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retail erp

Logistics and Supply Chain Management

5 Foolproof Methods to Optimize Logistics instantly!

Supplychain management ERP /

Today’s businesses are aware of how critical effective supply chain management is. Nonetheless, it is equally crucial to comprehend how outbound and inbound logistics procedures affect the supply chain as a whole. Your Logistics and Supply Chain Management play a huge role in how your inbound and outbound will turn out to be.  Inbound logistics entails tasks like the delivery of goods and raw materials from suppliers to a business as well as the storage and transit of those materials. To prevent production line delays, coordinating transportation from many suppliers and ongoing communication are crucial. While outbound logistics concentrates on procedures necessary to transport finished items to final consumers. Some of the difficulties encountered when carrying out outbound logistics procedures include preparing cargo for tracking deliveries, distribution of goods, and enhancing routes for quick delivery.  The effectiveness of the supply chain depends on the success of both outbound and inbound logistics. If handled manually, these operations can be laborious and complicated. Logistics and Supply Chain Management technology can be used in this situation.  To effectively manage both inbound and outbound logistics and easily meet consumer expectations, modern logistics systems that combine AI, machine learning, and numerous algorithms have become essential.  How Inbound Logistics and Outbound Logistics Different?  The movement of raw materials into the company’s manufacturing facility from various suppliers is a part of the inbound logistics process. It may also involve managing inventories as well as tasks like locating raw materials and storing and delivering materials that will be used in the production process. The flow of the finished product from the company to its customers is referred to as outbound logistics. It comprises tasks related to packaging, shipping and delivery, and customer support.  While outbound logistics concentrates on the interaction between the company and its clients, inbound logistics is more concerned with the relationship between the company and its suppliers. Outbound logistics is primarily focused on customer service and distribution of finished goods, whereas inbound logistics is more concerned with material management and production.  Overall, inbound logistics have a direct effect on the company’s manufacturing processes. Since the final product depends on the raw materials that are used, it also affects the finished product that is offered to the clients.  Any inefficiency in the incoming logistics processes would result in delays in the delivery of goods and a halt in production, increasing losses and resource waste for the company. The best way to deal with the delay is to engage a Logistics and Supply Chain Management software such as D365 Transport Management were the   How to Optimize Your Inbound and Outbound Logistics?  Businesses may now more easily improve their outbound and inbound logistics operations thanks to Logistics and Supply Chain Management technology such as ERP for Logistics and the variety of possibilities it provides. The objectives are to improve productivity, reduce costs, and make processes run more smoothly. The following strategies can be used to optimize inbound logistics:  Encourage Logistics and Supply Chain Management Automation  The procedure can be automated by choosing ERP for Transportation that tells the best delivery routes utilizing intelligent route optimization software that uses analytics, machine learning, dynamic routing, and GPS tracking to give you the best options. Monitoring inbound delivery fleets, product unloading, and in-plant activities can assist in increasing efficiency and saving the company a ton of time and money by following schedules.  Using Logistics and Supply Chain Management Software  A company can keep up with the market environment for freight costs and other dynamic aspects that can negatively impact inbound operations with the use of Software for Transport Company. Businesses can save a lot of money by keeping up with the dynamic changes in the logistics sector and by having an appropriate awareness about the going rates as opposed to only adhering to the prices given by various suppliers.  Boosting Customer Experience   Today’s customers want complete transparency of the transportation processes involved in their deliveries. Businesses may give their customers pertinent information and track the progress of their orders at every stage by streamlining the inbound logistics operations.  An innovative, cutting-edge Logistics and Supply Chain Management software would enable the company to plan its production and ETAs properly, ensuring that there are no inconsistencies in their customer communications.  Build Strategic Relationships with the Third-party Vendors  To maintain effective logistics operations, it’s critical to develop strategic connections with ERP for Logistics Company providers, carriers, and suppliers. This can be accomplished by evaluating each company’s performance concerning important factors including on-time, complete deliveries, pricing schemes, the number of goods, business requirements, and other shipping activities. Businesses may keep track of these elements, identify which third-party providers are having what effects on their operations, and negotiate shipping rates using sophisticated logistics management software.  Enhance Communication   Effective communication techniques must be implemented since outbound logistics procedures include numerous stakeholders to guarantee that the movement of products proceeds as planned.  Constant communication with delivery drivers and warehouse management enables quicker decision-making and explains any ambiguities along the way. Logistics and Supply Chain Management systems also enable companies to track the locations of delivery vehicles and improve routes, ensuring greater transparency.  Logistics is one of the heaviest and most impactful assets a company has. They keep the supply chain flowing. Disruptions in logistics can cause delivery delays, unhappy customers, and an overall slowdown of a business. To prevent this, businesses must employ Logistics and Supply Chain Management software like Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations. If you are looking to get TMS Software, Contact Trident. We are a D365 Gold Implementation Partner and LS Retail Diamond Partner.   

