#retailtech

Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) System: 10 Benefits to Consider

January 23, 2023 by Multidev Technologies Leave a Comment

Consumers constantly expect retailers to make their lives easier. This trend manifests itself not only in product innovation but also in the shopping experience itself. Retailers must continue to provide faster technology, better transparency to customers, and more accurate logistics and delivery to make customers feel like the shopping experience is efficient. Investments in retail technology will alleviate customer pain points to increase loyalty and retention. Retailers are eager to harness the enormous potential of digitally connecting with customers to increase sales and loyalty.

From the pandemic to the holiday shopping season to recent supply chain stresses, many factors have forced customers to change their shopping habits and expectations frequently and quickly. In fact, consumers have indicated that product availability, faster delivery times, local shipping options, and full order visibility are key to a quality shopping experience. Improving in-store technology has quickly become a top priority for the industry as retailers around the world strive to compete and win. A salesperson equipped with a mobile point of sale (mPOS) system can stay close to the customer throughout their shopping journey and become an effective personal assistant and guide.

What does mPOS mean in retail?

A mobile POS is a system in which point-of-sale software is installed on a handheld mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet like an iPhone or iPad. The device performs the same actions as a cash register and terminal to complete a customer’s transaction. A mobile POS system is the best all-in-one solution for a business that is on the go or needs flexibility in payment processing. Equipped with wireless mobile POS devices, employees are able to cash out customers or access inventory information from anywhere in the store. With powerful technology at your fingertips, you can even use your mobile POS system for critical business functions.

What are the benefits of using an mPOS in a retail store?

Mobile point-of-sale systems are easy to set up and use. Using a smartphone, tablet, or specialized terminal, you can create a point-of-sale system that works best for your business.

Here are ten benefits of investing in an mPOS system for your retail store

1. Real-time visibility on all inventory items

If an employee enters a product SKU into your inventory at the same time another employee opens a search on that item, the product will be seen immediately. You can see the inventory status of the entire chain in real-time for every item you have in your stores. There is no wait time, as the product enters your inventory immediately, so any staff with the ability to search for a product can see where it is. The ability to use point-of-sale devices for inventory and cycle counts makes checking your inventory less complicated and allows you to consistently eliminate errors to maintain accurate inventory levels.

2. Facilitate seamless store transfers

With real-time product search, you can quickly find merchandise in other stores in your chain. Plus, if your store doesn’t have the product, your staff can quickly request a store transfer directly from your mobile POS. No need to run to the cash register to make the request, no need for a phone call. Make the request and receive a confirmation email within minutes. This real-time store transfer request can be made from anywhere in your store.

3. Empowers your employees

The mobile POS system empowers your employees by keeping them busy with tasks that will impact your bottom line. Instead of spending time going back and forth from your POS to the shelves to continue stocking merchandise, they’ll save time, have better morale, and make more sales.

mPOS turns store associates into more efficient employees. It eliminates paper from the inventory counting process for good. Mobile devices include a barcode scanner for fast, accurate counts that can update your inventory management system in real-time.

mPOS turns cashiers into sales generators. Customers love and expect personalized service. Mobile technology in retail frees your salespeople from the cash wrap to helping customers in the aisle close sales at the point of decision, which increases conversions.

The mPOS transforms sales associates into product experts who can offer shoppers personalized advice on products, availability, and delivery methods. Your associates can view past purchase data, online browsing history, loyalty reward points, and other data to engage the shopper with relevant up-sell or cross-sell suggestions.

4. Increased mobility

Mobile technology makes it easier to move them around in a brick-and-mortar store. Decentralizing your point of sale allows employees to process transactions and place orders immediately from anywhere in your store or other location. When your mobile POS simplifies assisted selling, everyone is happy. It’s the perfect way to differentiate yourself from your competitors, build customer loyalty to generate long-term sales, and make your customers feel like the time they spend in your store is time well spent.

Mobile technology in retail enables a geographic increase in your sales footprint and allows you to do business almost anywhere. Sidewalk sales, tent sales, trunk shows, pop-up stores, and special events are easy to organize and manage with mPOS.

5. Line-busting checkout options

With a mobile-first and responsive POS solution, you can choose to keep your mobile checkout or use the same solution to place your device on a counter or offer a self-checkout option. Combining these three options is the ideal strategy to reduce lines, satisfy fast-moving customers and even increase average order value.

mPOS can prevent lost sales by reducing waiting times in queues. No one wants to wait. Most customers want a quick and easy checkout. When the store is busy, it’s easy to expand checkout to manage long lines and preserve sales that might be lost due to long waits.

