Omnichannel

Whatever happened to the customer? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself more and more lately, and one that more than a few national brands should be working harder to answer. At a time when retail is evolving in exciting ways, one of the most disappointing trends over the last several years is a conspicuous (and costly) lack of focus on the customer.

Small beginnings can lead to big things. That’s certainly true in the case of Pep Boys, which was founded in 1921 by four Navy buddies who pooled together $800 to open an auto parts store in Philadelphia. Today, with some 750 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico, the Philadelphia-based company is one of the nation’s leading auto supply and service providers.

Retailers tapping into technology to maximize in-store labor during the busiest season

Let the games begin.

Retailers are gearing up for the Super Bowl of the holiday-selling season, when stores generate up to 40% of their annual sales and boost their staffs in light of the heightened shopping spree.

As technology reshapes the retail landscape at a dizzying pace, it’s also advancing the art and science of aligning sales and traffic patterns with in-store labor — particularly crucial during the make-or-break winter selling period.

Total m-commerce spending is poised to exceed $25 billion this year following a 24% surge in second quarter smartphone and tablet enabled sales that pushed estimated spending to $4.7 billion, according to digital measurement provider comScore.

The firm said m-commerce spending in the first half of the year totaled $10.6 billion, representing 10% of total digital commerce during that time. With the expected seasonal surge coming in the fourth quarter, m-commerce spending could surpass $25 billion for the full year, according to comScore’s estimates.

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. improved upon its results from the second quarter of fiscal 2012 in the second quarter of this fiscal year, reporting increases in net income, sales and same-store sales. The company had net income of $33.7 million, including net after-tax losses and charges, a 15% boost from reported net income of $29.3 million a year earlier.

In addition, net sales rose 9.7% to  $562 million. Same-store sales increased 4.4%.

To provide customers with true omnichannel shopping capabilities, retailers must internally align all store and ERP functions. Mike Burge, founder and CEO of integrated retail enterprise platform provider MI9, recently spoke with Chain Store Age about how effective omnichannel retailing works and how retailers can leverage IT systems to achieve success in an omnichannel environment.

What are the main objectives of omnichannel?

Stored value gift cards have become a staple item in many retailers' holiday assortments. Last year the NRF estimated U.S. consumers would spend close to $29 billion on gift cards during the holiday shopping season, and there is no reason to think the trend is slowing down.

Bangkok, Thailand -- Berli Jucker PLC, (BJC), a Thailand-based provider of CPG goods, is adopting the Vision Suite enterprise platform from Jesta I.S. Merchandising and POS solutions are among the Vision technologies BJC is employing.

BJC will leverage the Vision Suite for managing its multi-channel retail operations in Thailand and Vietnam. Upon implementation, BJC will have an end-to-end integrated system delivering greater ability to analyze store strategy and visibility over retail decisions.