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Restaurant Application

Happy Staff Is the Secret Ingredient for High-Profit Businesses  

Restaurant Management ERP /

One of the main problems facing the hospitality sector right now is high staff turnover. The National Restaurant Association’s most recent State of the Restaurant Industry Report found that 78% of restaurant owners claimed they didn’t have enough workers to meet customer demand and 75% indicated they were more than 10% understaffed. In addition to lowering the restaurant’s average level of service, a high staff turnover rate increases the costs associated with finding, hiring, and training new workers. Although there are many other factors contributing to this issue, including a high proportion of students employed in the sector and high levels of seasonality, it is also true that many business owners in the sector might be doing more to retain talent. There are many ways to retain your staff. The most basic thing you can do is employ an agile Restaurant Application.  Hospitality Management Software like LS Retail Restaurant Management System provides a unified platform consisting of robust tools and centralized data. It impacts the productivity of your staff and adds to the smoothness of your operations.    Here are five suggestions to assist you in keeping your restaurant’s personnel motivated to work there.  5 Ways to Keep Your Staff Happy  Teamwork Plays an important role in maintaining a healthy flow of operations in a business environment. Given below are some tips to keep your staff happy and motivated.   Built Team Spirit from Top to Bottom   Having a team spirit is very important to avoid unnecessary mistakes, bottlenecks, and disputes. If your staff doesn’t feel happy with where they are right now, they will probably switch to a better environment. There are a lot of steps you can take to improve the situation like organizing a team spirit day where your staff plays fun games, enhancing team spirit, and most importantly, getting to know each other better.  Or you can organize a trip for everyone to do some activities together. Or celebrate a milestone achieved by the employees. You can either throw a party or at least cut a cake to cherish their success.  Before adding a new dish to the menu, you can ask them to taste it first and ask for their opinion about the same. There are many ways you can boost their team spirit.   Reinforce Employees with Modern Restaurant Application   If you believe that not upgrading the outdated Restaurant Application will save you money, you are gravely mistaken. Nothing is more annoying than trying to do a task quickly and to a high standard while using broken instruments. An antiquated point-of-sale system that gets stuck or creates tickets slowly may reduce table turns while also irritating guests who are in a rush. An ancient fryer that the kitchen crew can’t rely on may wreck the lunch rush. Invest money in the newest Point of Sale System and constantly check with your employees to see if any of the tools they are using, both in the front and in the back of the house, are insufficient or outdated. Just keep in mind that any money you spend on a Restaurant Application to assist your staff—such as a Restaurant POS System that can swiftly take orders at the table—should be considered an investment in enhancing the quality of your customer service.  Appreciate them for a good job  Studies have shown that people are more driven at work when they feel valued and appreciated. Teams with the highest levels of engagement experienced 59% less turnover, according to a recent survey from an organization that has earned the Great Place to Work  certification. Constructive feedback makes employees happier, more motivated, and more willing to put in the extra effort. Many workers genuinely believe that having a sense of value at work is more effective than getting money! You can also save their progress in your Restaurant Application where you can even manage their talent and assign them jobs as per their interests. Furthermore, there are numerous ways to express your appreciation to your staff:  Consistently express your appreciation to your team for a job well done, such as when a hectic shift has gone very well, when sales targets have been met, or when a worker has handled a challenging issue with professionalism.  Thanks are important. Has a waiter agreed to a last-minute shift change to meet the demands of your company? Did anyone forgo a break to assist in the rush? Be sure to recognize their effort and express your gratitude for going above and above.  Give them room and time to unwind. Establish a break room with a coffee maker, complimentary light snacks, and a water dispenser so that your team can recharge and rest before heading back to work. This will make them more motivated and at ease.  Provide Ongoing Training   Make sure to instruct new employees on your company’s values, rules, and policies. There should be no end to the training. Even though the onboarding process is crucial, you shouldn’t let your employees’ education end there. Give your employees access to professional development opportunities; they’ll feel appreciated as part of the team, understand that you care about their development, and, as a bonus, they’ll bring new skills to your company. Nine out of ten restaurant managers, according to NRA data, began their careers as entry-level employees; therefore, investing in the professional development of your staff is an investment in the long-term success of your company.   Furthermore, training is even more important for existing employees if there is a new update in your Restaurant Application. Thus, keep them updated with the latest technology.  Allow Your Staff to Officially Communicate Via a Common Channel   Professional boundaries and morale can be easily destroyed by unclear communication and misconceptions. Why does he constantly get overtime assignments? I requested a vacation two weeks in advance, so why did she get time off when she only requested it yesterday? By putting in place systems that allow for direct, open communication between staff and management, you can reduce the likelihood of complaints

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5 Guaranteed Business Suggestions 90% Restaurants Underlook but the Top 10% Don’t 

