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Top Trends In 2022 That Retailers Need to Adopt to Transform Customer Experience.

A decade ago, customer service was the key differentiator between brands ahead of the price and the product. Fast forward to 2021-2022, exceptional customer service is the primary agenda for businesses today. Physical stores never craved in-store customer experience improvement like this post COVID-19 era of mobile shopping, eCommerce. Most of them have already adopted solutions like LS Retail ERP followed by POS Software Solution to help them through difficult post COVID times. As things are getting back to normal, retailers are excited about the new opportunities that 2022 holds for them. In a study, about 74% of retail sales are expected to go in the favor of store shops. According to some studies – 86% of consumers are willing to pay 25% more for an improved customer experience However, due to the given stress in the past years, customers have become abrasive and will not stand any friction. One unpleasant experience may drive one-out-of-three customers away from the brand they were loyal to. Because of which retailers have a mounted pressure of providing an exceptional and eccentric customer experience. Retailers need to put frazzled customers at ease and build loyalty and engagement programs. Retailers need to reimagine their businesses for the new age of retail by integrating online as well as offline platforms and transforming their store experiences with a unified technology. Other than that, retailers must follow some trends that can make a whole lot of difference in their business in 2022: Integrate Online as well as Offline Channels Customers being busier than ever demand next-level convenience while shopping. They need the facility to decide while to purchase from the physical store or from online. Retailers might use a unified software solution such as LS Retail ERP that integrates websites, applications, third-party applications, etc., and provides a convenient shopping experience. Let them shop whenever they want, whether they want to shop while traveling in the metro, or on a vacation, maybe while cleaning the living room also. Having multiple shopping platforms and enough shopping convenience ends up boosting sales. Imagine how frustrating it will get for a customer if they travel all the way to a shop only to find their desired product missing. Inconveniences while shopping shoes away customers and they might not even want to come back. Make sure you update your product data online, so your customers can check it online so they can come to the store and collect it or get it delivered at home. Smartly Plan Inventory Plan your inventory smartly with the right technology. Avoid overstocking and understocking as both scenarios lead to profit drain. Retailers need robust data analysis to understand market trends and plan inventory accordingly and avoid increased costs, inventory imbalance, decreased employee productivity and ineffective decisions, etc. Forecast demands and tracks inventory status in real-time with Business Intelligence. Track each customer who contacted your business and understand the trend followed by the masses. In 2022, due to rapid changes in customer demands and trends, retailers need to plan smartly. Understand Each Customer and Connect Emotionally To thrive in the 2022 retail market, it is mandatory to connect with customers. Retailers should create loyalty programs, exclusive deals, promo codes, and other relevant offers for them. It is best to have a system that tracks customer data, understands their spending pattern and factors driving their spending through each transaction. You can even offer tailored deals for individual customers or divide them into segments and do the necessary. Either way, customers are happy. They will feel acknowledged and cared for and ultimately bond with your brand. Offer Cashless Payment and Self-Checkout Enable cashless payment options like debit, credit, and online payments. Also, enable checkout counters to bust long queues. Upgrade your POS to cloud LS Retail POS and integrate the front office to the back. Empower your employees with a mobile POS system that contains each product’s data and inventory reports. This way you can boost your employees’ efficiency and streamline customer experiences. For instance, a customer is having a tough time finding a specific product at your store. One of your staff can look that up in the mobile POS and guide the customer ahead. Apart from providing excellent product quality, customers demand excellent services as well. It is no more a luxury but a requirement. Businesses can integrate online and offline channels, plan inventory smartly, understand customers and connect with them emotionally, and offer cashless payment options with a unified software solution like LS Retail ERP. If you are looking for an Implementation partner, you may contact Trident Information Systems. We are the Gold Microsoft Dynamics 365 and LS Retail Implementation Partner.

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Make Your Restaurant Staff Happier and More Productive

