Star Trek Into Darkness
Vue says: “Star Trek Into Darkness is the latest, darkest installment of one of the best-loved franchises ever and from the director of the new Star Wars movies. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads his crew back to Earth only to find an insider has gone on a spree of destruction that has left his world in ruins. Now he has to enter the heart of darkness to put an end to the violence and get his revenge on the man who has ripped away everything he cherished. Star Trek Into Darkness is a sci-fi adventure with a very dark twist.”

Retail Assist says: “A girl on our sales team has seen this movie 4 times, with plans to go again and again before it stops showing. It is even better than the first, and well worth a watch.”

The Great Gatsby
Vue says: “The Great Gatsby follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super-rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.”

Retail Assist says: “Ignore what the critics are saying, this movie is amazing. Follows the story perfectly and uses all of the best quotes from the book. Take tissues. And pick and mix.”

Fast and Furious 6
Vue says: “Fast and Furious 6 is an adrenaline-soaked escapade of almost unparalleled explosiveness and action. Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has tracked down Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), last seen stealing $100 million with his gang, now scattered across the globe, and is set to enlist him and his team of drivers on a mission that will wipe their criminal records clean and allow them to go and rejoin their families. But first there’s some globetrotting and a very important appointment in London. Fast and Furious 6 is a unashamed joyride that doesn’t take its foot off the accelerator for a second.”

Retail Assist says: “Very good film, even if it did make our team member scream in the cinema. Once she got past the embarrassment of that the film was great.”

——

Have you seen anything at the cinema lately that you found particularly enjoyable? Leave us a comment below to recommend what you think we should see next.

More information on our help desk work with Vue cinema can be found here: Vue Entertainment outsources IT Support & Service Management to Retail Assist

In the world of e-commerce, according to an article recently published in the Sunday Times magazine, the model wearing the clothes can increase sales of an item by as much as 800%. The power of the fit on the model alongside the power of great photography can turn a potential buyer into a shopper, and so getting the formula right is crucial to business.

At Retail Assist we work with a variety of clients, all of whom – in our opinion – have gotten it right in terms of their imagery. From ASOS’s edgy looks to Mint Velvet’s classic styling we have a chance to see fashion photography from all angles. This year one of our favourite sets of promotional shots comes from Oasis, a client that recently signed up to work with our supply chain solution, Merret.

With a dreamlike and fantasy inspired theme we feel the shots highlight the femininity of the clothes being sold, whilst selling a whimsical lifestyle that many strive for.

What do you think, have you ever bought an item because it looked good on the model?

Sales campaigns launched at existing customers can have success rates as high as 65-70%, while potential customers have just a 5% pick up rate.  When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. If the price is right and you like the seller, why take a risk and change?

So what are the factors that encourage your clients to stray?

The answer, according to a 2012 study:

• 14% are lured by a competitor
• 14% are turned away by product or service dissatisfaction
• 68% leave because of poor attitude or indifference on the part of the service provider

With this in mind, customer service is approximately three times more important than price – and five times more important than functionality. If there was ever a time to make sure you are doing all you can in terms of satisfying your existing customers, it’s now.

What to do…

Poor customer service accounts for nearly 70% of customer loss.  Here is how you can hold on to the customers you have without being overbearing or intrusive.

1. Listen to your customers complaints.

This goes for both offline and online. Keep track of any online channels you have to market your business. From social media to email and blog/website comments. If you ignore complaints on these forums things will go from bad to worse. The way people communicate has changed and you need to make sure you’re changing with it.

Another great option is to give customers the option of giving feedback in store – through kiosks, mobile devices and brand apps, you can get feedback from your customers on the experiences they are having in real time.

2. Say thank you.

It may seem small, but you would be surprised how far a thank you can go. This goes from saying it after a purchase at a physical checkout, to sending out a tweet or email to a loyal customer saying how much you appreciate them.

3. Loyalty Programs – Thinking differently

Keep it Simple
The reason stamps work so well in the coffee industry is because people can see an end in sight, the reward is tangible and immediate. When people shop with you, do the same. Produce a voucher at the checkout for the next time they visit, give them the option of a loyalty card/mobile app that doesn’t require an elaborate sign-up form, give them a coupon to use in your online store to encourage site visitors.  Instant gratification is what people want, if they’ve been using a card for two years and have amassed £7, they’re not staying loyal.