Restaurant Management ERP /

Restaurant Businesses are thriving around the world. However, only a certain percentage of them make it to the top. Have you wondered why? What different do they do to reach that level? How did a once-newborn business reach the pinnacle? Of course, the quality of food matters, but is that it? Is it enough for a restaurant to touch the sky? No. Their strategies, Restaurant Management Software, business environment, the attitude of staff, etc. are all that make a difference.   The hospitality industry has been among us for several decades and is expected to stick around and grow. Therefore, there are exponential opportunities for a restaurant to grow. You just need to know where you are lacking and what these top 10% of restaurants do that you don’t. Study their journey and implement whatever you can in your business.   This blog is all about the top 5 factors you underlook but can boost your business and make you one of the top 10% of restaurants making the most money.   Get a Suitable Restaurant Management Software   This is the most obvious and basic thing that successful businesses do but many businesses overlook it. To save a few bucks, several restaurants choose to work in silos which adds to their complexities instead. They do not realize how much of their potential is at stake if they work on disparate systems instead of Restaurant Management Software. It is recommended to choose a unified Restaurant Application that provides all the basic and advanced necessities on the same platform. Make sure your Hospitality Management System uses the same data center, so you don’t spend hours finding the relevant data. A unified system can do wonders for your business. Restaurants such as Hard Rock Cafe, KFC, Haldiram’s, Tokyo Sushi, etc. use a unified Restaurant Management Software called LS Retail, an extension to Microsoft Dynamics 365.   Investing in the Latest Technology  Implementing the latest technology is one of the most common things the top ten percent of successful businesses always consider. Since they must manage many tasks while cutting costs, they prefer automation. They installed a Restaurant Management System which updates automatically where no maintenance and upgrade is required by the team. Instead, everything is managed by a third-party service provider. For instance, KFC has implemented LS Retail which is a unified Restaurant Management Software providing a set of tools customized to target their needs. The upgrade and maintenance are managed by the implementation partner and the data security is taken care of by Microsoft Itself. Being hosted on Microsoft Cloud Azure, they do not have to worry about viruses, threats, and malware.   Contactless ordering and Billing  The contactless trend increased during COVID which encouraged contactless technology such as Point of Sale Software. Businesses such as Haldiram’s (with a net worth of $100 million) offer faster and more accurate services using this Restaurant Management Software. A POS is not just limited to taking orders and bills, but also managing their inventory, purchasing and supplier management, and managing customer loyalty. Many businesses don’t realize it, but it can help them in the long run, just like Haldiram’s.   Getting Accurate Insights   This is one of the most undervalued aspects of most businesses, but enterprises make full use of it. They rely on analytics tools such as Power BI, which collects customer interactions from all the touchpoints to turn them into actionable reports. These reports help them to make master strategies such as loyalty programs, deals, offers, coupons, changes in restaurant policies, etc. These insights also help in connecting with the customers emotionally; when you remind them what they ordered last time and how much they appreciated their feedback, the customer feels being cared for. This is when it becomes a great opportunity for restaurants to drive the most reliable promotion tactic i.e., word of mouth by their customer.   Empowering Staff with Devices   It is no shock that the hospitality industry faces the highest employee turnover rates. A successful business retains its staff and keeps them motivated. Giving them handheld devices connected with your Restaurant Management Software will save a lot of their time and keep them motivated. They can work to their full capacity and will have enough energy to greet each customer with enthusiasm.   There is a reason why some restaurants make it to the top 10% and the rest don’t. They just don’t ignore the underlooked aspects of the business. They get the best technology in their reach, utilize their data, avoid silos, invest in the right Restaurant Management Software, and so on.   Successful businesses such as KFC, Barbeque Nation, and GO Grill use Microsoft Restaurant ERP Software, which is also known as LS Retail. If you wish to implement LS Retail Software Solution, Contact Trident Information Systems, a Diamond LS Retail Partner and Gold D365 Partner.   

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eCommerce Website Software

9 Hacks to Ensure Your Customers Get the Best Online Shopping Experience

eCommerce /

Online shopping is booming now. For a couple of years, when lockdowns were prevalent, people solely relied on online shopping, which as a result, made them succumb to the ease of it. If you, as a retailer, are still not on any eCommerce platform, you should consider getting into one. Due to this elevated trend, retailers are finding innovative ways to provide the best online shopping experience. Being entirely based on technology, you must employ suitable software. It would preferably be a Unified eCommerce Website Software.   To stand out in the market, you must ensure the maximum comfort possible for your customers on your part. Provide exciting offers, deals, and discounts. Make them feel special. Show how much you care for them. Don’t let them hover around scrolling through irrelevant products. instead, suggest products they are most likely to purchase.   Keep customers happy with a smooth online experience. This is only possible if you apply robust eCommerce Website Software. A solution that manages the entire process on the same platform because using different systems will only cause delays, and people these days are the most impatient. Our research team has found the top 9 hacks ensuring your customers get the best online shopping experience ever!   #1 Make Sure Your Customers See the Relevant Products Only (an eCommerce Website Software can Help)  Customers have the shortest span of patience now. Make sure they see relevant products fast. Don’t let them waste their time scrolling through things they may never buy. In this case, using Software for eCommerce Website helps. You can even encourage them to buy combination products (cross-selling). This is what Amazon does, it suggests shoppers a combination of products that go hand in hand at the bottom of the page. You can also create a separate section on the screen suggesting the best combinations people are frequently buying. This trend becomes even more prevalent during a sale.   #2 Your Site Should Load Fast in Both Mobiles and Computers   Nothing is worse than frustrated customers. Imagine them having every item at the best price in their cart. However, the site is filled with various glitches, and your customers often get stuck during the checkout. When your competitor’s website loads fast, and it takes double their time to shop on your site, you have an increased risk of losing customers to them. Employ a suitable eCommerce Website Software that hardly needs to be looked after, like LS Retail. It requires no-low maintenance, automatic updates itself, and no specific team of experts to take care of the software. This way, you can free your IT team, and engage them in developing a faster and better-quality website.   #3 Show How Much You Value Your Customers   Your customers would want to come back again-and-again to your site if you treat them like a king. Carefully observe their previous transactions and understand their patterns. See how they prefer to spend and what their habits are. Also, notice what they didn’t purchase, why so? and how to improve the situation. You can either engage your team to do it manually with some tools if you have a small client base. Those with a massive client base must deploy Business Intelligence Services. For example, LS Retail eCommerce Website Software supports a robust tool called Power BI, that collects historical data, scans it, understands customer’s actions, and provides insightful reports. You can use these reports to:   Categorize Your Customers  You can categorize them into levels, e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each of them should be entitled to certain services where they can get cashback, discounts, free shipping, etc. You can also flexibly change the services in each segment time-to-time, for example, suppose gold customers are entitled to 10% off on a tank top, seeing 20% off if they buy a tank top with a shirt and pant in the next month, will encourage them to purchase more. This will keep them excited about new upcoming offers. Furthermore, this will also encourage other customers to try getting into one of the categories and enjoy the benefits.   Offer Reward Points   You can also provide reward points to valuable customers and allow them in their next shopping. This will work as equivalent to a cashback for them.   #4 Allow Them to Easily Contact You   Nobody has enough time to google your contact details, Display your number at the center of your eCommerce site. Sometimes your customer service executives are way too busy to handle all the queries. So, you can also allow AI-based or human-based live chat options, or an amalgamation of both. Make sure you use an eCommerce Website Software that provides live chatbot options within the same platform. For example, LS Retail offers an AI-based live-chat-bot option, so your customers never go unattended at any time of the day.   #5 Let Customers See if the Inventory is Available or Not  If you are selling a tangible product, make sure your customers can see its availability in the early stages. There is nothing more frustrating than finally finding the right sized dress/ shoe and finding it backordered or having “the item is not eligible for delivery in your area” notification. Having an eCommerce Website Software managing everything on the same platform helps.  #6 Use Color Psychology   Carefully design the color scheme of your site. Many big brands use triggering color schemes in their eCommerce sites. For example, brands color the “check-out payment” button in green. Green usually signals “let’s do it” or “positive”. It also stands for the green signal in traffic lights.     #7 Upload Good Quality Photos/ Videos with Thorough Descriptions   Make sure your customers get the right vibe of the product they are about to purchase. Upload HD-quality pictures of the item. You must also include a video description of the product and directions to use it. In addition to it, ensure you give a thorough description of the product so the customers can get a fair picture of the item.   #8 Connect all Your eCommerce Platforms  Most online retailers these days don’t limit themselves to