6. Accept modern payment types

Shoppers want flexibility in payment options. Mobile technology in retail allows for traditional cash transactions, credit or debit cards, store credit, gift cards, coupons, digital offers, and loyalty points. According to the Mastercard Contactless Consumer Polling survey, more than half of Americans now use some form of contactless payment, including credit cards and mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay. Contactless payment – which can also be used for curbside pickup- helps your customers feel secure (because they don’t have to touch devices or sign with a pen) and gives them the convenience they want when shopping.

7. Enhanced customer service

Customers are looking for salespeople with mobile devices. Half of the customers ask mobile device-equipped salespeople to check product availability at other stores. The ability to check products in real-time from anywhere in the store when customers are looking for something will enhance the customer experience and benefit your store chain in several important ways.

Mobile point-of-sale solutions open up a new world of opportunities for your business. You can enhance your customer’s experience by personalizing their visit. You can establish a built-in loyalty program complete with coupons and discounts for customers who use the mobile checkout system. Give loyalty points to customers who frequently use your mobile checkout system. This program will pay off in the long run. You can reward returning customers by collecting data and offering promotions or discounts. You can also collect data that will help you improve customer offerings and provide important demographic information.

You can revolutionize the way your customers interact with your business by personalizing your approach. Offering value-added services and additional features is easier than ever with a mobile POS system that gives you the flexibility to create unique experiences for each individual.

Mobile POS systems can speed up the returns and exchanges process. Returns and exchanges can slow you down. Mobile technology in retail speeds up returns and exchanges by allowing retailers to quickly increase throughput to avoid delays at checkout.

8. Becomes a data repository to fuel marketing

mPOS software offers real-time analytics and insights into your customers. If you integrate your mobile POS with an online ordering system, you can see the most popular times, what products are selling, and how your customers like to pay. By connecting all your in-store and e-commerce channels, you’ll get a better picture of your business at all times.

The mPOS equips retailers with more data for more effective marketing and allows them to provide a much more personalized and comprehensive experience for their customers. Associates can request and capture customer email addresses for email marketing campaigns. They can also collect other information about customers before, during, or after the sale, wherever they are in the store. This will increase engagement and loyalty and boost your sales and revenue.

9. Greater potential for store expansion

The mobile retail POS system facilitates expansion because scaling up is simple. Every mobile point of sale is a potential checkout station. And as you add stores, low-cost mPOS devices allow you to expand faster with little or no investment in new IT infrastructure.

The adoption of mobile POS systems makes chain stores more competitive. As a result, those chains that have tried it are seeing increased sales and revenue and more satisfied customers. You can be part of the mobile POS revolution and see your profits increase.

10. Seamless integrations and upgrades

Retail technology is constantly evolving. Chances are, you’ll need to update your mobile POS system at some point to keep it current.

Updating your system will allow you to integrate different platforms that will streamline business operations. Retail point-of-sale integrations include connecting your system to order management, inventory, and accounting software. The mobile POS system also makes it easy to adjust items and other settings on the fly without waiting for shifts to end. Updating over Wifi pushes out changes to all connected devices immediately. So, you can create a POS report for each task.

Empower Your Retail Store with Mobility

Mobile retail technology is a game changer in modern retail as it allows retailers to deliver a memorable shopping experience that builds brand loyalty. mPOS enhances sales conversations to drive sales, and during off-peak hours, associates can use their mobile devices to count inventory, improving productivity and the quality of their inventory data.

Retailers who adapt to meet rising customer expectations can sell more, earn more, and build personal relationships through an integrated omnichannel strategy that includes mobility. ChainDrive is a mobile point-of-sale system that acts as the central point of interaction between your employees and your customers. It can serve multiple roles and functions, from checking inventory or customer details to providing the immediate and critical information your staff needs to better serve your customers. With its functionality, businesses can provide excellent customer service by conducting transactions at any time. Savvy retailers know that a mobile POS solution is a retail technology that offers a positive ROI for their business. Contact us today to demo ChainDrive Retail Mobile POS and see how easy it is to deploy mobility in your stores.

10 Ways to Foster Internal Communication Across Your Retail Chain

January 12, 2023 by Multidev Technologies Leave a Comment

Retail chains where different levels of responsibility within the organization communicate with each other about critical business processes succeed and are managed more effectively than those that do not. The question is how to foster a culture of communication within your retail chain with the right integrated internal messaging software.

It doesn’t matter what retail industry you’re in. If store managers aren’t communicating with regional managers and your corporate office, your operations won’t function properly. Likewise, if regional managers aren’t intrinsically connected with buyers, business development, and transportation, you’ll have holes in your retail operations. Whether you have a single store or a chain of retail stores, you need to be able to communicate effectively with all members of your team.