Retail ERP Software / Trident

The Hospitality Industry mounts severe pressure on the management as well as the staff. With increasing customer demands, restaurants are innovating strategies to cope with each other and move ahead. According to Deloitte research, 67% of consumers believe that having an authentic and engaging environment is the most important part of the overall customer experience. One can achieve this with Restaurant Management Software that offers Restaurant POS Systems. However, frequent staff turnover is one of the most common issues in the F&B industry. Due to lack of staff, existing staff are expected to exceed more than the scope of their duties. This can lead to poor customer service, too much pressure on the staff, and exhausted resources. Thankfully, we have Restaurant Management Software available which assists restaurants to adopt the latest approach, shun staff load, and ensure maximum engagement to the customer. For businesses still working on outdated technology, things are not smooth: they encounter issues like: High staff turnover. Exceeding pressure on the existing employees. Discontinuity of operations due to hardware breakdown. Slow operations due to working in silos. Overstocking and under-stocking of operations. Hectic schedules, especially during peak times. The pressure of waiters to coordinate between customers and the chef. Technologies to Relieve your Staff and Endorse Better Customer Service Owing to the technologies available in the market, you can equip your employees with robust advances and boost their productivity. Enable them enough time to give it all to the customers. Cloud POS that Integrates Stock, Menus, and Prices When the time is gone the waiter would roam around with a piece of paper and pet to deliver it straight to the kitchen with the risk of smudging or losing it their way. They can now use a Point-of-Sale solution that works on both mobile and tablet. These devices are affordable, easy to find, and more convenient. Your staff can go to the customers and record their orders and transfer the data to the kitchen. Apart from this, on the one hand, they can take orders from a group chilling at the terrace, while on the other hand, they can receive payments from the same POS on some other tables. Things get way simpler with this technology. Additionally, they can also keep tabs on stock availability and avoid confusion where they must come back to the table and apologize for the inconvenience. They can also let customers know of the latest deals and offers on a specific meal, also they can suggest the most recommended dish so far to the customers. If you opt for a unified Restaurant solution like LS Retail and integrate head office, kitchen, and the front office, your staff can be sure that the information they are provided: from prices to ingredients to product availability, is completely up to date. Kitchen Display Systems Coupled with the modern restaurant management software and cloud POS, the kitchen is connected with a two-way communication system where the orders are directly sent to the specific kitchen counter. Since the kitchen is sectioned among grills, fryers, bakes, beverages, salads, etc. the orders are sent directly to the right kitchen counter. The Kitchen Display System (KDS) also enables additional facilities like customer comments, customization, and allergic altars to be marked specifically. Apart from this, it even enables manual customization so you could segment sections accordingly. All these features are the precious support your staff desperately needs, especially during peak days and festive seasons. An effective KDS will also decrease the risk of dishes being sent back to the kitchen. Shift Scheduling Communication and clarity are necessary to maintain a healthy relationship between an employee and the employer. Miscommunication can leave both stressed out and exhausted. No employee likes being called during their day-off and asked why they are not there at the workplace and similarly, no employer likes to make such calls. You can have restaurant management software that is equipped with built-in scheduling functionality and organize complex shifts while sharing clear expectations. A complete planning system also helps you apply up-to-date scheduling information to payroll, eliminating errors and ensuring you compensate everyone on time. Role-Based Interface Every staff member in a restaurant is assigned specific tasks and needs relevant information to comply with them. A waiter needs to know what dishes are available in the kitchen. Those working in the kitchen need to know the availability of the raw material, produce orders on time and know where each item is placed. As part of the management faculty, you need to make strategies to cut costs and provide maximum output. You can cut costs and time with a customizable system that gives exact information each employee needs to see; you can maximize your staff time with role-based interfaces that enable them to focus on tasks relevant to them to deliver faster and more efficient services. Intelligent Analytics and Report The output of a restaurant does not limit its dining tables and staff alone. The managers need robust analytics tools to get insights into how their business is performing and pull out if the specifics are even working. They can figure out where the business needs modifications? Are our loyal customers not coming back as frequently as before? Are our current facilities satisfying enough? Having such technology offers a glance over the prominent aspects of their restaurants. These days, restaurant managers no longer have to browse through their Excel sheets and find out the issues. Instead, a Restaurant Management System supporting Intelligent Analytics and reporting functionalities enable insights the manager needs to act on. They can track loyalty programs, outputs, and success of the business while offsetting changes in ingredient pricing, menu customizations, staffing and offers, etc. Restaurants need to get smarter and load their staff with less pressure. Equip your restaurant with a modern restaurant management system and optimize staff efficiency. LS Retail is one of the most renowned restaurant management software. Contact Trident if you are looking for its implementation.

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How LS Central Transforms Retail?