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Why it makes sense to move your retail management software to the cloud

Uncategorized /

As a successful retailer, chances are you are already running some of your IT functions in the cloud. That’s smart. The next logical step is to move your entire retail management system to the cloud, and go from the on-premises version to its software as a service (SaaS) one. But even if you know that the cloud is experiencing exponential growth, and that you will, one day, take the leap, you may be hesitant to do it now. Perhaps you are afraid you’re not ready for the change. Perhaps you have security concerns. Maybe you can’t clearly identify which practical, day-to-day benefits you’d get from moving to the cloud. Whichever your reasons, you want the best for your business, and you care about staying competitive. You want to make the right decision, and employ technology that will propel you forward today and tomorrow. While you are debating whether the cloud is for you, here are 8 good reasons why you should consider migrating your system. 1. Stay up to date, automatically With traditional on-premises software, businesses are responsible of keeping their hardware and software up to date. In order to stay current (and safe), they’d need to purchase new hardware every few years, and to update their software every few months. But in reality, retailers usually have more pressing concerns than keeping track of the latest software patch or upgrade. And if the company is using multiple software solutions and there are integrations in place, a system upgrade can become a costly and lengthy project. As a result, many companies end up with outdated IT environments that work, but don’t really support the business, and may even hinder it. In the worst cases, this old tech might reduce the company’s ability to grow and take on new projects, or stay on top of consumer demands. When you are using SaaS in the cloud, all these concerns belong to the past. You don’t need to worry about periodic maintenance, or to budget for expensive and complicated software upgrades. Instead, your supplier takes care of updating your software regularly. And if you have configured your add-ons correctly, you can maintain all your extensions, and even your configurations. SaaS software guarantees that you are always, automatically, on the latest version, and can use all the new functionality that comes with it. 2. Enhance productivity with intelligence One of the biggest advantages of the cloud is the advanced computational power it offers. Tasks that until yesterday were too complex for even the most powerful computer, for example predicting future sales patterns, are now within reach of any retailer. Businesses can run their data into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) powered tools available in the cloud, and without having to pay for extra servers or data scientists, they can get the answers they need, with minimal effort, very rapidly, and at a fraction of the cost than comparable on-prem technology. There is a wide variety of AI tools available in the cloud, giving businesses infinite possibilities to improve their effectiveness and productivity. AI can also help make smarter decisions, and deliver more personalized, to the point customer service. Would you like to send personalized promotions and special deals to your customers based on their shopping history and specific tastes? Are you thinking about adding a chatbot or virtual agent as a first-line customer support? Or perhaps you’d like to offer intelligent search on your e-commerce site? When you run your software in the cloud, all these initiatives are accessible to you, and can be started within a very short timeframe. But AI can do much more than help deliver bespoke customer experiences. You can use optimize your inventory with advanced forecasting that can factor seasonality, promotions, trends, and product substitutes and complements into your forecasts. You can refine your hiring practices with intelligent talent acquisition solutions. You can simplify searches across your catalog for both staff and customers using AI-powered accurate product tagging applied to images. When you infuse your business with intelligence, you also make it more proactive, agile, and profitable. 3. Guarantee business continuity with a reliable infrastructure With traditional in-house IT setups, businesses are at constant risk of downtimes and failures. On-site servers can’t usually guarantee a consistent performance, and if a key piece of your hardware breaks down, you may be left unable to serve customers or close sales – and could even risk losing your business data. As regards reliability, a traditional infrastructure usually necessitates a disaster recovery plan, requiring you to build redundancy, carefully monitor conditions, having dual firewalls and more – in short, you need to budget for time-consuming, expensive, complex monitoring. Switch to SaaS software, and you can step away from all of these problems. Even if you experience a hardware failure – say your computers or servers break down – you won’t lose your data, as it is safely stored in the cloud and can be accessed when and as you need to. The cloud also guarantees higher reliability. Large cloud services like Microsoft Azure, with expansive resources and entire dedicated teams, have already built in redundancy, from failover hardware to datacenters located across the world. As a result, Azure, the service where the cloud-based version of LS Central resides, can guarantee 99,995% uptime, and top security features.  4. Respond quickly to changing market conditions You know how important speed of action is in the retail industry. Yet, traditional IT environments are all but agile: even a project as simple as adding new servers or applications can be very time consuming. First, your IT staff needs time to procure the hardware or software that will fit within the current infrastructure. Then they have to set it up and test it, and finally, they’ll have to go through implementing it. In the past, this process was the only way to implement change. Today, this is an outdated and ineffective way of operating – especially when the businesses you are competing against are agile and unburdened by traditional infrastructure, such as e-commerce players. To stay