ChainDrive’s integrated internal communication tools are designed in response to the demand for a means of communication and collaboration in the retail environment – a means of communication that goes far beyond the limitations of text or email.

Here are ten ways to foster internal communication across your chain stores with strong internal communication tools:

1. Interactive communication in real-time

First, integrate a messaging tool with your point-of-sale terminals and back-office applications to ensure that your retail store employees and corporate office members can communicate effectively and efficiently. Integrating a messaging client with these systems means that your store employees don’t have to leave the systems they regularly use to communicate critical business concerns or switch between applications. It provides real-time data and analytics on store performance that drives important decisions.

2. Boost employee engagement & training

Empower your staff by engaging them in meaningful communication. An integrated messaging tool keeps in touch with all key personnel and strengthens relationships.

Retailers can use integrated messaging to automate training reminders, safety requirements, and company-wide or individual information and announcements. It facilitates associate training, performance feedback, and coaching, with personalized learning paths and employee spotlighting.

It allows associates to communicate and coordinate shift changes and coverages with each other to relieve pressure on managers and reduce the costs of missed shifts. Communicating positive company messages can also significantly improve company loyalty and reduce employee turnover.

3. Make your communications mobile-friendly

Your communications need to be mobile and tablet-friendly in today’s retail environment. Store managers may be in the middle of aisle 9, or regional managers may be on the road. Don’t rely solely on office-to-office communications. Mobile communications enable you to communicate with all employees at all times, in real-time. You can even reach your sales professionals when they are on the floor and away from the POS terminal.

4. Make it easy to send targeted messages

Only some people in your organization need to participate in every discussion. Allow all employees in your organization a way to target specific messages only to their intended recipients. You can easily target your messages to specific groups, stores, departments, or individuals within your retail organization.

5. Make read receipts available

People are busy. Not everyone has a ready response when they read a message. Make read receipts available, so senders know that recipients have received a message without needing an immediate response. Notifications let employees know when they have new messages, and read statements let staff know when their messages have been read.

6. Automatic message scheduling

Set triggers that allow you to schedule messages when certain events occur, especially in Distribution & Inventory Management. For instance, when you transfer merchandise from one store to another, a message can be sent automatically to notify the receiving store or when a warehouse shipment is on the way to a specific store with special orders, providing visibility and daily reports.

7. Facilitate large attachment transfers

Your retail chain is a business organization. Your team members need to be able to share information easily with few barriers. By allowing attachments with your messages, you ensure that employees receive important documents such as purchase orders, product information, receipts, etc.

8. Multi-channel communication

Create channels that allow you to segment your staff by specific audiences or communication streams. You can segment by stores, regions, management teams, and even departments. Store managers should be able to communicate with each other as well as with their regional managers and various departments at corporate headquarters. Make that communication possible.

Automatic replies, live chats, and pop-up chats have been a major trend in recent months, and Facebook offers the opportunity to integrate live chat messenger on your website.

9. Smart search

When team members need to refer back to a previous conversation, it should be as easy as a search. Smart search functionality makes it easy to find the data that applies to the message.

10. Roaming

As mentioned earlier, not everyone in your retail chain is always in their office. Regional managers tend to travel. Other staff members may be required to travel. Make it easy to communicate via mobile by providing roaming access to the signals that make those communications possible.

Successful retail organizations are communicative organizations. That’s why you need integrated internal messaging. An internal messaging application allows your store staff to focus on customer service and provides accurate, real-time information needed to put the customer first and make your retail business profitable.

Streamline Communication with ChainDrive Internal Communication Tools

ChainDrive is the best internal communication software for workplace intranet, internal communication tools, and employee engagement platforms. Because ChainDrive IIM is fully integrated with the point-of-sale interface and the rest of the ChainDrive platform, it eliminates the need for external messaging applications. Details such as customer purchase history, purchase orders, invoices and more can be viewed and referenced without compromising security because all information resides within the ChainDrive environment. The centralized database provides security for your intercommunications which gives freedom to collaborative interaction. Request a free demo to see how we can scale up your retail chain stores.

Clienteling: Creative and Personalized Shopping Experiences

January 6, 2023 by Multidev Technologies Leave a Comment

Clienteling is the art of building relationships with customers that lead to profitable and efficient retailing. Today’s customers are looking for a unique and personalized experience. Customer relationship management (CRM) and Loyalty programs are key areas where technology and innovation can be combined to deliver personalized experiences.

Effective clienteling requires the right tools to facilitate this relationship-building process. When you find those tools, you’ll discover that building solid and long-lasting customer relationships is as easy to do as it is to say. Personalization is key to providing the best shopping experience. To create meaningful relationships with customers, retailers can follow these ten personalization best practices.

