One Device, many workflows: how multi-use solutions can help to transform retail operations for long-term success

Retailers have achieved explosive growth in ecommerce and online grocery over the past two years, but that doesn’t mean they can settle with current processes and technology. They have the monumental task of maintaining momentum and reaching previously unimaginable milestones - especially as online giants threaten to outpace them. What’s more, challenges such as the supply chain crisis are adding mounting pressure to plan for the future.

The rise of smart, mobile technology has created a generation of increasingly tech-savvy and knowledgeable consumers, and retailers have needed to transform to meet their changing expectations. One example of this is the demand for more frictionless payment methods in e-commerce stores from more than half of consumers in a recent Statista report.

This is just one example, but the transformation retailers have had to undertake and are still undertaking is multi-faceted. It has involved the breaking down of siloes within retail and has had an impact not just on e-commerce but on the in-store experience, too.

Where physical stores were traditionally designed around a fixed point-of-sale (POS), now retailers must introduce mobility and flexibility in the form of enterprise devices which can tackle multiple workflows, from logistics management and sorting to retail associate and customer engagement.

The reduction of POS stations also contributes to lean infrastructure, enabling retailers to save or maximize on space within stores and reduce to smaller footprints. This can be achieved by devices which can function as mobile terminals and mobile printers, supporting the vast majority of in-store retail workflows without the physical footprint.

While e-commerce continues to grow, the in-store or offline shopping experience remains vital, particularly across the APAC region, with two-thirds of shoppers planning to return to brick-and-mortar locations in the coming months, while most of them (73%) want to get in and out of stores quickly.

Sustainability is also now an imperative for retailers, rather than a ‘nice to have’ addition to normal operations. Amongst a 2021 survey of Millennial and Gen Z adults conducted by Deloitte, climate change and the need to protect the environment ranked as the most pressing personal concern right now, while a staggering 89% of respondents to a Wunderman Thompson survey believed that companies should be doing more to reduce their carbon impacts.

So, what does all this mean for retailers?

Retailers already know they need to adapt and have in the past been ahead of other sectors in successfully innovating. Click-and-Collect has been one recent innovation in a long chain of many which seek to transform with the times. There are many other examples, but retailers now need to think beyond individual processes and look to unlock holistic, long-term transformations in operations and logistics if they are to win the hearts of minds of consumers in today’s market.

Perhaps the greatest single change that can be made is the use of ‘one device, many workflow’ solutions. Robust and multi-use devices can enable frictionless workflows and seamless customer experiences and can also contribute to sustainability by bolstering the digitization of operations and enabling retailers to go paperless.

Meanwhile, empowering retail associates by making all customer data (preferences, purchase history, details of previous interactions, for example) easily accessible also contributes to successful personalization of services and products – another priority for younger consumers. This is reflected in numerous studies which show how personalization can drive conversion rates for purchases across e-commerce sites, and being able to harness the data that drives these tailored offering and bring them in-store is the next frontier in retail experiences.

Furthermore, when these devices tackle many workflows and are made to last and supported throughout this longer product lifecycle to ensure consistently high performance, it enables retailers to reduce their carbon footprint and e-waste to derive greater long-term value from their hardware investments.

By placing a strategic focus on the use of multi-purpose enterprise devices, underpinned by automation and smart analytics, retail leaders can empower their organizations to transform to flexible operations.

This results in the creation of new retail environments that match customer expectations and enables associates to stay one step ahead with customer insights and inventory visibility. It also helps to bolster e-commerce efficiency and customer satisfaction by collecting data and using it to update the availability of items in online stores in real-time, so customers know exactly what they can order and when to expect its arrival.

Empowering the future of retail

Using multi-use rugged devices to boost productivity, accelerate operations and enhance customer satisfaction requires strategic thought. These devices require technical expertise and mobility, but they also need to be deployed with expertise, considering specific business needs and best-served areas of operations.

Honeywell is a trusted partner with proven expertise to drive efficiencies and cost-savings for retailers across the APAC region, future-proofing their workflows across the entire supply chain. As a Fortune 100 company with over 50 years of retail experience and 100+ years of developing pioneering technology, Honeywell is renowned for solving retailers’ business-critical challenges. From giving associates the tools to stay in control to shaping services that drive customer loyalty, Honeywell helps retailers fuel a cutting-edge, future-ready service.