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Why your restaurant needs intelligent analytics according to a CIO

Restaurant Management ERP, Retail ERP Software, Uncategorized /

What opportunities is your restaurant missing out on just because you are afraid of change? The past few months have shown us that businesses cannot continue operating with their old models. During times of disruption and uncertainty, speed and agility become necessary for survival. Restaurants have discovered that they need to be able to adopt new models of food delivery, quickly. They must be able to make staffing changes at the last minute. To substitute ingredients and dishes depending on what’s available. To calculate costs and optimize purchasing, factoring in limited seating, reduced opening hours, and shifting consumer habits. Traditional technology can’t support these levels of agility. Restaurants need to start their digital transformation, quickly, and they need to focus on building intelligence into the business. According to a study by IDC, companies that center their digital transformation on intelligent technology improve their productivity, drive cost efficiencies, and have 8 times the revenue and twice the profitability as non-digitally transformed enterprises. 6 practical benefits of analytics in your restaurant business With the new generation of intelligent analytics, businesses don’t need a team of data scientists to gain insights and wade through data. Cloud-based intelligence-powered analytics is accessible to most restaurant businesses, and can provide tangible benefits. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered analytics and reporting software can enable businesses to: – Find meaningful patterns across vast amounts of data. Perhaps you’ll see that your mall location gets more customers when it rains, or that your downtown location sells more wine glasses, but fewer beers, when the main of the day is steak. – Optimize ingredient ordering. Historical consumption patterns can help you predict how much you’ll sell next week. The system can also help you calculate what you need to order. – Decrease waste. Once you figure out that your portions of sauce are too big and mostly end up in the can, or that selling wines by the glass on weeknights ends up in a lot of waste, you can take steps to cut your losses. – Optimize stock usage and distribution. At some point, it might make business sense to move the content of your freezers from a location in a mall that is seeing low foot traffic to one that is still doing good business. – Engineer the right menu. Are there any unpopular dishes on your menu that are costly, or complex to produce? Are your most popular dishes providing you with healthy margins? Could you do more to sell your highest-revenue dishes? An analytics software can help you make design a menu that is better aligned to your guests’ tastes while also giving you more in return. – Simplify staffing. An analytics software can help you see whether you have too many or too few staff members working in a location at a specific time, making better use of their time and of your resources. “There’s a value in being prepared for the future. Even if a technology may not drive clear returns today, if it puts you in a position to be able to respond to changes, then it’s worth it.” Leon DeWet Former restaurant CIO 4 tips from a restaurant CIO Leon DeWet is a former restaurant CIO, and a strong believer in the power of analytics. DeWet was a CIO in restaurant chains the likes of Cracker Barrel and O’Charley’s for 28 years. During his time in the industry, he saw technology transform both the restaurant business and consumer behavior. He saw trends, short-lived fads, and at times, truly revolutionary technology. Analytics, in his opinion, belongs to the last category. DeWet shared with us four tips for restaurant executives who want to make the most out of intelligent analytics and reporting. 1. Find the small drivers of benefits “Analytics can be a powerful tool to find the small changes in behavior, or in processes, that can drive huge benefits. While you still need to keep your eye on traditional big drivers, like the number of labor hours you’re spending or the number of guests, if you can, dig deeper to find out what is driving those numbers. Why those small changes can you see taking place? How do you influence them? How do you shift them? Looking at these details can have a big impact on the bottom line.” 2. Adjust your metrics to a changed reality “Don’t be blinded by what have historically been deemed ‘key metrics’ within the organization. Take, for ex, table turns. How fast you can turn a table only matters if you have guests to fill that table. Perhaps, if there are few customers you should rather focus on selling more to who’s already at the table. Look at what’s happening in your business before you decide which metrics to focus on, keeping in mind some metrics might make sense in some parts of the day, but not at other times.” 3. Use analytics to predict, not just describe “Too many restaurants are still too focused on using analytics in a reactive way. They look at the historical data to try and understand what has happened. Instead, I think that the true value of analytics lies in their ability to help prepare for the future. Where is the business going to go? How do I intersect it ahead of time? It’s important to also include external data, to intercept external behaviors that may have an impact on your business down the line. For example, if you see that the average miles driven by guests is going down, you need to stop, and understand what that is going to do to your customer base, what may have caused it, and how you can mitigate against it. Or if you are heading into hot and muggy weather, you should look how your sales and presences were affected in the past, and prepare. The AI can help you notice these kinds of trends and link them to other factors, so you can plan ahead.” 4. Think of technology as an investment in core infrastructure “I think we need to change our mindsets. An investment in technology is no different than investing in the latest