10 Ways to Personalize Your Store for Today’s Consumers

Follow these tips to understand your customers as individual shoppers.

1. Know your customer in real-time

True clienteling begins with knowing up-to-the-minute details about your customer. If a customer stops you on aisle 9 to ask you a question, your sales rep should be able to verify on the spot that they purchased a product 5 minutes ago on their cell phone. That’s real-time customer information.

2. Ask for Data Authentically

Collecting customer data gives retailers information about what customers like and dislike. If asked directly, customers can express how much personalization they prefer and what they are willing to provide.

However, requests for personal information must be authentic to the brand. Retailers should offer interactive quizzes on social media for younger audiences. They can also send an email with personalization information and a discount offer for older audiences.

3. Avoid Siloed Experiences

A single team can’t create and offer personalization alone. There must be collaboration across departments to get buy-in for personalization strategies. Otherwise, there are fractures in the process.

Retailers need customer data, pricing information, site development, merchandising, and management buy-in. Accessible and actionable data must be provided to create a consistent shopping journey.

4. Capture data across multiple channels

Whether your customer is shopping in-store, on your website, through a mobile app, or any other technology that will dominate in a decade, you need to be able to capture customer data and view it on any interface. You can see every touch point between your brand and your customer across all channels.

5. Leveraging insights at the Store Level

Personalizing the online experience is a big challenge. But seamlessly providing this deep customer insight to store-level associates so they can tailor the in-store experience is often a monumental undertaking. In-store personalization requires identifying customers as they shop and associating them with a rich database of shopper profiles, and engaging them with digital marketing messages or interactions via sales associates. However, this requires the implementation of a multitude of new technologies and training for associates and making the in-store transaction process the same as online.

6. Generate customer profiles

With the complete information about your customers, you should be able to profile them based on a number of criteria. Review your customer profiles to learn about their demographics, geography, buying habits, and other details that are critical to your retail business.

7. Create custom marketing campaigns

Customer marketing can be based on generated profiles or individual characteristics. You may want to send a mailer to all your customers who have purchased a specific product in the last six months. You can do this when your customer base is at its peak. Provide your staff with a customer overview, which allows them to make personalized recommendations and increase sales. You can offer deals and promotions based on who the customer is and what they’ve purchased before.

8. Promote customer loyalty

You should be able to use any channel to implement customer loyalty programs. Store associates need to have a clear view of the customer. Store associates should have a nearly 360-degree view of the customer’s purchase and contact history and be able to resolve the issue quickly. Put the customer at the center of the experience. Create personalized programs for customers to make them feel special and unique. You can make these programs channel-specific or roll them out across multiple channels. By implementing a loyalty program, retailers can collect customer preferences and use that data to implement targeted personalization in shopping carts or emails. CRM tools enable retailers to make decisions that will enhance customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

9. Perform customer analysis

Analyzing your customer database should be easy and effective. With the right customer analytics tools, it will be. Clienteling is all about knowing your customer. If you collect the data, you can analyze and organize it for your retail needs. Make it easy on yourself and make your customer happy.

10. Measure Consistently and Broadly

Conversion rates aren’t the only way to measure personalization. Based on the goals set in step one, retailers can identify the right metrics to track success. Since personalization is primarily targeted at returning customers, retention rates and add-to-cart rates for returning customers are good starting KPIs for assessing business impact.

The Importance of a Personalized Shopping Experience

There are many reasons why you should personalize your retail store. Here are a few:

Today’s shoppers expect personalization. It’s no longer a benefit but a requirement.
A personalized shopping experience makes customers feel special and appreciated, which improves their overall shopping experience.
Customers who feel special are loyal, which translates into higher conversion rates for your retail store.
Personalization helps increase brand awareness and trust.
With personalized marketing techniques, re-engage users who would otherwise never return to your site.

Personalize The Customer Experience for Retail Success

Today’s customers expect a greater level of personalization, and retailers who want to compete with online shopping must take this into account. Modern sensors and analytics tools allow more data to be collected and analyzed than ever before, but understanding how to use that data is critical. By integrating multiple data streams and using the power of retail analytics to engage in prescriptive and predictive analysis, stores can now generate the actionable insights needed to improve customer experience and overall operations. This makes personalization drive better business, more revenue, and more success.

ChainDrive CRM software enables your store associates to create a personalized shopping experience by providing them with a 360-degree view of the customer, which increases revenue and improves retail operations.

ChainDrive CRM tools enable retailers to create world-class shopping experiences for their customers and help them seamlessly integrate with omnichannel platforms to deliver exceptional shopping experiences in-store and online. If you’re ready to see what ChainDrive can do for your retail stores, request a demo today!

