If the past year is an indication of things to come - or of the changes that seems to be taking effect since the start of COVID-19, then retailers will most certainly need to adapt as well. One thing is for sure, our business or retail management tools will need to follow suit. Modernising and digitising processes is a key part of those requirements. To keep up with the retail industry’s demands and customer expectations, sleek, efficient and modern customer service will be expected. That means upping your game on the customer’s shopping experience.

Retail software is becoming an essential tool to guarantee connected commercial operations. Automating data management not only brings reliability and accuracy to the process, but it eliminates inconsistencies and data silos. Ultimately, it helps management gain a strategic view based on factual data.

Information consistency is key across all relevant multi-channels (think pricing data, for example). To succeed in a competitive industry, retailers need a fully integrated system, centralised data management and a powerful interface to oversee all critical retail operations and relevant KPI data. Having business software to digitise retail processes instead of manual operations such as inventory management, supply chain management, stock management, reporting and much more. - is no longer optional.

Intelligent customer relationship management

Going forward, retail software will have to engage with customers' preferred purchasing methods and will need to respond promptly to immediate customer demands.

This means optimising retail software, implementing business intelligence and improve on customer service offerings. This includes what the customer sees at the front end, as well as all the operational processes that happens behind the scenes.

The rise of mobile and social e-commerce

2020 was a pivotal year and set the scene for how we are likely to move forward. Customers expect multi-channel purchasing options and online capabilities have become a big part of this drive. Physical stores still have an important role to play but multi-channel purchasing options is key.

Retail software is a critical part of any retailer’s business and the integration with e-commerce platforms will become a key part of the puzzle, ensuring businesses are able to keep up with competition and meet customer demands, wherever and whenever they wish to shop. The future of commerce relies on digitising automating and simplifying the shopping experience as much as possible to keep the customers engaged and happy.

Kerridge Commercial Systems provides a complete suite of retail solutions, easily customised to your needs. Find out more about Kerridge Commercial Systems' innovative solutions at kerridgecs.co.za.