Think Experience over money
Most successful loyalty programs go beyond simply offering points in return for purchases. Instead, retailers are trying to add more value to their most loyal customers, rewarding them with experience-focused initiatives. Instead of points, people are being rewarded with experiences that aren’t accessible to just anyone.

Get Digital
Going digital with loyalty programs is something that has been spoken about since 2010 and is the next logical step for all brands. This stretches from apps individual to a brand to apps that incorporate multiple loyalty programs across a range of retailers. Companies such as Starbucks, Sephora and Amazon have incorporated effective mobile loyalty programs under their own name to drive repeat purchases. These have proven highly successful for the brands and with people using their mobile for virtually everything now, it seems like a smart choice.

4. Never underestimate your staff on the ground.

Think of your staff as people, not just figures on a balance sheet. If you treat the people who work for you well, then you’ll have a happy workforce. And as we all know, a happy workforce makes for pleasant treatment of customers and a positive shopping experience.

5. Let people know you’re listening

Once you’ve collected data through different forms of customer feedback. Make sure they know you’ve heard them! People are impressed when they see that opinions are valued, and they appreciate when you do it.

It’s also a great idea to use examples of changes made to your business because of complaint or suggestions, in your marketing.

“Because of Mark’s suggestion, we extended our opening hours on  Saturdays during rugby season!”

If they know you’re listening, they’ll tell you more.

This article was written by Von Bismark. A company that has created a unique solution that uses motion capture and augmented reality to create a world where consumers can physically interact with digital inventory.

Ra-X is a data exchange, retail communications and polling solution from Retail Assist, and supports a number of our major retail clients. Ra-X is scalable and able to support growing businesses with rising volumes of retail data to exchange between multiple sites.

Product Co-ordinator, Andy Thomas, has worked with Ra-X since the beginning, and has watched it evolve into the solution  it is today. We asked him a few questions regarding his role, the evolution of Ra-X and  future updates:

Charlotte: How long have you worked at Retail Assist? And can you tell us a bit about your role?
Andy: I’ve worked at Retail Assist for 13 years now. I joined the company as part of the  Technical Services team supporting the networks and store systems of our clients. As time went on and the company expanded, the Technical Services team was split and I migrated into the newly formed Store System Team. I have a development background and that led to the shifting of my role from being purely support to having an increasing focus on software development. I am currently responsible for the continuing development of Ra-X.

Can you tell us a bit about the Ra-X service?
The Ra-X service is a middleware solution for managing the flow of data between systems. It provides a complete environment for the management of data polling. The solution provides full monitoring of every interface allowing for the creation of a system dashboard that indicates the complete health of all interfaces.

The solution enables data to be converted and formatted to fit the file type of the ingoing/outgoing data format through its extensible command language.  This can also be used for installation on remote systems allowing for distant execution.

Our clients predominantly use Ra-X to manage the Sales and Product Look Up (PLU) interfaces between their businesses and concession partners such as Debenhams and House of Fraser, but they also use it to manage other data flows such as payroll, software updates, store polling for example.

Our current Ra-X client base includes A|Wear, Oasis, Warehouse, Karen Millen, Coast, Cath Kidston, New Look, Paperchase and White Stuff with more on the way.

How has Ra-X changed since you first started working with it?
Ra-X originated back in 2003 with a project to implement the Nectar card Scheme into Adams Childrenswear. We required a simple polling application to poll offers and awards between Head Office and the stores, and therefore developed our own solution. From there it evolved to manage the sales and product feeds for a New Look pilot in Debenhams and the polling of Principles and Warehouse stores for Rubicon Retail. In 2007 the application was re-written to improve its scalability and monitoring   providing us with application that is very stable and capable of running 1000’s of interfaces a day. Having been involved with Ra-X right from the very start it’s been great to see the application mature over the years.