Retail ERP Software / Trident

Thanks to LS Retail Software Solution, various businesses have shifted their approach from choosing multiple software integration over a single commerce platform. Retailers, hospitality businesses, and restaurants in over 140 countries are overjoyed to use this platform and enjoy the benefits that come along. LS Central Software Solution is a retail management software that guarantees retail and hospitality management with its set of tools dedicated to providing visibility, transparency, and a single view of the entire business. However it is essential to find the most suitable Retail ERP Partner. With LS Central Software Solution, businesses are now equipped with technology that not only streamlines business but also reduces IT load and cuts costs significantly. For instance, a large ski resort in Canada used to have 26 distinct software solutions which needed to be updated and managed separately, causing too much load on its IT. They then decided to embrace LS Central, and now they can finally operate as a unified brand, track loyalty, run promotions and see their data. Eventually, the business became even more successful and competitive. Here are some of the ways to keep your business ahead of your competition. Omnichannel Integration With omnichannel integration, you can let your customers shop wherever and whenever they want. LS Central connects to market-leading platforms such as Magento, Shopify, and Dynamic Webs. This integration guarantees two-way communication between the systems. Hence letting your staff and customers get real-time and updated information on each product. Be it product availability, prices, and offers on your online shop, they can always have updated data. Additionally, LS Central tracks every sale you have made on a single platform, so you can even offer click and collect options so they can purchase online and collect it at the store if they want. Contactless Options in Store Customers were demanding contactless services even before the pandemic hit. They were looking for mediums to make things even more convenient without having to contact store staff. By implementing self-service checkouts, you can ensure customers the autonomy they wish for while shopping in person while cutting the queues and saving time. ScanPayGo technologies minimize contacts even more. LS Central combines loyalty with the POS (point of sale) in the single app that can run on your customer’s device. Being a One-stop-shop app, it lets customers shop, save lists, save money, apply coupons, check their loyalty score, and much more. Drive Employees to Deliver Exceptional Services LS Central enables a medium for employees to serve today’s well-informed customers. With mobile POS, your staff can look up the product details- Its availability, alternatives, warehouse details, and even data on special orders. They can easily compare the size, color, and other details on their phone. The key to obtaining loyalty is to build personalized services. At POS, employees can access their store’s loyal customer’s details, previous purchases, and preferences. They can even use LS Central’s AI-based abilities to make relevant recommendations and product suggestions. Innovate and Go Beyond Industry Barriers Customers are attracted to services that stand out in the crowd. Offer services that differ from your customers. You can use this LS Retail Software Solution, to run food service, retail, and hospitality within the same platform. For instance, if you operate a mixed business like a garden center with a cafe, you can manage different segments within the same platform i.e., LS Central. You can easily align customers, offers, sales, food service, and a lot more within the same database. Furthermore, if you decide to expand and offer appointments with a garden designer, you can as well do it with LS Central’s robust LS Activity add-on. Clear Visibility and Data-Informed Decisions You can get a real-time view of your business with LS Central Software Solution. We recognize that data cannot help you make effective decisions. Thus, it offers intelligent functionality to make it easier for you to make relevant decisions. For instance, one of its AI-powered add-ons called LS insight addresses KPIs that need the most attention. It delivers all the information that is more important for your business to grow. Overstocking and understocking are some of the key issues businesses come across. With LS Retail Software Solution, you may get real-time visibility on your stocks and make more accurate, faster, and smarter decisions LS Central is one of the leading unified commerce solution providers out in the market. Trident Information Systems is the best Retail ERP Partner, and is reinforced with 150+ technical professionals. If you are looking for an implementation partner, you can contact us.

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Cope with Post-Festive Sales Decline Successfully

Retail ERP Software / Trident

Festive seasons bring great sales opportunities: every industry is packed with customers. Nevertheless, one industry that collects the most candies from the basket is retail. With ERP Software for the Retail industry, businesses are thriving in the market, if they are supported by the right Retail ERP Partner. Consumers shop extra, get drawn towards exciting deals, offers and promos. Businesses feel abundant and exploit as much profit as possible. However, the issue starts the post-festive season, when the surge in festive shopping ends, best-selling smartphone models go out of stock, and lower-than-expected wedding-related purchases off-take. According to Bizcom, a sales automation firm that transacts with 7.5 million retail stores, revealed that sales fell 14% in November 2021 for fast-moving consumer products. Industry executives quoted “sales of smartphones, television, refrigerators and washing machines fell 15-20% sequentially in November.” This crisis comes up every year. However, pandemics, travel restrictions, and other prohibitions made it even harder. Even though everything seems to be coming on track, retailers have to exploit the latent opportunities to stay ahead in the competition. They may implement a ERP Software for the Retail industry specifically designed to handle retail businesses while making their operations even more seamless and staying ahead of competitors. Forecast Demand and Stock-Up The first step is to forecast demands and order inventory accordingly: carefully research different items in demand and purchase inventory accordingly. On the other way around, you can also get an AI-based system extracting inputs and generating insightful and actionable reports. Organize inventory in-store according to the demand. Place the most demanded items in the most visible and accessible area. Having demand forecasted you may ditch items unworthy of investment. Figure Out the Right Offer for the Target Audience One of the most efficient ways to boost demand is to offer the right offer to the right audience segment. But how would you section your customers? First, divide your frequent and infrequent customers, then deliver exclusive deals and attractive offers designed especially for your loyal customers. You may create deals according to their shopping frequency and preferences. Integrate all the channels and extract customer data to get insights. A Unified AI-based technology can do this job perfectly. It attracts customer-related transactions and turns them into insightful reports. Make No Space for Long Queues Make sure you do not let your customers stand in long queues at the check-out counter. Enable more secure cashless payments to make the transactions quicker and keep the traffic smooth. Additionally, you may as well allow self-check-out ports and empower customers to make quick checkouts and leave the store soon. This way you can also free up the floor space and save other customers from feeling all congested. Adopt Retail POS Software like the one LS Retail offers to bust long queues. Quickly Give your Customers What they Want Customers are impatient and making them wait for their desired product/ service is a risky affair. Make sure they get what they want right away, connect all the touchpoints, and let them place orders from whatever platform they want. If they want to place an order while sitting in a metro while listening to the latest songs, so be it. Deliver their orders quickly or let them collect them from the store, the choice is theirs. As soon as they enter the store, make sure they do not struggle to find their item. Reinforce your staff with handheld devices containing product information, so they can quickly find the item and guide customers to the same. Encourage Referral Promotion Delighted customers might refer your business to others. A WOM (word of mouth) promotion is the most effective promotion. Encourage customers to share referrals with their friends. Enable social share buttons on your website, promote post-purchase messaging, feature referral programs on your home page, promote referrals on high traffic pages, and so on. Additionally, customers might even post your brand’s products on their social media and allow free promotion. Otherwise, you may also contact different influencers and pay them to sponsor your product to their audience. Businesses must combine innovation with technology and work with “Technovation” to thrive in this sales shortage. We recommend implementing ERP Software for the Retail industry. LS Retail is an ideal solution in this situation. If you are looking for an implementation partner, contact Trident, the Gold Partner of LS Retail.

