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Why Should Large Scale Businesses opt for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS?  

Back in the day, businesspeople perceived cloud-based software implementation to be well suited for only small to medium-sized businesses. It had an image of reducing the upfront and implementation costs for SMBs while large-scale businesses still preferred to stick to the traditional on-premises software. However, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation has shunned this perception. Greater control, more functionality, and complete customization are some of many Dynamics 365 Business Central Features.   Large-scale businesses have begun to accept Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation to manage their complex requirements. It is one of the most popular enterprises resource planning which is now considered well suited for large enterprises. At the recent Annual Directions Conference, Rayner Vas (software engineer), and Christian Heide Damm (architect) elaborated on Microsoft’s investments and enhanced performance. Now, Business Central refrains from any limitations on the number of users, transactions, sessions, or size of the database, making it a suitable option for businesses of varied sizes. Business Central Licensing is also very flexible.   The Forrester research also backs up this claim; they state the total impact of Business Central on a business’s economy. They found out that businesses who opted for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation successfully attained operational efficiency, cut costs, and easily scaled their deployments. This growth is a result of the support that the cloud offered.   However, if you are still unsure about Microsoft Business Central, we have compiled the top three reasons to convince you to choose it for your large-scale business.   Steady Scalability   Microsoft Business Central allows as many users as your business needs. There is no limitation to your growth. Each Business Central instance comes with data storage of 80 GB. According to Microsoft, this is more than enough space for different organizations. Even if a company needs expansion in their data storage, they can add it.   Business Central keeps adding regular performance enhancements to ensure enough scalability for even the largest organizations. Latest features like SQL Compression – a technique that is also employed throughout other Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud services. It helps reduce database volume and enhance performance. Its service functionality also tracks unanticipated database growth while aiding users to catch issues in the earlier stages and prevent unexpected database use. In addition, the Business Central Admin Dashboard also helps the users to manage their database costs continuously. Having complete visibility of your data and being able to see exactly what you are using; you can calculate the total costs and plan the budget accordingly.   According to further reports by Forster, almost all the Business Central users state the benefits of being able to scale users and enjoy license types. Also, during turbulent times like pandemics, they could keep their ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) resources on provision and cut costs.   On the Go Productivity  Being a cloud-first solution, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation enables its user’s freedom of action. In the past couple of years, some large-scale businesses faced shortcomings when it came to making rapid changes. For instance, large-scale businesses working on premises could not fulfil the requirement of remote work overnight. Those who were already running in Cloud could successfully adapt to it.   Reports also suggest that firms who invest in technologies which enable remote work will eventually enjoy a competitive edge through a more engaged workforce. Furthermore, it was also reported that business central users noted that being on SaaS allows their transition to remote work a lot easier than it would have been with their previous on-premises ERP software.   Best In-class Security for Your Business   It is not hidden from anyone how robust Microsoft security is. Microsoft takes its security very seriously. It costs about USD 1 billion a year. It has shown its security’s continuous enhancement in multiple ways: from data encryption to identity isolation to automated threat detection, and just-in-time access.  A few years ago, some customers were hesitant about using cloud services because they thought it was not safe enough. Nowadays, however, the situation has reversed. Business owners are more inclined toward the concept of the cloud due to its unparalleled security. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation, users can take complete advantage of the full security infrastructure provided by Microsoft cloud to its users.   Overall, because of the above-mentioned reasons and more, numerous retailers chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Implementation. For Microsoft Business Central Demo, contact Trident Information Systems. We are a gold Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner and have served various business ventures.  

Why Should Large Scale Businesses opt for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central SaaS?   Read More »