Are there any Ra-X updates in store, and if so how will this benefit users?
The Ra-X development process has become a full time job with new interfaces being added all the time. Where multiple clients partner with the same concessions partners benefits become apparent as the interfaces only need to be written once and are thus available for all. I think the most exciting development is the increasing integration between Ra-X and Merret. Effectively all the concession interfaces on Ra-X will become available to Merret clients along with all the interfaces monitoring and other benefits that the Ra-X services provides.

To find out more about Ra-X, visit our ‘data exchange’ page over on the Retail Assist website or contact us on info@retail-assist.co.uk

This series of blogs has allowed us to learn a little more about the habits of bloggers within retail. From the sample of ladies spoken to we can conclude that when it comes to convenience, online shopping is king – especially during the sales seasons. High street shopping is preferable when unsure on sizing or in need of a day out, and mobile shopping hasn’t taken off just yet within the group we spoke to. High quality is important and can result in higher spend.  Product reviews can sway a decision, and click and collect can convert a high street shopper to an online shopper assuming the p&p is free.

The study has proven interesting to us and, we hope, will prove useful to retailers looking to discover the best way to speak to their customer base when the newest trend hits the shelves.

With a big thank you to everyone that got involved we bring you these final insights into the way a blogger shops, with links to visit the contributors websites should you be looking for a ten minute escape.. (highly recommended)

“I definitely have a love/hate relationship with shopping on the high street. Because I’m in town every weekend I always have a quick wander around, dodging the people with their millions of bags, and if there’s anything that catches my eye I’ll try it on, sometimes take a photo of it on my phone, and remember it for later.

“Since having a blog, I’ve become more reliant on reading reviews of products, seeing how other people wear items of clothing and, of course, have a little look elsewhere to see if I can find the same thing or a similar alternative for cheaper. With the likes of ASOS offering 25% off for poor old students like me every now and again and with free delivery and returns it definitely makes the whole shopping experience easier; without the whole bus trips and unnecessary Starbucks buying whilst wandering around town. I feel like online shopping has almost become too easy nowadays with £20 being taken from your purse with a simple click. Oops. Whether I’m having a lazy day or looking for something to distract me whilst doing work, it’s just always there. Painless and simple.”

- Ellie, Ellie’s Favourite Things

“I like shopping on my own, mainly so I can browse for as long as I like and try things on. I’m not very impulsive so I normally see something I like and then have a little think (go to another shop) and come back for the item.

“I tend to only buy things online if I can’t buy them in store, mainly because I hate paying for postage if I know it’s only down the road. Click and collect is a good compromise for this and online stores that offer free delivery are my first to go to.

“I absolutely love shopping on eBay but I think it’s the lure of the bargain and having to look for the thing you want, and I always look for the seller with free postage…”

Many such studies and reports have taken place in recent years and from these findings we can begin to deduct the further-reaching effects that planters and other such urban greenery installations can have on the overall experience of the average shopper.

Studies have also shown that the cognitive functions that take place as we shop effect all the decisions you’d expect us to make, stress will cause us to leave a shop, whilst other occurrences interpreted by our brain as negative afflictions will ensure we don’t enter a shop or retail environment in the first place. We’re less likely to spend, and less likely to become involved in a conversation with a sales man in an environment that displeases our inherent perception. Similarly, restorative influences such as the reduction of stress or reinstatement of attention encourage us to stay, talk, become excited about a product (although technically that is a form of stress) and generally be more likely to make a purchase and be open to suggestion.

Many reports have found an empirical correlation between the presence of greenery and ‘restorative experiences’. As in to say, they have found that retail environments that are adorned with plant pots, hedges and various degrees of urban greenery encourage positive reactions in the brain which lead to customers engaging with the shopping destinations for longer and with a larger, more consistent purchase rate. Reportedly the presence of vegetation in shopping centres led to higher exploration rates among visitors, thus creating more opportunity for sales from the businesses who otherwise, may not have even been perceived!

Plants throughout shopping centres are also said to increase interaction, inspiring an instinctive necessity to investigate that which is not immediately obvious, entering shops and moving throughout the entirety of the retail environment.

