Code and Commerce: Delivering Excellence in Retail Automation

It is no secret that efficiency lies at the heart of any successful retail operation. Fast, cost-effective and accurate processes create a foundation for retailers that enables them to thrive. Efficiency creates more time for associates, who can better allocate their working hours to more value driven tasks. It can free finances to be re-invested back into the business, and it can deliver reliable data, which can be analysed and actioned more effectively for enhanced organizational performance.

Efficiency is everything. In the fast-paced retail environment, technology – and more specifically, automation – has quickly become a key driver in efficient processes that enhance operations.

What is Retail Automation?

As a concept, automation is simple. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term as ‘the use of machines and computers that can operate without human control’. Within the context of retail, this could be as straightforward as utilizing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to log and track customer interactions, and manage different marketing communications to customers who fit specific profiles. Retail automation has a wide range of use cases – from inventory and order management to post-transaction email receipts, and everything in between. These deployments are already in use across a number of retailers, and it has changed the sector as we once knew it, but the differentiator in today’s industry is in how retailers use automation.

The Challenge of Automation

As already mentioned, automation can be deployed across a range of touchpoints within the retail operation. This, in many instances, can drive significant results. If a retailer can automate 80% of its processes, all of which are otherwise slow, mundane admin-based tasks, why wouldn’t it? The retailer can save the necessary labor time for the remaining 20%, which is more value driven, based around delivering exceptional customer experiences.

In theory, this works brilliantly. 80% of tasks become highly efficient, accurate, and importantly, reliable. But in practice, this isn’t necessarily such a walk in the park. At some point, automated processes must communicate with other automated processes. The technologies deployed might not integrate with each other, in which case retailers have to insert a human-led process between the two automated tasks to facilitate the transition of data. This, ultimately, requires human intervention and defeats the point of automating tasks in the first place. The likelihood is that this will also be the case for other automated tasks throughout the retailer’s operation.

Before they know it, the retailer has actually only automated 60% of their operation because they have had to create new tasks in facilitating data transmission. Yes, they are likely still benefitting from their technology deployment, but the business will not be operating as efficiently as it could.

Creating Unified Commerce

Overcoming the challenge of multiple technology deployments within a retail stack can become extremely complex, quickly. But it doesn’t need to be.

 By finding the right partner, retailers can deploy an all-encompassing approach to retail technology. Teamwork Commerce provides a full-service product suite that delivers seamless automation to retailers, without sacrifice. Incorporating Inventory Management, Order Management, Secure CRM and Mobile Point of Sale (POS) and Clienteling, Teamwork Commerce’s solutions all communicate seamlessly, in real-time to ensure retailers operate at maximum efficiency with minimal human intervention. Better yet, all data is captured and presented to provide high-quality reporting and analytics, enabling retailers full, immediate access to information that enables them to make better business decisions, faster.

 With the right technology deployed, retailers can create efficient and effective automation. Furthermore, it delivers significantly enhanced business performance while freeing the time of associates to create exceptional customer experiences.

To find out how Teamwork Commerce can help automate your retail operations, book a meeting today.