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Drive Customers Back to Your Business in a Post-COVID Era

Retail ERP Software / Trident

There has been a massive shift in the way customers approach brands. They have now become even more quality and cost-conscious. Businesses have also modified the way they operate; they have now understood their customer’s sentiments better while the world is fighting a battle against this never-ending virus. In order to gain your customer’s trust, you have to be true to your brand and serve its purpose. Now how can you do it better? By understanding your customers, their needs, and sentiments. Keep your customers first. Ask for feedback, use appropriate technology to track their spending patterns and habits. What changed, and how can you keep up with it? It is all you need to understand. Given below are a few things that COVID-19 changed; Brand Switching: As several brands dwindled and shuttered, consumers were forced to try new brands. With the limited opportunity to purchase products in person, they had to rely more on online mediums. As the pandemic started fading, more people began to realize that it was not a bad idea to give other brands a chance. Expecting channels: As customers explored online shopping increasingly, they became further accustomed to Omnichannel research and transactions. Customers are now expecting physical stores to offer online transactions that complement their overall shopping experience even before entering the store. Price and Value Consciousness: After job declines and shortage of income, people started becoming even more quality conscious and began to question further if their brand is equating the value or not. Also, they are concerned about environmental sustainability and what these brands are doing in the favor of the planet. Loyalty V/s Retention: Many people confuse loyalty with retention. However, little do they acknowledge their difference. Customer loyalty is what fuels customer retention. Loyalty is a keen sense of support and obligation to choose a brand which later fuels retention. Tips to Keep Customers Loyal to Your Band Post-COVID There are a number of ways through which you can retain customers. If accompanied by suitable technology like LS Retail, even better. You have to make sure the quality of your product is up to the mark while keeping customers first at all times. Keep Online Communication Consistent Online communications involve updated social media posts and emails. However, at the onset of COVID, various small businesses paused their online communication. If you are one of them as well, this is the best time to begin again. You do not have to aggressively promote your brand (which can later become annoying for the customer) and understand that the situation is now different from pre-COVID times. All you have to do is inform your customers about product availability. Since this is a tough time for everyone, sympathize with them, tell your stories, and let them know how much you care for them. This is the best time to connect emotionally with the consumer. Omnichannel Customer Service Imagine how frustrating it would be for a customer to fill in their name, contact, and other details again and again at every step, especially when his requirement is urgent. For instance, a customer purchased a product last weekend from your store, who raised a fund request explaining his issues. After a while, a customer executive calls him asking for issues further, and other details again. After a few days, now the marketing manager wants to have a word with the buyer and asks for the same details again. Businesses need to introduce a robust omnichannel mechanism that allows every member to stay on the same page while taking care of the customer’s concerns. It not only saves time but also lets the customer feel important. To set up an effective omnichannel, you need to bring sales, marketing, and customer services together and connect them with all touchpoints via a common dashboard. Offer Gift cards to Customers Pandemic or not- everyone loves gifts. To increase customer engagement, offer them e-gift cards. This way, you are maintaining communication while avoiding human contact. Offer them interesting offers while keeping your business in mind and how it runs. For example, if you have a store at Amazon, you can offer X% cashback on your next purchase. Such offers thrill customers and boost sales while maintaining safety. Resolve Queries of Unsatisfied Customers first It is more important to train your customer service team to treat unsatisfied customers first than you think. It is a massive risk to let them remain dissatisfied. Everyone has access to social media platforms where they can freely share their opinions. There is always a risk of negative promotion if they are discontented. The best practice is to resolve their queries as soon as possible. Another factor that may come into influence is their negative remarks on social media impacting your website search engine. Reward Loyal Customers Using a unified software solution like LS Retail can help you identify your loyal customers. With a robust visionary dashboard, you can calculate each customer’s behavior and pick the loyal ones. Offer attractive deals and offers exclusively tailored for them. It makes the consumer feel important and belonged. You can classify different customers and segment them into diverse groups and prepare exclusive deals for each. Offer gifts that none of your competitors offer. There is no better time than their birthdays, anniversaries, festivals, and other notable events to offer your personalized gifts. It is essential to think out-of-the-box to keep ahead of your competition in the post-COVID era. Letting the right technology assist you is a clever idea. LS Retail is a unified software solution specifically designed to take care of your every business need. Trident Information Systems is a Gold Partner of LS Retail. Armed with 150+ technical resources, we have served various business ventures. Contact us for further information.

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How Can Unified Commerce Be a Game-Changer for Your Business?