Venturing outside, in a survey conducted involving streetscapes that featured lots of trees, a few trees or no greenery at all, many claimed they would travel further to visit a retail park that incorporated trees into its aesthetic design, thus increasing the catchment area of all the shops in that park. Responses from participants in the lots of trees or few trees area seemed significantly more positive in comparison to those from the streets without trees.

In today’s modern environment, where the sales process is a deeply integrated, social and psychological affair, it certainly seems that greenery in  the vicinity, in correct, planned moderation, taking into account the visibility of marketing material and the potential for a sense of overcrowding, could benefit all businesses in that area. Plantlife makes us feel good and when we feel good, we buy!

This article was written by Rob Vicars on behalf of Perimeta. For living walls, planters and urban tree planting for any commercial or retail environment, Perimeta supply quality and consistency all year round!

The first of the discussions focused on CRM.  The retailers discussed the level of detail that would be valuable to them, alongside how they could integrate and feed data into their CRM systems. The capturing of customer data is an essential element of the omnichannel mix, to build the relationship and encourage further purchases across channels.  Whilst this is easy with e-commerce transactions, it becomes more of a challenge in store – particularly when the speed of the transaction and minimising queue times is crucial.

The omnichannel retail discussions continued. The multitude of channels and the functionality required in each continues to grow.  With this growing trend in mind, Merret users are experiencing real benefits from the stock management approach.  Merret treats all stock – regardless of channel – as one central stock pool as Multichannel is at the heart of the solution. Discussions were held around how Merret’s intelligent sourcing is in place to allocate the stock from the most efficient route whether this be from a store, a warehouse, or distribution centre.

There are growing requirements around ‘click and collect’ functionality, as such Merret is allowing customers to order from the store, and collect from the same store, or collect from a more convenient store at a different location, or have their items delivered to a home address.

The global trading of many retailers adds in further complexities to the supply chain, yet discussions were held around the territory functionality that lies within Merret.  This handles multi-currency, multi-country trading -  this also comes into effect with timed and zonal pricing offers.  So as a promotion goes live at 18:00 in the UK, this allows pricing to go live at the equivalent time in Australia, or USA to ensure pricing is accurately  reflected within multiple time zones.

Future requirements were discussed.  Two of the latest developments are:

• The ability to use Merret on a tablet in store and, further to this, transact.  This allows clients to gain product updates, make sales, and look up product all from the central stock pool via Merret in store.

• Notification system for Buyers and Merchandisers – a development coming to Merret that carries out alerts to Buyers and Merchandisers regarding product information.  They are then able to make critical product decisions around allocation, or re-distribution to ensure stocking levels reach optimum levels.

These are just some of the new functional developments in Merret, but developing these with our users offers so much value to the users and teams building the functionality and development of the system.  We look forward to sharing more soon, and if you would like to discuss anything mentioned above please do contact us.

We had a great response, delivering some real insight into the way some of our favorite bloggers choose to buy their outfits. Due to such a positive reaction to this post, and due to the valuable insight we feel this provides from a retail perspective, we decided to do a follow up, contacting more of our fashionable favourites to once again ask ‘how do you shop?’ Here is what they had to say.

“It’s hard being asked how I shop as I don’t just do it in one simple way. It all depends on things like time, budget and what it’s for. If my budget is low, I absolutely love charity shopping. You can find such gems in there if only you search for a little longer than you would in a normal high street shop.

I also love buying pieces and changing them up a little by shortening a skirt or adding studs to a collar. But this method takes time, so for those days where I want to have a little spend but only have an hour spare, I love online sale shopping.

My tip is to always click the ‘price – lowest to highest’ button, so that I can see the cheapest things first, and stop when I get to the maximum amount I want to spend. I will mostly do online shopping from my laptop but have occasionally bought things from my mobile and iPad. On those lucky days when I have a bit more money to spare and more time to shop, I love simply wondering round town, trying things on and matching up different items.

I like to go round all the shops before I purchase anything, in case I see something I like better later on. I’ll visit all the shops, then on the way back, go back into the shops where I saw items I loved and then purchase them. But sadly, being a student now results in nothing but window shopping and browsing online at things I wish I could afford!”

