Technology: The Bane of Existence or Breath of Fresh Air for Retailers?

Four-Part Series: How Retailers can Understand and Embrace the Very Technology That Threatens to Undermine Customer Relationships and Erode Profits.

This is the third article in a
four-part series appearing at
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For the first time in history, consumers are ahead of retailers in applying technology, using mobile devices, tablets, and computers to access information, and prepare for their daily shopping.

Customers routinely interact with many information sources and multiple vendors through a variety of communication channels as they engineer their own “programs” to get what they want out of their shopping experiences and out of their shopping budgets.

Meanwhile, most retailers are scrambling to meet rapidly changing customer expectations, but are struggling to do so with limited personnel, limited budgets and obsolete tools and organizational structures. And, by the way, the term “retailer” now includes anyone selling directly to consumers, with or without a brick and mortar channel. You can count among them manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers, catalogers, and even other consumers.

To help you better appreciate the myriad of complex issues created by “technology” that impinge upon and affect the retailer-consumer relationship, we have created a conversation between a retailer and a technology-savvy consumer. They will discuss their relationship, how it has evolved and where it’s headed. Their perspectives highlight the complex relationship and how it continues to evolve across four core topic areas:

1. Creating Shopping “Partnerships”
2. Making a Purchase
3. Post-Purchase Support
4. Listening to the Customer and Managing the Relationship Over Time

Following their discussion, we will offer you a recap of the key take-away message points and our perspectives on what you and your organization must do to strengthen your existing customer relationships and create and nurture new ones through the deft and creative use of technology.

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PART 1
"Do you know how I shop?"

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PART 2
Making a Purchase

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PART 3
Post-Purchase Support

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PART 4
Listening to the Customer and Managing the Relationship Over Time

About the Authors

David Ressinger, Vice President and Partner, SD Retail Consulting
David brings with him more than 15 years of retail consulting experience. David's areas of specialization include customer experience, store operations and workforce management, business process design, large-scale implementation and PMO support, headquarters effectiveness, new concept development and cross-border expansion.
David holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from DePaul University, Chicago.
Over the past 40 years, SD Retail Consulting has partnered with clients to improve customer experience, streamline operations, increase sales, reduce costs and improve the bottom line. We leverage this experience to bring new concepts, new channels and new customer facing capabilities to life, profitably and in a way that iscompatible with pre-existing brick-and-mortar and on-line retail businesses. New Concept Development, Store Operations, Workforce Management, Merchandising, Supply Chain and Headquarters.

Contact:
dressinger@sdretail.com
847-418-2724
www.sdretail.com
SD Retail Consulting, 5 Revere Drive, Suite 420, Northbrook, IL 60062

Shah Karim, CEO, Saferock Retail
Shah Karim has 25 years of experience in retail, education, and publishing industries. Shah has worked with department store, catalog, specialty, supermarket, discount, drug store, and hardware retailers. He consults with companies to improve their strategic and multi-channel abilities to target customers and competitors. Shah received his B.A., M.A., and M. Phil. in Economics from Yale University.

Saferock has developed a unique netVantage system that helps the retailer centralize product information for marketing, localize promotions and offers, and increase efficiency by improving marketing and merchandising collaboration and reducing spend. NetVantage quantifies ad and promo returns, quickly identifying which items are winners or losers in terms of ad lift, financial ROI, and ad space allocation. This solution can automatically versions ads to the store level, and present customers with competitive offers and promos that are specific to their location and shopping profile.

Contact:
shah@saferock.com
201.696.5500
LinkedIn | Twitter
www.saferockretail.com
Saferock Retail, 75 Armour Place, #203, Dumont NJ 07628