Retail ERP Software / Trident

We have witnessed a massive shift in the retail industry in the past few decades. We have seen retail stores evolving and expanding their reach via multiple channels. The only way to survive in this industry is to keep customers happy at all costs. Retailers must provide an omnichannel service to the customers and deliver personalized services across all channels. A unified commerce solution implements advanced technologies like IoT or ML and software solutions such as CRM and POS. However, it is still difficult to make them collaborate. Now, with changing times, businesses are making amends with their business processing. They are now inclining more towards using one platform for sales, systems, and applications while collecting data and extracting essential insights. This process is also known as unified commerce, and it is most likely to become the base for all businesses in the future. What is Unified Commerce? Earlier the commerce industry relied on the individual channels of sales. However, now most of them optimize an omnichannel commerce model. Despite having multiple benefits, this model is insufficient to cover every issue that retailers might encounter. Therefore, there is an emerging demand for unified commerce. Unified commerce is a full-fledged software system that enables retailers to: Monitor each function of their business. View product and customer data via all touchpoints in real-time. Analyze data and turn them into actionable insights. Make data-driven and logical decisions. Proffer a personalized customer experience. In simple words, you can get product data, customer insights, back-office management within the same platform. The Major Aspects of a Unified Commerce Given below are the main pillars of unified commerce: Sales, customer, software, and product. Sales Channel Different customers might prefer different channels to reach out to your product. Some might pick your website, third-party applications, or any other medium depending upon their choice. It makes the retailer even more accountable for providing an equally seamless experience across all the touchpoints. Whether browsing or purchasing products online or in-store, buyers must access the same chances: the view, the feel, promotions, and exceptional deals, and everything else must be the same. This is what we call consistency across all the channels. Customer Interactions The users who interact with your business using different channels via different devices must get a seamless shopping experience even from a different channel from the point they paused. For instance, if a buyer puts a product in the cart on your website, the next time they open the app, the cart items must be visible to them. This way they can continue shopping even after shifting to another channel. When you keep tabs on your customer moves via all the channels, you can create personalized recommendations and make customers happy. As a result, your sales go up. Software Systems This concept even implies the integration of different systems on the same platform, such as ERP, CRM, SCM, CSM, POS, mobile apps, and other systems. Unified commerce ensures these systems are fully integrated and deliver impeccable services. Product Information The data addressing your services or products must be accurate and relevant across all the sales channels. Your customers and employees need to access the identical data of your services and products to avoid misunderstanding. Make sure the data is identical at all levels. How Does It Provide a Seamless Shopping Experience? Unified commerce opens doors to several benefits, and seamless customer interactions are one of them. But how does it do it? Given below are the factors that are responsible for providing seamless customer services: Flexibility: It enables more flexibility for the customer. They can start, continue, finish, and cancel a product using their mobile phones or any other device they prefer. The buying journey has never been more flexible. Interaction Recording: The system tracks every customer’s action; what they purchased, what they canceled, and what product they returned. The system tracks every interaction they have with your brand while allowing you to predict their next decisions. Real-time Updates: Completely integrated channels make it possible for a real-time product or service updates while keeping your staff and customers aware of the availability. Personalized Recommendations: Customer monitoring allows you to tailor recommendations for the customer. How does Unified Commerce Benefit Your Business? Apart from providing a seamless experience to the shoppers, this concept benefits your overall business with: Automation: A centralized platform allows automation of most of the time-consuming manual tasks, which results in increased productivity of employees. Effective Management: Unified commerce prevents almost all business barriers while ensuring 100% transparency of processes at all levels. Your staff is aware of all the updates in real-time hence allowing them to make the right decisions centering on delivery, marketing, inventory, and other business processes. You can also get rid of some general retail issues such as overstocking and understocking. Lower Scope of Errors: Automation ensures accuracy of data drives the lower scope of errors as compared to those of manual management of different solutions. In addition, AI and ML-based predictive analysis help you predict and prevent issues. Boost of Sales: All the above benefits mentioned above sum up to the boost of sales. With delighted customers, efficient management, accurate data, logical decisions, and fewer errors you can boost sales. LS Retail is a unified commerce service provider. It delivers a set of tools ensuring impeccable business operations and incredible customer services. Trident Information Systems is a Gold Partner of LS Retail and Microsoft who has served numerous business ventures so far. For further information contact us.

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Manage Exceeding Electronics and Handset Demands this Festive Season