Use Microsoft Power BI to Drive More Customer into Your Restaurant  

Restaurants these days are looking for the perfect Restaurant ERP Software Solution that fulfils their business needs such as LS Retail ERP. An ideal Restaurant Management Software is reinforced with insightful tools like Microsoft Power BI. Power BI is a robust tool used to extract insightful reports on customers or the overall business. It helps integrate distinct data sets, cleans data, and transforms it into a data model, and generates graphs and charts to provide data visually. The set of information can also be shared among other Power BI users in the business.   Overall, to boost and drive existing and new customers into your restaurant needs concrete data. Based on this, restaurants then make appropriate strategies like loyalty programs, offers, deals, discounts, rewards, and so on.   Microsoft Power BI collects data from almost all the touch-points, turns them into actionable reports, and helps restaurants achieve their target. Restaurants trying to understand their customers traditionally are left behind. Having outdated Software for Restaurant Management is another factor adding to it. Due to a lack of customer insight businesses might face issues such as:   Inability to meet shifting customers’ preferences.   Poor brand management.  Lack of clarity on creating loyalty programs.   Poor meal planning.  Detachment with valuable customers.  How does Power BI help restaurants drive More Customers in?  Using Microsoft Power BI, restaurants can track every transactional action taken by the customer, understand it, and based on it, help create relevant strategies to drive more business in.   Creates Effective Loyalty Programs  You can create effective loyalty programs based on your customers’ actions. You can segment customers according to their preferences and spending patterns. Segmentation enables the right program allocation to the right group. You can also create separate programs for individuals. For instance, giving away coupons and loyalty points drives more sales of services or meals.   Deals Based on Geography  You can also establish loyalty programs geographically. According to customer preferences in a certain area, you can create relevant offers. Also, you can offer suitable meal deals when the traffic is generally the highest. It can be on a certain day of the week or at a certain time of the day.  Connecting with Customers on an Emotional Level   Often People tend to purchase certain meals that are driven by their emotions. Being delivered personalized services, customers feel cared for and connect with a business emotionally. Once a business successfully connects with a customer, he will consciously or subconsciously come back to the same business.    Encourages Spreading Word of Mouth  Word of mouth is one of the strongest and most cost-effective promotional methods. People consider references from the people they know and trust. Having customers connected with your business emotionally drives them to bring their family, friends, and acquaintances to your business.  Sometimes, restaurants pay social media influencers to promote them. However, if pleased, they will recommend your business to their followers for free, hence providing free promotion.   What Makes Microsoft Power BI So Special? Earlier, operating a business based on guesses was normal. However, now, this is the riskiest thing a restaurant can do. Where every other business is leveraging the latest technology to get valuable insights, a lack of knowledge can thrust your restaurant back.  Microsoft Power BI helps deal with lack of clarity which is the root of other challenges.  Interactive Power BI Desktop   With the interactive Power BI desktop tool, the user can generate reports simply by accessing the data quickly. You do not need to develop advanced skills to work on this tool. It is non-tech friendly. It is easy to learn and even easier to use and the best thing is, it is free to download.    Tailored Visualization   Since every business runs on different terms, they might need data customization. Certain information may not be as useful to them. Power BI is designed to tackle such complex situations. The user can access the custom library of visualizations and design themselves a concept that fulfills your business needs.   Visibility  One of the biggest challenges that industries are facing is manipulating the existing data to drive essential information. Microsoft Power BI does the job for you. It collects data and turns it into insightful reports while enabling complete visibility throughout your business. It abolishes confusion and directs a straightforward way through efficient planning.    Strong Security   Power BI optimizes the active directory in order to set up access to the control panel. Via this panel only, the business will utilize different Microsoft solutions. Thus, apart from generating a traditional security layer, Power BI can also develop security allowing the team to grant controlled access.    Easy Implementation Process   It is very easy to implement Power BI. It demands low IT resources and engineering skills. Whereas in some instances no technical knowledge was required. All they have to do is create an API key and plug it into the software.    Help Managing Costs   With Business Intelligence analysis, businesses can recognize peak times, peak seasons, and even the efficiency of their labor. With accurate data, restaurants can opt for better strategies allowing them to manage costs. They can apply the right strategy according to location and customer demands.   Microsoft Power BI is a boon to customer-specific industries like hospitality, where direct consumer satisfaction makes or breaks a business. You can leverage Power BI with LS Retail. Contact Trident Information Systems, LS Retail Gold Partner to implement the solution. 