How Retailers Can Increase Sales and Reduce Costs with ChainDrive Optical Store Software

December 5, 2022 by Multidev Technologies Leave a Comment

If you are an eyewear retailer, you are probably feeling the effects of the e-commerce revolution. As consumers turn to the Internet for their purchases, brick-and-mortar stores see their profits shrink. Fortunately, retailers still have one crucial advantage: their customer data. ChainDrive optical software is a software solution that retailers can use to make the most of that data. It allows retailers to analyze customer data and improve the customer experience while reducing the operational costs associated with their stores. In this article, we will look at how retailers can use ChainDrive Optical Software to increase sales and reduce costs.

10 Ways Retailers Can Increase Sales and Reduce Costs with ChainDrive Optical Store Software

1. A Unified View of the Customer – integrate data across all channels.

Data-driven marketing is no longer a theoretical and innovative approach; it should be a fundamental part of your marketing strategy. Unifying your data into a single source makes that data and insight accessible to the marketing team and the whole business. Decisions can be made across the business with your customers in mind. True customer-centricity is only possible if you connect all your data.

Optical Retail POS Software unifies optical store operations by bringing various aspects of business processes together. The software includes some marketing features and enhances and personalizes the customer experience to drive growth, conversions, and customer retention. It stores customer data, such as frame and lens specifications.

2. Digital technologies can drive sales performance

Emerging digital technologies allow eyewear retailers to maintain a 20/20 vision. Are you ready for innovation in the eyewear industry? Focus on both customization and smart production, 3D printing fits seamlessly to fulfill those requirements.

Lens material for technology eyewear – Modern lenses are made from high-tech plastics instead of regular glass. This gives them durability and makes them less fragile. They are also lightweight and protect the eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays.
Crystal clear night vision and rainy day – polarized lenses; most importantly, the lenses have an anti-reflective feature that allows for clear vision underwater or in the rain. An anti-glare coating makes it easier to see in bright light, especially while driving.
Omnifocals – Omnifocal lenses consist of a smooth lens with a clear liquid crystal that distorts the light which passes through it. They have a processing unit determining the distance between the eye and the object in focus. With them, people can switch from one type of vision to another more quickly and without focusing on one area of the lens. Technology glasses that are gentle on your eyes. Approximately 64% of Americans have experienced digital eye strain from excessive use of screen-based devices. This is the leading cause of retinal damage and macular degeneration. Glasses have a protective coating that shields your eyes from glare, reflections, and high-energy blue light emitted from digital screens.
Sports eyewear for athletes – The eyewear industry has a distinct line of eyewear and sunglasses for athletes. Their design and lens technology are geared toward sports, whether it’s golf, cycling, water sports, winter sports, running, etc. In addition to providing clear, anti-glare vision, these glasses also protect against sudden changes in light, speed, and airborne particles.
Real-time try-on feature on online eyewear stores –A consumer can try on different sunglasses frames on sites to choose the one that best suits their face shape. This fitting module provides a virtual mirror on the browser screen in real-time via a webcam.
Customization- The power of 3D printing and the luxury of customization also exist in the eyewear industry. People can order custom 3D-printed frames that are fully customized to their faces or style.
Smart Glasses with Virtual Technology – Smart glasses with AR technology allow us to use smartphones effectively. Tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and Facebook are working on smart glasses. They try to connect the physical and virtual worlds. You can check your emails and make or receive phone calls. So, you can check your messages, take pictures, listen to your playlist and navigate places by looking at your glasses. They work with digital graphics, and the eyeglasses integrate 3D images with real-world scenarios. They enhance the user’s vision. The market for smart glasses is growing rapidly. They are widely used in gaming, tourism, and the military. Smart glasses offer a technological experience.
Augmented Eyecare Services can increase optical sales through virtual visits and remote eye exams. Virtual visits are also scheduled via video conferencing. Providing better eyecare at the doorstep is a growing need of the optical sales business. Eye care solutions include contact lenses and vision therapy. The pandemic has made us aware that online eye care is a future need.

3. Personalized experience – Growing demand for premium eyewear, Personalization, and loyalty programs. Personalization in eyewear products and services helps small eyewear marketers develop long-term relationships with customers and encourage repeat business for the company. Friendly and helpful sales associates of leading market players are well-versed in current trends and in-store merchandise and help customers select sunglasses and drive impulse purchases. Retailers can provide an added convenience by offering Personalization.