Retail POS Solution / Trident

The festive season is near, and customer demands for electronics have already outstripped supply for consumer electronic items. It has become a grave issue for retailers and other industry executives. Demand for the best-selling models coupled with a set of other imported devices is either short on supply or out of stock. The supply crunch amplified due to the Navratri sales (October 12-15) led by online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as brick-and-mortar retail stores such as Croma and Reliance Digital. How to Manage this Demand Hustle? The festive season is when retailers are flooded with opportunities and need the right technology and approaches to beat this demand crunch. We have compiled a few suggestions to help you manage overwhelming demands. Predict Demands and Stock up Demand prediction is the first and the most crucial step for managing demand. Understand market trends and keep yourself stocked up. This is how Amazon and Flipkart could stay ahead in the completion. They already forecasted this surge, and the sellers stocked up with higher inventory much earlier. Hence, leading to a better situation for these marketplaces. Supply Chain Management Software like Microsoft Dynamics 365 empowered with AI-based technology extracts market data and creates logical and actionable reports. Integrate Online Ordering Channels Allows customers to reach you the way they want. Whether it is an application, website, or third-party platform, they can reach out to you through any medium. Having all the channels integrated within a unified platform saves retailers from multiple integration complications. This way the buyer gets enough flexibility to choose what they are most comfortable with. Apart from this, retailers can also check on their customer’s activities, for example, they can check out how many customers landed on their website and for how long. calculating their level of interest, the retailer can set a targeted customer base accordingly. Manage Warehouse Efficiently When demands get unpredictable, efficient warehouse space management becomes a must. Plan proper stock positioning and allocation for maximum floor space optimization. Many warehouses ignore the importance of proper racking and stacking. Hence, they end up wasting a lot more space than usual. Adopt proper spacing methods such as extending your racks up vertically, reducing aisle width and racking area, adding half-pallet storage location, and so on. Electronics tend to get outdated pretty quickly, hence discard the obsolete and damaged appliances. Regulate warehouse temperature and keep tabs on the inventory yet to arrive. Make Sure You are Not Short on Inventory After forecasting demand, retailers should ensure they have the right number of stocks available complimenting consumer demands. Track electronics batch and classify inventory with similar traits in batches. For example, keep all the iPhone versions in a single batch and Samsung phones in another. This is called batch tracking, which makes inventory management a lot easier. You can also use a technology that keeps tabs on current inventory and required inventory. Not only does it save your efforts but also streamlines inventory management. Bust Queues with Mobile POS System A team equipped with mobile POS assists customers way better. It accelerates customer experience while tracking the right electronic item in the store. It even streamlines the payment process; customers can pay faster and even help themselves if other staff members are busy with others. Consumers do not have to wait in long queues. Apart from consumers, it also manages suppliers and ensures complete security. A mobile POS is more than just billing software. Mobile POS is different from a fixed POS system. It is easy to carry and more convenient for both consumers and the seller. Ensure Timely Delivery When demands are rushing, and so is the time, accelerate the delivery process. Retailers have to be extra careful during the festive crunch. The profit rates are high, and so is the competition, which makes customers demand faster delivery. Track vehicles and the shortest route possible while ensuring the product reaches its destination unharmed. Also, it is advisable to allow a seamless returning process if the customer is not satisfied with the product. This leads to a sense of security among the customers. Many marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart follow the same policy. They allow customers to return a product if they feel like it. Bottom Line The festive season brings joy, business, and stress for retailers altogether. With overwhelming demands and shortage of supply complimenting the urge for quality needs a solid supply chain management. Demand forecasting, omnichannel, warehouse management, and prompt delivery are the aspects. A unified supply chain management service provider like Trident Information Systems. It has been a Microsoft Gold Partner since 2003 and has dealt with such demand scrunches gracefully. For further information or a demonstration, contact us.

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Why Your Retail Business Needs to Embrace Omnichannel

Retail ERP Software / Trident

A lot of things in the retail industry have changed so far. Stores have extended their boundaries from brick and mortar to other online mediums such as websites, applications, third-party platforms, etc. Digital invasion plays a critical role in bringing this industry to the next level With cutthroat competition at every corner, retailers are bound to get the latest technology such as a unified commerce solution complimenting their strategies to survive the market dynamics. With the promise of providing customers with what they want at their decided time, retailers are burning their candles at both ends. How does Omnichannel work? The integration of all the touchpoints or integration of different shipping methods available to a consumer while providing a seamless shopping journey is what Omnichannel does. For Instance, a customer browses your website looking for a shirt, but instead of buying it right away, he puts it in the cart. Then he casually browses Facebook and stumbles upon your ad, clicks on it, and gets a coupon. He then comes back to your website and purchases the same shirt using your code. After making the final payment, he decides to pick it up from the brick-and-mortar store. Why is Omnichannel Important for Your Business? Omnichannel is an essential approach that addresses customer experience on each channel – mobile, desktop browser, retail, podcast, social media, and so on. It also tracks the transition of customers on each channel while reading their purchasing patterns. Seamless Shopping Experience Omni means “in all ways or places,” nothing can more perfectly define the purpose of omnichannel marketing than this term. The customer can now shop anytime, anywhere. When they travel through the metro, they can purchase before reaching their destination. While computing to work, they can buy a T-shirt. When too busy to make purchases, they can ask Alexa or amazon devices to do it on their behalf. It has become that easy. This is one of the most obvious reasons why omnichannel is important. Advertisers have to stay a step ahead of the customers and ensure you deliver the product they want. Robust Business Analysis Omnichannel gives a complete analysis of the effectiveness of their campaigns while assisting retailers with making more logical decisions. Gone are the days when business owners had to look through each channel individually, organize individual spreadsheets, make manual analysis of the successful campaigns and the ones who demand improvements. An omnichannel solution like LS Retail gives a 360-degree view of your business and reads each customer interaction, understanding their preference and purchasing pattern. These analyses are crucial for setting up new strategies or modifying current ones. Personalization Recent studies have shown that 90% of consumers find non-personalized emails and messages from a brand annoying. Whereas 65% of millennials expect their favorite brands to send them messages especially designed for them. Therefore, we can conclude that personalization is no longer a luxury to survive but a necessity for brands. It might seem a bit complicated to customize offers for each buyer. However, with omnichannel, retailers can access each of their customer behaviors and classify them into distinct groups or customize offers individually. The process is no longer lofty, and brands can fully benefit from the same. Effective Synergy Among Departments This is not uncommon for various organizations to have a division in sales and marketing teams, and how crucial it is to maintain coordination. Omnichannel makes it even easier for different departments to propel synergy. When implemented, omnichannel ensures every step of the customer journey replicates the message, tone, and product offerings. If a consumer dials a customer representative, they must already know about purchases made by the consumer. With the proper coordination, sales teams can personalize emails, they can drive an urge for the products and their alternatives. Be it a customer representative call, billboard, or an ad, the tone is the same. To sum it up, we can conclude that omnichannel ensures unity and better coordination among different departments and boosts overall effectiveness. Cost-Effective Advertisements Nothing can frustrate an advertiser more than a wasted ad. Omnichannel scans data through each channel and takes over the guesswork. LS Retail data analysis tool ensures you are reaching the targeted audience. It addresses different channels for different advertisements according to customer engagement. You do not have to wait for the pre-paid campaigns any longer. Embrace the omnichannel and shift your investment to better-performing tactics and channels. The retail industry can tremendously benefit from omnichannel services like the one from LS Retail. It integrated each touchpoint while guaranteeing a seamless shopping journey to the customer. Trident Information Systems is a Gold LS Retail Partner and has served several businesses excellently. Contact us for further information.

