Retail & Distribution
Hot topics and key learnings from EuroCIS 2019
20 augustus 2019
Obsession with customer experience
Alan Holcroft, Cegid’s Sales Manager for Northern Europe spoke to many visitors to the stand and found that the concept of ‘omnichannel’ is now a standard requirement in retail strategy – very much the norm – and the emphasis is shifting more to ‘customer experience’.
«Retailers are trying to understand how to improve customer experience in-store and looking to us to see how our technology can assist in this area. Lots of
retailers are struggling to deal with compliancy challenges in both existing and new markets and looking to the cloud to help them overcome this.»
Alan Holcroft
SALES MANAGER FOR NORTHERN EUROPE AT CEGID
Retailers want to see tech value delivered
International retailers that networked with Cegid expressed a desire to understand how they can overcome the challenge of interoperability.
«Many of the retailers we talk to have several systems in their ecosystem and want guidance on how we can help them on this. I have noticed that in recent months, more and more retailers are recruiting system architects. A good example is how to construct the single view of customer.»
Alan Holcroft
SALES MANAGER FOR NORTHERN EUROPE AT CEGID
His conclusion from the show is that retailers are looking to vendors like Cegid, to understand what more value they can bring.
«For example, they are not just interested in POS but want to master the broader remit of unified commerce. I am still amazed at how few retailers – apart from our customers, of course – still do not have real time inventory visibility across their estate»
Alan Holcroft
SALES MANAGER FOR NORTHERN EUROPE AT CEGID
Our top line learnings from the show
The primary benefit for Cegid was the opportunity to connect with this vast audience of international retailers and industry experts. We were able to share our knowledge and ideas, as well as learn from others, and better understand the challenges of the day.
Top line learnings from the show
Here are just five:
- As billed, the implementation of omnichannel strategies was a major topic at EuroCIS 2019. Tech on show to help retailers prepare for the future included mobile solutions for supporting shop assistants, and the latest unified commerce software solutions and cloud support. Aiming for omnichannel functionality and interoperability is now the norm for retailers as they plan future growth and keep pace with evolving consumer needs.
- The retail sector is clearly ready to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI), the possibilities of Internet of Everything, RFID, Blockchain and data analytics to become more competitive.
- There was plenty of discussion about being sure of the business case for new technology, and the importance of retailers working closely with tech providers to ease implementation and maximise the performance outcomes.
- It was fascinating to see first-hand the latest technology that enhances the store experience, such as Smart Mirrors, video walls and virtual reality installations and apps. More and more of this technology will be enhancing stores and the shopping experience around the world.
- There was a big focus on the practical side of automation in retail – self checkout and automated payment methods were of particular interest, and the impact of jobs was a key point of discussion.
Cegid in the spotlight
Helping retailers seize every opportunity to grow with a unified, personalised shopping experience across all channels is in our blood at Cegid, and we were delighted to showcase our latest product innovations. We spent time with retailers explaining what becomes possible once you have fully digitised stores and integrated systems to serve customers in the new ways they demand. As part of our unified commerce platform, delegates were shown our established Shopping, Cataloguing and Clienteling modules. We also unveiled a brand new Inventory Tracking solution at the show.
On the stand we shared case studies to bring the tech stories to life, in particular our work with luxury swimwear brand, Orlebar Brown. We also explained the business benefits of our expanded Wordwide Cloud services. These have been designed to help retailers move forward profitably and securely with technology that can be scaled in line with their particular pace of growth.
Friction free shopping is here
With technology like this in place, retailers can remove friction and uncertainty from customer buying journeys. Integrated solutions can then deliver a holistic view of shoppers, products and stock across the entire retail demand and supply chain. This empowers retailers to deliver seamless shopping encounters, creating personalised and memorable experiences that increase conversions and grow customer lifetime value.
Our message to delegates at EuroCIS 2019 was this:
Do not delay in pushing the boundaries of unified commerce and making the vision of omnichannel retail become everyday reality. With our help, it’s very much within reach.
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