4. Advanced analytic and data capabilities

Did you know that you can refine, streamline, and improve every area of your business with data? Analyzing your sales data can help you protect your cash flow, make informed decisions about products, marketing, and outreach, and know when it is time to pivot and how to improve your overall operations.

By analyzing your sales, you can identify your most profitable products and those that do not work, your most profitable customers, and potential sales opportunities. This is a big data set, and there is advanced analytics technology for optical stores that can help you. ChainDrive’s next-generation analytics tools provide predictive and prescriptive recommendations for optical retailers to analyze the data and decide the best path to achieve goals.

5. Adoption of omnichannel retailing and digital marketing

Online shopping is becoming more prevalent in all economies, and more and more emerging players are turning to online platforms to launch their products. They are aggressively implementing their online marketing and promotional activities to increase sales volume and value and expand customer reach. Online marketing not only makes it easier for customers to reach them, but it also helps vendors reduce their operational costs.

Improving omnichannel marketing efforts will increase your optical sales. Marketing is directly proportional to customer needs. Therefore, targeted marketing initiatives can increase optical sales and store revenue. Blogs and newsletters are other ways to promote the product. Marketing campaigns are also built using advertisements. Linking with online stores also makes it easy to distribute the product. ChainDrive omnichannel solutions help retailers bridge the gap between digital and in-store experiences and convert stores into omnichannel environments.

6. Loyalty programs that uniquely fit customers – move away from traditional points programs

Store eye exam results – If you provide eye exams to your customers, you should store the results.
Keep warranties and insurance claims – Eyewear is an expensive item. Warranties and insurance help your customers feel secure with their purchases. By keeping these documents, you maintain positive relationships with your customers and are able to meet their needs more effectively.
Promotions and price management – You need a centralized way to manage your product pricing and marketing promotions. A good operating solution makes it easy. Optical retailers offer various types of specialized promotions for optical products. The “Buy one, get one” (BOGO) offer is a great way to clear out old inventory while driving short-term optical sales. Special offers on sunglasses, designer frames, or colored contact lenses create a buzz among customers. Retailers can also hold free eye check camps. Raise eye care awareness and give away freebies at the camps. Offer promotional coupons on customers’ future purchases

In addition, online retailers can better engage loyal customers with such offers. Staff can educate customers about promotions and current offers. Personally contact customers by phone or text message. ChainDrive optical store software promotes customer loyalty using mobile and online channels and drives more traffic and sales.

7. Manage inventory and track work orders, and repairs – Inventory management for eyewear specialists is more than just tracking quantities. You need an optical store management system that can handle multiple SKUs and allow you to keep track of the most popular eyewear products on the market.

Repairs are a very crucial part of eyewear retailing. Eyeglasses break. And not just the lenses. Often customers arrive with bent eyeglass frames, off-center nose pads, broken bridges, or loose screws on temple hinges. If eyewear repair is part of your key business, you need an optical store management system that can help you manage the end-to-end process. Eyewear retailers should track and keep track of customer return visits. Retailers can inform through alerts, emails, or text messages.

8. Staff training to minimize downtime – Staff with updated skills can reduce optical store downtime. In addition, training improves store efficiency and minimizes expenses in the long run. Having a multi-talented staff will improve optical sales opportunities. Retailers must deploy the right staff for the job required by recognizing individual strengths and weaknesses.

Staff training includes communication skills for tele-sales and face-to-face interactions. Thus, trained staff build relationships. They improve optical sales performance and help meet sales goals. Trained staff can also provide excellent customer service by using appropriate visual aids. Their work also includes fitting contact lenses and eyeglasses. They follow optometrists’ prescriptions while selling relevant optical products.

9. Social media promotional campaigns – Generate consistent promotional campaigns. Develop a promotional strategy to stay in the customer’s mind. Increase your store’s visibility. Social media is a powerful tool for promoting optical sales. Optimize social media profiles and update your social media pages regularly. Launch new eyewear products first to market. Use analytics to track engagement and offer additional services like frame replacement and free contact lenses. Create an online store for users located around the world. Use digital marketing strategy for website traffic and lead conversion.

Offer exclusive deals, and share customer reviews and experiences on social media. Create regional groups on social media platforms and post infographics to raise eye care awareness. Add customer FAQs to pages and host real-time interactions and live sessions on current issues. In addition, you should post engaging product content on social media. Invite customers to take action. This will eventually attract more customers and improve optical sales.

10. Educate customers about optical products

Educating customers about optical products, such as providing eye care information, is a great way to build trust. You can also share the story behind the launch of each optical product on digital platforms.

Eyewear retailers can also use digital displays or educational videos to inform store visitors. Additionally, they should take the initiative to check for eyewear-related issues while scheduling consultations to address their concerns. Informing customers about different lens and frame collections can help them make their purchasing decision.

