As retailers advance e-commerce innovations, it’s clear in-store management needs to stay top of mind, too. By not merging your online and in-store capabilities, you’re not fully catering to customer demands while also helping streamline store management. Thinking of the big picture when it comes to grocery technology can alleviate friction in all aspects of your business.
We’ll put it this way, if a customer has an excellent experience in-store, but doesn’t have as successful of a time shopping on an online store, it’s likely they will shop elsewhere next time. Grocers can use technology to help in-store operations in ways they didn’t think of before.
Don’t let poor inventory management and product shortages deter your customers. As more consumers utilize online shopping, retailers can now use e-commerce data to help gain better insight into store inventory and potential issues. Digital ordering is particularly useful for tracking products easily while helping predict potential supply issues. Using online sales data in conjunction with physical inventory can help improve overall management in the long run by understanding the full picture of consumer needs.
Omnichannel technology solutions are now standard practice in the grocery industry. In addition to taking in-person orders, deli counters are accepting orders placed via a mobile app. Many next-generation stores are encouraging shoppers to scan a QR code or use an app to learn more about products and even navigate the store. Grocers are also investing in smart carts that help shoppers track items placed in their basket and pay directly through a screen on the cart itself.
Sure, these innovations are valuable to the customer, but they also can be a crucial part of store management. Smart carts can make shopping smoother for delivery workers fulfilling online orders. Additionally, these carts can be helpful for store employees as they restock items on the shelves. Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions gather consumer and product data from digital operations to combat gridlock in stores caused by online order pickers walking aisles alongside shoppers.
Omnichannel technology works best as a complete retail solution. To better fuse your digital and physical stores, we recommend working with technology experts like the team at STCR. Learn how our technology solutions can elevate your store today!
