates to fixed locations in the store and provide limited information to assist with selling. And, outdated productivity and collaboration capabilities keep retailers from getting the most from their payroll investment.
Having a 360 degree view of the customer, and having an integrated view of inventory across the organization enables retailers to be relevant to their customers and improve inventory performance, conversion, and basket size. Better analytics help retailers and brands identify trends of specific items, categories, and customers, allowing them to quickly make adjustments that drive profitability. Mobile devices enable store associates to better serve customers and to counter show-rooming on the sales floor. And modern productivity and social solutions empower sales associates to do their best work and keeps them engaged and invested in the success of the business.
Retailers need to invest in technology to stay competitive. Companies who are able to make the most of data to improve the way they sell and manage their business will survive and thrive in the digital age. They will be better able to simplify orchestration across channels, increase customer engagement and loyalty, while keeping costs low. A strong business platform on the back-end ensures that these critical insights get to the sales associates at the moment of truth when they can affect consumer purchasing.
About The Author
As Microsoft Senior Director for WW Retail and Consumer Goods, Brendan O’Meara is responsible for strategy, partner, sales and solutions delivery for the Retail and CG industry across all business groups and regions on a worldwide basis. O’Meara joined Microsoft in 2001 and played a key role in developing Microsoft’s Retail business solutions strategy. In 2002, he founded the Dynamics Retail product unit within the Microsoft Business Solutions division.
Prior to Microsoft, he worked for 12 years in a variety of IT positions including chief technical architect with The Spiegel Group, at the time the US operation of the world’s largest direct retailer, Otto Versand, out of Hamburg, Germany. In this role he was responsible for applications and technical architecture across the US operating divisions, including Eddie Bauer, Spiegel, Newport News, Distribution Fulfillment Services and First Consumers National Bank. O’Meara believes the future of Consumer Goods Retailing is being defined today – and that the true global leaders of Digital Commerce are yet to emerge. As a native and long time resident of the Seattle area, and graduate of the University of Washington, O’Meara, likes to ski, bike, run and hike, and enjoy the Great Northwest lifestyle with his two young boys. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, including concentrations in Information Technology and Marketing.