An optician can inform customers about various frame-related issues. Store managers can also educate on stylish and lightweight optical products. Share tips for choosing the right eyewear by empathizing with customers’ needs.

Manage inventory, promotions, and orders seamlessly with ChainDrive

Eyewear retailers have a unique relationship with their customers. Once people need glasses, they will need them for the rest of their lives. If you take care of your customers, you will keep them for life. But there is competition, so you have to take care of your customers.

ChainDrive Optical store software helps retailers reduce costs and increase sales. ChainDrive Optical Software allows retailers to track inventory, manage employees, and create customized reports. It also offers an integrated barcode scanner and can automatically synchronize with accounting software. ChainDrive Optical software is a powerful and affordable way for retailers to simplify and optimize their business processes.

The best way to boost your sales, minimize the cost and maintain a 20/20 vision is to invest in an optical store software solution that helps you manage all aspects of your eyewear business. Manage all of your optical store needs like inventory Management Software, POS Systems, and customer loyalty program with ChainDrive optical store software. Contact us for a free demo to see if ChainDrive is the right optical store management system for you.

How to Keep Holiday Retail Sales Special & Unique: Holiday Sales Techniques & Ideas for Retailers

December 1, 2022 by Multidev Technologies Leave a Comment

In 2022, the landscape of the Holiday season is changing once again. As concerns about inflation rise, the National Retail Federation has reported that consumers have begun holiday shopping earlier than ever to save money and avoid potential inflationary price hikes. Whether shopping in-store or online, consumers seek deals and inspiration, from experiences to expert content, to get into the holiday spirit. But despite the challenges of this festive season, retailers expect an increase in holiday shopping. Retailers have risen to meet their needs, launching offers starting in early October. And the sales will only continue throughout November and into December.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are always a big deal in today’s retail environment, and 2022 seems to be an exciting year for online and offline retail stores. To help your retail stores prepare for this holiday shopping season, here are 10 steps from experts and experienced business owners to help you get the most out of season.

10 Tips for Businesses to Increase Holiday Sales in 2022

1. Plan and Establish Seasonal Goals

There are a few ways to keep your holiday sales special and unique. One way is to plan and set seasonal goals. For example, if you are a retailer with a shoe store, you should plan to sell several shoes a day during the holiday season. This will help keep your sales fresh and unique. Another way to keep your sales special and unique is to offer a unique experience to your customers. This can be done through seasonal events, unique décor, or personalized gifts. Spend some time researching your major competitors’ holiday sales strategies and determine your marketing strategy to reach your target customers. One last way to make your holiday sales special and unique is to ensure your products are unique. This way, your customers won’t go to other stores and buy the same items.

You should also take the time to review online strategies that have been successful for your business in previous years and explore how you can apply them to the upcoming year’s plan to help your business succeed online. Choose the best items for discounts, and staggered sales and discounts remove the “rush” and keep customers happy and safe.

2. Review and upgrade technology.

You must ensure that your technology is ready and capable of handling the onslaught of online shoppers, especially during the holiday season. By upgrading your technology, you can add new features and make your store more appealing to consumers. You don’t want to lose prospective clients because your website is down or you are unable to accept credit card orders. This includes spending time to upgrade security software, check checkout and payment processes, review the usability of search features, and make sure your site is user-friendly and able to handle increased traffic. This can make a big difference in the success of their business during the holiday season. You should also consider leveraging apps for your store during the holiday season.

To succeed and survive during Black Friday and Cyber Monday may seem like a daunting task, but you don’t have to go it alone. By opting for a point-of-sale solution like ChainDrive Retail and ecommerce, you’re counting on a multitude of apps that integrate seamlessly with your system.

3. Embrace omnichannel customer experiences

Omnichannel customer experiences offer customers a seamless experience across the different channels they use to shop. It’s important to have a website that provides customers with a great experience when shopping online. It is also important that you provide the customer with great customer service and a unique experience when they enter your store. If you do this, your customers will be more likely to shop with you again and tell their friends about your great holiday sales.

One of the major trends impacting holiday sales is omnichannel retailing, which is described as an integrated sales technique that delivers a seamless buying experience for consumers, whether they are shopping from a computer, mobile device, or store. For example, these customers can buy online but pick up the item in-store, or they can use a smartphone app to compare prices before making a purchase on a company’s website. One way for businesses to be responsive to omnichannel shoppers is to honor online coupons and in-store offers interchangeably.