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6 Benefits of Food Delivery POS Integration for Restaurants

Retail ERP Software / Trident

Time has changed, now many tasks which were done manually earlier are handed over to technology. It did face some resentment at the beginning. However, the time quickly arrived when restaurant owners started using it to its maximum capacity. POS integration is one such technology. Due to its flexibility and convenience, it helps restaurants give up various monotonous manual tasks and engages staff with more productive activities, such as serving each customer with more enthusiasm, elaborating about dishes more extensively, providing suggestions, etc. It also helps cope with the shortage of labor, allowing staff to work with their maximum potential. Earlier, a non-integrated POS was just a billing software with no other features. It was always at data loss risk while not being as convenient as a smarter POS. An integrated POS comes with multiple benefits fashioning an easier and smoother working environment. Accurate Business Reports Every business needs accurate reports on what is going on. This is how it identifies how much improvement is needed ahead. One of its greatest advantages includes its efficiency to manage different business aspects centrally such as sales, credit, stock, and inventory within a single platform while creating accurate reports on the same. It can also store a great deal of data. These records are digitally captured and displayed way faster than the traditional cash register. In addition, this system can put out the exact anytime from the extensive inventory, especially while devoting any error. Better Customer Experience Fluent order receiving, seamless payments, menu variations, reduced wait times, and a lot more are included in the integrated POS system. With this technology, customers are empowered to communicate directly with the chef about what they want and how they would like to have their meals. Everything that was once done manually has been passed on to automation. Therefore, accelerating better customer experience. Smoother Operations An integrated POS is more than a billing software. It connects the front office with the back while reducing manual efforts. Now, the waiters can save time by manually going to the kitchen, finding the right counter, and delivering orders. This task is now done through an advanced platform. Both chefs and waiters can avoid confusions, and work in a more harmonious environment. With monotonous tasks being automated, the staff has enough time to serve each customer more efficiently. Wait Time Reduction A restaurant might have different food prep areas: there are separate counters for drinks, the main course, and appetizers. An integrated POS allows customers to pay orders from different areas at once. Apart from this, nobody likes to wait in long queues after having a fantastic meal. An integrated POS busts queues and ensures customers can pay and leave faster. It does not leave any scope for traffic at the reception. Improved Customer Relationships This system improves customer relationships, allows restaurants to change their menus fast, reduces wait times, and allows safe payment methods like debit, credit, cash, etc. Hence, allowing better and faster customer services. Everything is quicker and better, eventually improving customer relationships with a restaurant. It notes down customer activities and lets restaurants suggest meals they might like. More Effective loyalty Programs An integrated POS generates reports on every transaction that happens. It also stores customer data including what they had and how frequently they have the same or similar dish. It is smart enough to read customers and allow decision-makers to make more effective loyalty programs. They can classify different customers based on their frequency, likes, dislikes, and other relevant traits. They can then create relevant strategies meal deals, offers, and discounts. Happy hours can also be planned for everyone based on customer data. An integrated POS is a lot different than a traditional POS system. A traditional system would barely receive bills and is always at the risk of data loss. Whereas, a smart POS system integrates everything right from the front and straight to the back office making operations smoother and faster. LS Retail offers POS services and lavishes your business with various benefits making your restaurant more efficient. Trident Information Systems is an LS Retail Gold Partner. For further information contact us.

