5 Practical Steps for Implementing Retail Technology in Your Store

It’s no secret that technology is a top concern for many industry players. In fact, for a lot of retailers, keeping up with and implementing new technology is THE top operational challenge that they’re facing. (Source: Retail Future Trends 2015 Report by Retail Customer Experience)

And who can blame them? In addition to the sizable financial investment that comes with implementing technology, these initiatives require staff training and customer education—both of which can eat up tons of resources. And depending on how fast customers adopt them (if ever), merchants often have to play the “wait and see” game before seeing an ROI.

But despite these challenges, it’s important that retailers continue to explore and experiment with new technologies in their stores. Because as expensive as these initiatives can be, the costs of not keeping up with technology are far greater.

Fortunately, there are some steps that retailers can take to determine the right technologies to invest in and minimize risk. We talk about these steps in more detail below:

Step 1 – Get to know your customers’ technographic profile then decide on a solution that fits them

Rather than jumping on a tech bandwagon or rolling out gadgets and solutions that you think your customers need, do your research and figure out your audience’s technographic profile. 

You can do this by asking questions around the technologies that your customers are using, and how they’re using them. You can obtain this information through your direct interactions with shoppers, and by checking out industry surveys and resources. For instance, if you’re looking to implement something around social media, you can use Forrester’ Social Technographics tool, which can help you plan your social tech initiatives.

Looking at what merchants in your industry are doing can also give you insights on potential technologies to adopt. For example, if you’re in the fashion industry, would it make sense to use Instagram selling tools, like what Nordstrom and Michael Kors are doing? Or if you’re in the restaurant industry, would your customers appreciate the abilities to order online or via mobile?

These steps should give you a better idea of your customers are at the tech landscape and thus help you determine the best tools or solutions to implement. 

Step 2 – Train your staff

Once you’ve decided on a solution or tool to implement in your store, be sure to give you staff adequate training prior to the launch. Talk to your solution provider and ask if they offer resources and training that you can take advantage of.

Failing to train your staff properly could lead to confusion—or worse—an unsatisfactory customer experience. Just check out what happened to the Retail Category Consultants team when they visited two department stores in Toronto to see how beacon technology worked in their locations.

The RCC team observed that employees in the stores didn’t seem to have enough knowledge of how the technology worked. “After asking a number of associates for help with the app, only one manager was able to answer our questions,” they shared.

Needless to say, they were dissatisfied with the experience, and noted that while the stores had a competitive advantage of being an early adopter, they “missed the mark on several fronts, including app performance and associate training.”

Don’t make the same mistake. If you’re deploying new tools or gadgets in your location, see to it that every manager and associate is aware of how the technology works and is trained to assist and educate guests on how to use them.

Step 3 – Test

Test the technology before rolling it out across your whole retail operation. Doing so will help you get feedback from early users, which you can apply early on. Proper testing also enables you to catch bugs or shortcomings that you can address during the implementation stage. 

There are many ways to test your initiatives—and they will depend on the technology that you’re looking to implement.

If you’re trying beacons, for example, you can test them in just one location or one department before installing them in all your branches.

If you’re trying a new social initiative or app, why not test it out on your top customers first? Send them an exclusive invite so you can evaluate how people are using it and gain feedback.

Another practical way to test new technologies is to take advantage of free trails. Let’s say you’re looking to upgrade your POS system; instead of signing a long-term contract, opt for a solution that lets you test-drive the software for free. (Tip: Get the most of your free trials by talking to the provider’s support team. Ask questions, get resources, and learn as much as you can.) 

Step 4 – Implement

If all goes well in Step 3, then you’re ready to implement the technology in your retail business. By this stage, you should’ve crushed the bugs that you caught in the previous step and took action on any lessons or feedback that you gained. 

There aren’t any hard and fast rules when it comes to implementation, as the process will vary, depending on the technology you’re adopting as well as the size of your business. But if did your research, trained your staff, and improved the solution based on prior feedback, then the implementation stage should go fairly smoothly. 

Step – 5 Measure

Identify the key things that would determine whether or not your initiatives are successful. Is it revenue? Engagement? Store productivity? Customer satisfaction? Whatever it is, be sure to closely observe and document the results, so you can set out on your next course of action. 

Weigh in

Are you implementing new technologies in your retail store? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

Want more retail advice?

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