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Why physical stores are still vital for retail

Retail ERP Software /

During the Covid-19 pandemic, online became a fundamental channel for retailers. Even as overall retail spend decreased, eCommerce sales grew over the previous year. The impressive results may overshadow that eCommerce still represents just a small percentage of total retail sales: in the U.S., the number is as low as 14.5%, according to eMarketer data. This means that over 85% of retail still happens in physical stores, which makes a synergy between online and offline key to retail success in the near future. Here are eight reasons why you should still invest in your brick-and-mortar store locations. 1. People are more likely to buy a product when they’ve seen it in person. According to KPMG research, the top reason why consumers prefer to shop in physical stores is to see, experience and test products in person before buying them. Having a physical location where people can go and make sure that, yes, this paint is exactly the color I want, can dispel consumer doubts and help close a sale. Seeing things in person can, also, reduce the risk that a product will be returned because it’s not the right size/color/material. 2. Customers who pick up items in store buy extra stuff. Click and collect (also known as BOPIS, buying online and picking up in store) and curbside pickup are extremely popular both with customers and retailers. Compared to home delivery, pickup can be more convenient for customers, as it enables them to get their purchases when they want, without having to wait for a courier at home. For retailers, in-store pickup offers plenty of benefits: it’s cheaper than delivery, it brings shoppers through the doors, and it can lead to bigger baskets. According to Forrester research, 30% to 40% of consumers using click and collect buy additional items when they get into the store. 3. Physical stores can reduce the cost of returns. Items bought in physical stores are less likely to be returned than products bought online. According to David Sobie, co-founder and CEO of Happy Returns, “shoppers return 5-10% of what they purchase in store but 15-40% of what they buy online.” Letting shoppers exchange or return in-store the items the bought online can also help reduce the cost of returns by removing shipping and transportation fees for the retailers. Consumers like it, too: according to NRF data, 80% of shoppers say they prefer to return products to a store than send it back. 4. High-quality, one-on-one customer service increases sales. Despite the popularity of online shopping, the human touch is still an important part of the retail experience. According to research for RetailEXPO, almost two out of three (64%) of shoppers say that knowledgeable sales associates make them more likely to visit a physical store, and three out of four (75%) of shoppers are likely to spend more after receiving high quality service from staff in-store.  5. The brand experience is still inherently physical. Retail is a highly competitive industry. While it can be hard to stand out online, a physical store gives you the chance to create an engaging brand experience. Showrooms and concept stores, for example, can enable retailers to immerse customers in their brand culture, creating lasting impressions. Designing an experience that has the right balance of safety, excitement and convenience is key – and can help differentiate your brand from the competition. 6. You can use stores as part of your supply chain. In omni-channel retail, logistic costs can spiral out of control, and erode margins significantly. Some retailers are realizing savings by using some or all of their physical stores as warehouses and fulfillment centers, to support and strengthen their supply chain. Transforming a store location in a so-called “dark store” can help reduce costs of inventory management and expand the reach across larger geographies by enabling faster, more effective distribution. 7. You get free market research on your customers’ preferences and habits. Fashion retailer ModCloth opened its first brick-and-mortar store after 13 years of selling online only. “We discovered small things, the details our customers love,” Matt Kaness, president and CEO at ModCloth, told USA Today. “They loved linings in dresses and skirts, and they loved pockets.” Although data collected from the online store can helps see trends, retailers can learn much about their customers just by watching them shop, interacting with the space and products. “From a market research standpoint, [a store] pays for itself. The amount of market research you gain just by observing people, it’s the equivalent of 100 focus groups,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, senior analyst with Forrester Research. 8. Physical stores bring greater traffic to your online store. Research from the International Council of Shopping Centers shows that when a retailer opens a new physical store location, traffic to their website increases by 37% the following quarter. According to L2’s report “Death of Pureplay Retail,” when retailers open new brick-and-mortar locations, the number of online mentions of the brand and online searches increase dramatically. This online buzz is accompanied by increased financial returns, L2 adds, making physical stores a good investment both in terms of popularity and profitability.   According to a survey from Harvard Business Review, shoppers who buy both online and in physical stores tend to spend more on average compared to those who interact with a business on only one channel. For retailers, this means that physical retail still has a central role to play in their business strategy. If you need help figuring out what tools you need to deliver fantastic omni-channel customer experiences, contact us. Our unified commerce solutions are world-renowned for connecting online with offline, and retailers with consumers. Note:  Blog reference : LS Retail Official Website

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Is outdated technology destroying your retail business? 9 red flags to look out for