4. Use social media to promote your brand

Embrace social media to help promote your holiday sales. You can use social media to help you spread the word about your sales, attract customers and increase the number of shoppers in your store. You should also consider using social media to help you identify your best customers. You can use this information to target the people who buy your product best and offer products to them. You should also consider using social media to gather feedback from your customers. You can use this information to set up email marketing campaigns and cultivate online sales to improve your products and services.

Set up email marketing campaigns that feature your holiday deals and send emails to your existing customers, and create a sense of urgency so that they act quickly. Then make sure to use segmented email to offer your loyal customers exclusive deals that they might like.

Focus on search engine optimization and increase your SEO efforts to attract customers to your store. Make sure your store information is set up correctly on Google My Business, improve your website speed, and revamp your website security to drive traffic and sales.

5. Add contactless options

Many retailers are starting to offer contactless options to their customers. Contactless payments are a convenient way for shoppers to pay for their purchases without having to pull out their wallets. Contactless payments are an easy way to keep your customers happy and interested in your store.

BOPIS and curbside pickup are excellent strategies to entice people to buy. If your business doesn’t offer free delivery, curbside pickup is a simple and quick option that provides a safe and convenient experience. By offering your customers the ability to schedule their pickup without leaving their vehicle, you avoid in-store queuing and crowded areas while being completely touchless. It’s an easy-to-implement solution that helps avoid shipping delays during the busy holiday season.

When crafting your messaging for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, be sure to highlight options such as contactless payments, free shipping or curbside pickup, and contactless pickup.

6. Market to loyal customers

Retailers should keep their loyal customers in mind during the holiday season and market to them during the holidays. They can do this by offering them exclusive discounts, special promotions, and special events.

Tailor your messaging for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to meet the changing world of retail. Retailers can ensure that holiday sales remain special and unique by engaging with the new customers they made over the holidays and reaching out to other potential customers.

Planning for the post-holiday business can be just as essential to ensure that regular sales can resume once the holiday rush is over.

7. Stock up on holiday inventory

You need to make sure you have enough inventory, but you also need to make sure that the product is unique. This means that the inventory you have does not contain the same items as other stores. You also need to make sure that your inventory is very diverse. This will help customers find what they are looking for and keep them coming back to your store. Make sure your online store is well stocked and that your best-sellers are readily available.

Stock up on your most popular and best-selling items, the latest trendy items in your industry, and specially designed or crafted gifts to make your merchandise stand out. Talk to dealers and see if you can get discounts for large-quantity purchases or extended payment terms.

8. Plan your shipping strategy

Shipping is a significant part of the holiday season. You can stand your business apart from your competitors and win the hearts of your last-minute shoppers with free and fast shipping options.

Offering competitive delivery options help you to avoid a lot of stress and keep you on track. Additionally, retailers who are concerned that online sales will overshadow foot traffic during the holidays can offer an in-store pickup option for online purchases. This way, shoppers save on shipping costs, and merchants earn an additional form of revenue while encouraging safe shopping.

9. Provide exceptional customer service

To keep your holiday sales special and unique, you need to provide exceptional customer service. To do this, you need to provide a personal touch to each customer, show your appreciation, and offer support across all channels.

Strengthen your customer support across all channels. In-store, you need to make sure you have enough staff to handle an influx of customers and plan accordingly based on your recent foot traffic and in-store customer limit. Online, your customer service information should be easily accessible. Stores need to prepare for an influx of digital orders but also guide first-time shoppers through their purchase journey in the days leading up to Black Friday/Cyber Monday. You can also offer a unique experience to your customers. For example, offer a live social media event with a celebrity or offer a digital holiday gift card to your customers. These are just a few ways to make your holiday sales stand out.

Adding a live chat feature is also a great way to handle all of your customers’ messages and positively impact your bottom line. Try assigning different channels to your team members and try to respond within an hour or less. By making sure you cover all bases during the holiday shopping season, you’ll gain your customers’ trust and build lasting relationships with them.

10. Ensure adequate working capital

Having enough working capital during the holidays is necessary to increase inventory, hire seasonal staff or install holiday displays. This will allow you to make the necessary investments in your business to keep it profitable. The success of your holiday sales will depend on your ability to manage them profitably. It is important to find the right balance between marketing and sales.

In addition, business owners should contact their payment processors to discuss a possible increase in transaction volume or negotiate a higher credit limit.

Conclusion

The holiday shopping season will be very different from previous years, so make sure your business is prepared for increased online sales. By following the tips above, such as understanding your customers, improving your SEO, establishing and reinforcing a customer-centric mindset, and preparing early, you can set your team up for success. You can ensure that your business satisfies both new and existing customers and makes the most of this busy time for e-commerce.

Want to see how ChainDrive can help you this holiday season? Contact our retail software experts today for a live demo.