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5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Getting a Restaurant POS Vendor  

Have you decided to get a new Retail POS Solution for your business already? Congratulations, you can now experience the seamless services that will positively impact your business. It ensures smooth services, transactions, and operations.   With the right technology at hand, you can see tremendous changes in your business processing. If you decide to have a cloud Retail POS Solution like the one LS Retail offers, you can get real-time stock visibility and availability, get real-time generated reports, product information, and much more. If running a restaurant, you can access the best meal deals you can suggest to your clients, tell them about current offers or redeem their coupons. Your staff can take orders from one table and bill another table from the same device.  However, be cautious when you decide to get a POS for your business. In the market where every vendor seems to be better than the other, you have to pick the most suitable one carefully, as it will impact your next 5-6 years.  The first step is to answer the following questions before moving ahead:   Q1- What are Your Functionality Requirements?  These days POS systems are more than just billing software. They have transformed into something greater. They cover a whole range of operations in your business. However, sometimes having to choose between so many functionalities can become an overwhelming task. Retail POS Solution can ensure employee time clock, biometrics login, customer database, online ordering, table tracking, mobile POS as well as recipe and ingredient management.  They all seem good to have for your restaurant, don’t they? But is this the case? Having too many features can hamper your staff efficiency. They might get confused, overwhelmed, and perform tasks slowly.  You must map your business requirements and segment them into must-haves, nice to haves, and extras. An ideal Retail POS Solution will be one that checks all your urgent requirements. Furthermore, having a system that responds to all your needs will save you a fortune as well as effort during its implementation phase.  Q2- Is the POS Designed for Your Restaurant?   Point of Sales does not follow “one size fits all” restaurants have requirements when it comes to selecting a Retail POS Solution. Sure, a retail system might cover some functionalities such as employee scheduling or customer loyalty. However, a POS system has diverse needs, from the front office to the back, it has different needs.   A Restaurant POS Solution is specifically designed for a restaurant will help the user manage their daily tasks such as tracking ingredient use, managing recipes, adding, or removing an ingredient, sending orders straight to the kitchen, keeping tabs on the available inventory and required inventory, selling deals, and combos, and a lot more.  Do not settle for just any POS that comes your way. Put your time and effort into conducting research and then go for the one that checks all your required boxes.   Q3- What are its Methods to Consistently Deliver Quick Services?  Make sure the Retail POS Solution you choose follows a straightforward algorithm that ensures quick and consistent deliveries. Saturday nights are already hard, imagine adding a slow POS system to it. Ask yourself these questions before proceeding any further:   Is the POS interface intuitive? Can it segment your employees according to their job roles at that time? Or show the functionalities that are currently relevant?  Does it accept different payment methods? Or does it support split billing?  Can it run on handheld devices like tablets or mobile phones?   Can it still manage to perform if the internet connection goes down?   Q4- What will be the ROI (Return on Investment) of this Retail POS Solution?   It is a big commitment to have a Retail POS Solution, and having the right one will pay in the long run. Compare all the POS and check which offers the highest ROI. We suggest you ignore the upfront investment cost and consider how each of them is going to hit your bottom line.   Make sure the POS you are looking forward could perform the following tasks:   Spending less time training employees: In the industry with high employee turnover, you need technology that does not eat too much time training recruits. You can save a lot of money and time with an intuitive POS solution.   Helps reduce waste: Make sure your POS system helps manage inventory while tracking ingredient use. It must help you order the right amount of food and help reduce waste.   Manage Loyalty: Your system must segment and target your loyal customers. It must use technology to track each customer and identify the loyal customers. It should support loyalty programs.   Align data: Having different systems for different segments while collecting and comparing data demands a lot of time and effort. Having an end-to-end POS solution integrates different segments and brings all the data under the same platform.     Q5- Is your Vendor Trustworthy?  The market is full of vendors posing to be authentic and the best. However, do not fall into the trap. You do not want to select and install a random POS from a startup just because it is cheap. Make sure you opt for an authentic vendor, such as LS Retail.   You may regret having a random POS even more when you run into problems and find out that your vendor does not provide any support. Always take references and see their previous record, this way you can find out if the POS is even worth or just a waste of money.  It is important to wisely pick your POS system as it will impact your business for the next few years. Make sure you go through at least 5 references after checking their customers’ testimonies. LS Retail is one of the best Restaurant POS Software Vendors with an impactful record of accomplishment. If you are looking for an LS Retail implementation partner, contact us. 

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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. 

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

Make Your Restaurant Staff Happier and More Productive

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?

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

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

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?

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

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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