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Your retail management system is at the heart of your business efficiency. It keeps your operations smooth, connects all parts of your business, and helps you deliver services and experiences that meet and go beyond your customers’ expectations. Still, many retailers operate on legacy IT. Often, these patched-together systems can’t sync information properly, are hard and costly to maintain don’t allow retailers to deliver the services that consumers demand. Although many retailers are afraid of the investment required by a new system, outdated tech may be already costing them more than a complete technology overhaul. Are you, like many retailers, losing competitiveness because of your outdated software systems? We have compiled a list of the top red flags you should look out for. If two or more of these points hit home, it’s time for a technology overhaul. You can’t accept product returns across channels Today’s consumers browse and shop on multiple channels, and they expect to be able to return purchases the way they like, too. According to a study by Forrester Research, consumers demand simple and easy returns, and the ability to return items bought online to brick-and-mortar store locations. “There are a lot of people who don’t even bother returning [products] because it’s such a pain, and when they don’t bother returning, they just don’t shop with you again,” says Sucharita Mulpuru, retail analyst at Forrester.  Ask yourself: Does my current technology enable me to offer customers the abilty to buy online and return in-store? You can’t offer click and collect or curbside pickup Click and collect – also known as BOPIS, for Buy Online and Pick up In Store – is one of the most sought-after services by consumers. Curbside pickup has been around for a few years, but it surged in popularity during the pandemic. Both options are expected to remain in high demand with shoppers, as they bridge the gap between ecommerce and physical retail, and are both highly convenient and – when needed – contactless. Click and collect also holds benefits for retailers, as it has been shown to lead to larger shopping baskets as customers add unplanned items when they go pick up their purchases.  Ask yourself: Am I missing out on both sales and upselling opportunities by keeping my e-commerce and physical locations disconnected? You regularly oversell items In many retail chains, each store location runs on its own database, and the eCommerce website runs on another platform altogether. When information is saved in separate places, if the systems do not communicate with each other in real time, there is a very high chance you might sell an item on your eCommerce website even if the product is actually out of stock. At that point, you’ll have to inform the customer you can’t deliver the item they bought – losing the sale, and perhaps, the customer’s trust.  Ask yourself: Do I have out-of-sync, siloed information? Is inventory information updated too seldom, causing a stale view of inventory and overselling? You don’t give customers visibility into the inventory Consumers are increasingly taking purposeful shopping trips. Today, two out of three consumers check if the item they are looking for is available before they head out to shop, the IBM Institute for Business Value reports. If you don’t give visibility into what products are available in your stores, customers may not make the trip to your store at all. Yet, only around one third of retailers give customers access to accurate product availability across store locations, and 45% offer no access to inventory at all, according to data by Sapio Research. It’s not just consumers that don’t get the visibility they need. Less than 15% of retailers give their store associates effective inventory visibility across channels, according to BRP research. This means that sales staff can’t, for example, tell customers whether an item they desire is in stock in another store location, or instantly offer a suitable replacement. Ask yourself: Do I force shoppers to make the trip in person to find out if a product is available in my stores? Can my sales associates help consumers, looking up product availability in other locations? You waste a lot of time on manual tasks You’d be surprised at how much time is spent on doing manually tasks that could be digitized. EKN reports that two out of three retail professionals are still forced to spend time completing physical paperwork during store visits! All these physical documents must then be analyzed and transcribed, manually – leading to further waste of time and risk of errors. Crocodile International, one of our customers, told us that their accounting staff used to spend many hours at the end of each month to manually verify inventory figures against sales orders. They were forced to because of legacy systems that didn’t communicate with each other. The delayed transaction postings also made them unable to know exactly how much stock was available at a given time.  Ask yourself: Am I wasting a lot of man-hours with manual entering and double-checking of data? You can’t recognize customers across channels Today, the average shopping journey can begin with a customer seeing a new item on your Facebook page. They might then check out the item in one of your store locations, and buy it later on your eCommerce site. To engage customers, you need to be able to identify and follow them across the various channels and touchpoints they use. You must then share this information across your enterprise, and use it to create personalized interactions. Unfortunately, this is near impossible to achieve if, like many retailers, you manage each channel – perhaps each store – as a separate entity. Some companies don’t even have an integrated customer database, and valuable customer information like sales per client, payments, loyalty points, is stored in separate systems which don’t communicate with each other. The result? Duplicate information, incomplete and inconsistent records, and no clear view of who each consumer is, what they like, etc. When you don’t know your customers, you cannot design meaningful loyalty programs and rewards, deliver personalized recommendations, or offer relevant promotions. Ask yourself: Can I connect my customers’ data and use it to create personalized interactions? Or is

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Case Study: Africa Lifestyle Choose LS Retail Software and Trident as Implementation Partner

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Africa Lifestyle Limited operates retail stores in malls and airports across Ghana, Nigeria, and several other African countries. The company carries products from popular international fashion brands such as Levi’s Jeans, as well as a wide variety of cosmetic lines including Bobbi Brown, Estee Laude’s M.A.C., and L’Oreal’s Maybelline. Africa Lifestyle Limited is dedicated to establishing a world class retail platform to deliver quality apparel, accessory, and beauty brands to customers across West Africa.  The business case  Before switching to LS Retail software, Africa Lifestyle Limited faced numerous challenges. The company was using a software solution that wasn’t suited for their scale and couldn’t keep up with the ever-changing demands of the fashion industry. The fashion business demands the ability to launch new collections and product ranges in short amounts of time. With their previous system, this became complicated at every step of the process: in product development, planning, production, supply chain and fulfillment. Africa Lifestyle Limited says limitations of the system included:  The solution  Africa Lifestyle Limited evaluated multiple solutions, but none of them encompassed of all their desired features like LS Retail software. Africa Lifestyle Limited manages its financials at their office in the UAE, while operations are managed from India and Africa, and consolidation happens at their offices in Africa. The company was drawn to LS Retail for both the system functionality in the fashion industry and the ability to manage its business remotely, from offices in different time zones, with everyone in the business working on up-to-date business information.   Trident Information Systems, an LS Retail partner with consolidated experience in LS Retail software solutions, worked with Africa Lifestyle Limited on the implementation. They communicated across the company’s three different time zones and effectively coordinated with all the locations’ teams for a successful deployment. The teamwork meant the system was up and running within 3.5 months.  The company decided to run the system in the cloud, as that would better support their international structure. They opted to host the solution on Microsoft Azure, a setup that has been serving them well.   Benefits  After moving to LS Retail software, day-to-day operations in Africa Lifestyle Limited are much easier.   Satisfied with their new system and mindful of the future of their industry, Africa Lifestyle Limited is currently reviewing additional technology such as AI-powered recommendations, as well as new ways to deliver better experiences online and across the channels with virtual product catalogues and click and collect.