Alex, Bambella

“How do I shop? Well, I’m a bargain hunter. When I shop, I shop thrifty. When I hit the high street, I head straight for the sale racks because there is always a gem to be found, hiding amongst the clutter. Having worked half my life in retail, I know how far things are marked up and how quickly they’re then marked down. Because of that, I hardly ever pay full price. I suppose that makes me a retailer’s worst nightmare. I do have my ‘go to’ stores though, that I can count on in a crisis. I know the fit, I know the quality, and in those stores I will splurge and pay retail, because I know what I am getting.

Taking a risk online is different. Sure, it’s convenient at the time, but I’ve lost count at the times I’ve had to send stuff back; too big, too small, not as it was described. I’ve completely lost my faith in online shopping, except of course, for the marketplaces. eBay and Etsy are my security blankets. Pre-loved or handmade treasures are the most fun and inexpensive things to buy, and living in London, you can’t do that without a London price-tag.

So I guess that makes me a predictable shopper. or maybe a smart shopper? I hope to think the latter..”

Erica, Being Erica

“Monday is my shopping day (my main shopping day!) and I always find some excuse to end up in a town full of shops. I’m a real mix when it comes to shopping online and the high street. I prefer to buy on the high street, and that’s mainly because I’m a little impatient and get a buzz from taking my purchase home and without a doubt, ripping off the tags and trying it on! I do, however spend many evenings browsing through every single online site you can find, looking at what I can buy (and wondering why I’m not richer!).

I’ve actually cut down my spending lately, after last month treating myself to a designer blouse. Saving up, and buying a more expensive item has now made me appreciate them a little more and debate whether it’s better doing it this way than an every week shopping trip. I’m yet to decide which way is best. But for now, I can guarantee I won’t be coming home empty handed on Monday…!”

Katy, Little Winter

How do you shop? We have more insights coming soon. Don’t forget to have a read through the blogs of this weeks contributors, you’re in for a treat!

]]> http://blog.retail-assist.co.uk/research/how-do-you-shop-part-2.html/feed 0 http://blog.retail-assist.co.uk/merret/the-value-of-client-involvement-merret-user-day.html http://blog.retail-assist.co.uk/merret/the-value-of-client-involvement-merret-user-day.html#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:36:04 +0000 Alex http://blog.retail-assist.co.uk/?p=2169 Continue reading →]]> We recently held our ‘Merret User Day’ – a session designed to involve the users of Merret in a discussion about the current and new functionalities of the supply chain solution. To date we are very proud to say this has included an impressive list of retailers, with the likes of ASOS, Jacques Vert, Jane Norman, Mint Velvet, Whistles, Paperchase, Harvey Nichols and several more. It was an inspiring room to be in.

The day was very kindly hosted by Whistles at the heart of their head office in London. With lots of collections on the move, and meetings happening around the office, it was great to actually see the products that Merret would be driving out to a multitude of Whistles’ sales channels, whilst also collecting the sales data and managing their entire journey to the end customer.

As well as wanting the majority of the clothes I saw, it was definitely a great place to be.

Both the team at Retail Assist, and the clients using Merret, find these days of great value. The involvement of retailers in the development roadmap, and in discussing new functionality that retailers require, is our favored approach as it allows us to develop something for the retailer that will drive real value. Not only this but our team of developers at Retail Assist all have strong retail backgrounds and experience, and so understand what will add value for the retailers.

The day itself is driven by the Merret users, with Retail Assist facilitating discussions and subjects that have been highlighted as areas of interest by the retailers themselves.

We are able to gain valuable feedback on new functionality, and  can have discussions regarding the future requirements to  continue to evolution of the solution and drive value to the retailers themselves.

It is through these forums that we can provide further efficiencies and richer functionality, making the growing requirements from the customer a reality. The involvement of a range of retailers including pure e-tailers, multichannel, and those with bricks and mortar stores only allows the perspectives and development to be driven for a multitude of retailing backgrounds.

We were extremely impressed with what we saw. With a vast range for boys and girls up to 13 years of age there is something for every parent with young children.

The range is high quality and very stylish. We were very impressed and extremely proud that Retail Assist and Merret are associated with such an exciting new brand.

To find out more about the Nutmeg range, click here.