Many years ago newsagents and many other retailers placed high importance on technology for the back room of the business. Typically, it was used for arriving new stock, doing returns, running reports and general management.
Today, I see little value in a retail business like a Newsagency for technology in the back room. This is something I have said here and elsewhere for some years.
At the massive Shoptalk retail conference in Las Vegas this week I was in a session where this was a focus call to action to retailers – to shops tech investment from the back room to the shop floor.
In my own shops we have done this for some years, moved to the shop floor work usually done in the back office. All product arrival, product returns, reporting and day to day management is done from the shop floor and sales counter.
By doing work somewhere on the shop floor that you might otherwise do in the back office you immediately increase the opportunity for shopper interaction. More opportunities for shopper interaction = more sales in most businesses.
A shopper can’t ask you a question in the back office.
A shopper will not notice new product you are arriving, unpacking and pricing in the back office.
These are just two tasks you can move to the shop floor and easily boost business as a result.
At Shoptalk examples were presented off retailers systematically moving back office tasks to the shop floor and tracking sales growth as a result.
Key to doing this is your tech investment, ensuring you have the right tech for the tasks so that it does not intrude on or hinder the shopper experience. Indeed, the right tech will enhance the shopper experience and enable efficient execution of the work on the shop floor.
In a newsagency, the tasks that could be shop floor or counter (and not back office) tasks include: product arrival, pricing and returns, reporting, ordering, supplier queries, rostering and more.
It is vital we change how we work in our businesses, seizing every opportunity possible to increase shopper engagement on their shop floor, and to embrace this with delight. Shoppers will reward you with sales growth.
Footnote: A common message I hear from retailers is surprise that shoppers purchase items they are unpacking on the shop floor. The thing is, once retailers experience this, they do it more, seeking that impulse purchases are repeated.