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Deliver faster, better service with self-checkout technology

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Self-checkout technology may be nothing new – but it’s hot news in retail. The global retail self-checkout market is expected to grow 10.3% year over year until 2024, Loss Prevention Media recently reported. The ideal technology for busy consumers This predicted growth isn’t surprising, if you consider some of the biggest consumer trends. 1. DIY Do-it-yourself has become the norm for today’s consumers. From self-scanning one’s bags at the airport, to booking massages, treatments and medical appointments online, to self-management of personal finances on phone apps, the tendency to DIY has spread to most facets of life. Across ages, genders and geographies, there seems to be a shared preference for figuring things out on one’s own. Not only: many would rather interact with machines than with people. A recent consumer survey by SOTI found that as many as 66% of shoppers prefer using self-service technology over having to ask a salesperson. McDonald’s recently decided to implement self-serve kiosks, machines where people can order their meal using a screen, in all its 14,000 U.S. locations. The QSR giant tested these machines in selected restaurants, and noticed that sales were consistently higher at the machines than at the manned tills. The reason? Apparently, people are more likely to supersize their portions when a (non-judgmental) machine, rather than a staff member, is taking the order. 2. Rushed lives Today’s consumers lead busy lives, and have no time to waste. They are used to getting what they want (from information to communications to products) instantly, with a click. And when they shop in-store, they expect to do it at their own pace. They may wish to take their time picking out items – but once they are done, they want to speed through checkout, and be on their way. According to a survey by Box Technologies and Intel in the UK, 90% of shoppers actively avoid stores with long queues. 70% even said they might not go back to a store with long lines! As self-checkout terminals tend to be more compact than traditional tills, shifting to this technology means retailers can replace one manned till with multiple self-checkouts. It’s a smart way to reduce lines without having to increase the retail space. “Even if shoppers can take longer to scan products than staff members, the retailers who have implemented this technology by LS Retail have been experiencing shorter lines, and seeing more transactions per hour per square meter,” says Hilmar Vilhjalmsson, Product Owner for the self-checkout systems at LS Retail. 3. Smaller hypermarket baskets Remember the days of the big Saturday shopping trip with the family? Forget them. They are gone. Across the globe, consumers drop by at the supermarket multiple times per week, and buy just a few items at a time. According to global research done by Dunnhumby, today more than 60% of hypermarket baskets contain six or fewer items. The tendency is visible across the globe: small basket visits in hypermarkets are predicted to increase 3% year over year in Asia, 7.5% in Europe, and 11% in Latin America. Smaller baskets are ideal for self-checkout machines, as these have been shown to deliver the highest time savings when baskets of 10 items or less. 4. Increasing cost of labor According to Wells Fargo, the three industries that are most affected by rising labor costs are healthcare, finance, and retail. To maintain a healthy revenue without increasing prices – which is not advisable in the era of Amazon – alternative solutions are needed. That’s where self-checkout machines come in. In a traditional setup, you need one employee per till, but with self-serve machines, one staff member can monitor several tills at once. That’s not all. With manned checkouts, one staff member must be at or by the till even if there are no customers – waiting, in case someone shows up. With self-checkouts in place, there’s no need to waste your employees’ time. He or she can use the off-peak hours to receive products, restock the shelves, or advise customers. And if anyone needs to check out quickly, the machine is always active. Overcoming misconceptions If self-serve machines fit so well with today’s consumer and market trends, why has their uptake been so slow? In the past few years, many retailers have expressed misgivings on self-service technology. Some of the most common concerns include: High cost of hardware. High cost and low usability of software. Shrinkage control. Different factors, from scanning the wrong product, to missing an item, to intentional theft, can lead to lost inventory. It has been argued (although inconclusively) that shrinkage is more frequent in self-checkout lanes. Concerns over user acceptance. Some retailers worry that their customers won’t want to use machines, because they are too complicated, or simply because they’d rather have an employee serve them and take care of their needs. Although these have, indeed, been challenges in the past, those times are now behind us. 1. Slashed hardware costs Until a few years ago, self-checkout required special hardware, which meant a high upfront investment. Today, this cost can easily be minimized. For example, one of the most expensive pieces of the hardware is the cash-handling part. The question is, do you need to implement self-checkout machines that also accept cash? Ten years ago, six out of ten transactions were cash. Today it’s three in ten, and the number is still decreasing, Forbes reports. A self-checkout till that only accepts card payments, paired with manned tills that take all sorts of payments, can be a cost-effective solution.If you don’t sell grocery, and therefore don’t need scales at the till, you have even more options for saving on hardware. For example, some IKEA stores in the Nordic and Baltic countries set up effective, low-cost self-checkout registers using a standard computer screen, a barcode scanner and a receipt printer, and IKEA furniture. That’s all! No special hardware – and actually, no special software, which takes us to our next point. 2. No extra software expenses (if you select the right system) The checkout system used in these IKEA stores doesn’t have a specific interface. As a matter of fact, it is not designed for self-service. The customers check out using

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