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Cost Cutting Tips for a Greater Profit Margin with LS Retail

Retail ERP Software / Trident

When it comes to cost-cutting, many retailers might find it hard to process it without Retail ERP Software. Look for unified Retail Management Software that encompasses each area impacting immensely on costing like inventory management, warehousing, supply chain management, and so on. As a retailer, costing is supposed to be on the radar. It depicts how well your business is doing and what changes you need to implement to avoid costing challenges. It is a matrix that needs to evolve consistently. LS central is an extension to Microsoft Dynamics for Retail Industry offering a complete suite for retail business management. Hence busting common challenges retailers encounter such as Lack of Visibility: Visibility is the most important part when it comes to cost-cutting, lack of real-time data can lead to some confusion and drive over or under inventory purchase. It makes it harder to identify areas where you can potentially cut costs and lead to waste. Competition: Neck-to-neck competition in retail is obvious. Due to many contenders and constantly changing customer demands. Everyone is striving to be better than one another. Adopting technologies to upgrade their services and get ahead of the crowd. Brand Positioning: having an appropriate pricing strategy goes hand in hand with how you want to position your brand in the market. Sometimes it gets a little tricky since the customer can take it otherwise. For instance, lowering prices can leave an impression of having inferior quality, and the buyer does not take it seriously. Improper Discount Planning: discounts must be planned very carefully. Indeed, they can drive customers in. However, sometimes it can turn the tables around. Stock clearance sales are ideal for discount implementation, but improper discount planning can lead to product quality suspicions. You might also end up drawing a discount-driven crowd or customers that do not provide repeated business. How To Cut Costs and Boost Profit with Ls Retail? LS Retail is a unified software solution and an extension to Dynamics 365 for retail which provides a dynamic environment required to run a retail business. Manage your business centrally and get real-time visibility, keep tabs on your inventory and avoid overstocking. Embrace its features to reap maximum benefits Centrally Manage Your Retail Business Whether you run a single shop or own a multi-complex, it is of no concern. Have real-time visibility and control over your retail business with a Unified Software Solution. With automation, plan costing, and product pricing with accurate data analysis. Manage your business even if you have different chains in distinct locations. Ensure a free flow of information, save time, efforts, and costs which you would have otherwise on manually doing everything. Cut Operational Costs with Mobile POS Adopting a unified mobile POS that integrates sales, marketing, and inventory within a unified platform can save you much more than a sole purpose POS. Apart from that, cut down on overtime and excess staff as much as you can. Avoid using tissues, extra bags, and excess packing as much as possible. A mobile POS helps you automate tasks as much as possible. You no longer must fill in data repeatedly. Most of the recurring transactions are automated, sparing your staff enough time to spend their efforts on other productive activities. Get Real-Time Visibility LS Retail provides The Best ERP for Retail, you get real-time visibility essential to identify cost-cutting areas and strategize profit-boosting ways. Identify if you are overstocking your inventory. check if your technology has become obsolete and needs an upgrade. Spot operational areas are working insufficiently and need attention. Get real-time market analysis and figure out what is in demand, see if you are not excessively stocking the inventory that is not in demand. Be Fast and Flexible with Omni-Channel The Omnichannel provides enough flexibility for the customers to order a product online if available. They can review various products at the same time and decide whether they want it delivered to their home or would like to pick it up. Empowering your staff with a mobile POS leads to more flexible payment processing and better assistance to the customer regarding purchasing a product. Even if the staff is busy enough to process payments, the customers can still help themselves with self-checkout. Utilize Predictive Analysis Optimize accurate demand forecast analysis and generate better replenishment strategies. Cut time and efforts on order processing with rapid facilities, scan-based receiving and automatic put away, and inventory counts. This helps enhance store floor accuracy and improve overall store performance. You minimize waste and add up to the profit. Generate Smart Loyalty Programs Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail extension helps generate offers, deals, loyalty programs, and so on. Strategize discounts more smartly with accurate data analysis targeting customer behavior. Identify the right opportunity to launch a specific deal. Ensure customers provide repeated business. Identify Waste Patterns Identify the waste patterns and make necessary adjustments. Spot items that are not much in demand or not in demand at all. Reduce manual work and encourage your staff to optimize automation as much as possible. With customer sales reports, manage inventory and identify the right product mix to meet the sales goals. Cut costs and save time with replenishment and standard stocks. Select the right Implementation Partner Being stuck with the wrong implementation partner can cause you some serious financial damage. Not being careful enough can lead you to the hidden cost trap. Since this partnership lasts for up to five years, be careful with who you tie up. An ideal implementation partner keeps things crystal clear about their services right from the start. It is recommended to choose someone with years of experience and happy clientage. Cost-cutting and boosting profit margin get easier with automation. Having a suitable Retail ERP Software such as LS Retail does the job perfectly. A complete suite offering every necessary tool within the same environment can not only optimize business operations but also cut unnecessary costs, giving your business a profit boost. Choose a suitable implementation partner such as Trident Information Systems, gold partner of Microsoft Dynamics 365, and LS Retail. Backed up with 150+ technical resources and a powerful clientage, we guarantee successful project accomplishment. For further queries contact us.

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