Elevate your Retail Operations

Centralising Communication for Seamless Operations

One of the biggest logistical challenges for retailers is keeping staff updated on their tasks. Until now, this communication has been something of a scrappy experience. If a store manager wants an assistant to clean shelves or restock the cash registers, they could be conveying these instructions via email, WhatsApp, scribbled Post-It notes or hollering them across the shopfloor. This disjointed approach makes it difficult for store teams to have a clear vision of tasks and priorities. When communiques from headquarters are thrown into the mix, it’s easy to see how misunderstandings and errors can happen.

Yet, with an AI-powered task management platform such as Cegid Retail Store Excellence, tasks can be stored in one centralised location – which staff can access wherever they might be. For senior managers based at head office, the tech gives them an opportunity to implement company-wide standardisation by requesting all stores across multiple locations complete the same assignments. As for the employee, they can receive details of their duties via engaging social media-style posts, as well as accessing important information such as brand guidelines, sales training and inventory on the same platform.

How to effortlessly monitor store activities from HQ

Giving bosses a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening at every store is one of the big benefits of using a task management platform. Even if these managers are based at company headquarters on a different continent, they can still check the real-time progress of tasks such as product recalls or area manager visits – and whether these have been completed. Put simply, it gives those at central command more control over their retail operations.

It can also reassure them brand guidelines are being observed by staff across all outlets. The digital checklists of a platform such as Cegid Retail Store Excellence are a much more accurate and hassle-free way of ensuring stores are complying to a health and safety audit than using, say, paper checks.

Standardising Compliance and Operational Protocols

Ensuring compliance with brand standards, health regulations, and operational protocols is a persistent concern for retail operations directors. Without a standardised approach, inconsistencies can compromise brand integrity and increase risk. Cegid Retail Store Excellence offers real-time monitoring capabilities, allowing directors to enforce compliance and standardise operations across all stores. Digital checklists and automated audits provide precise compliance tracking, minimising risk and ensuring brand consistency.

Achieving Consistency in Compliance Across Multiple Locations

For global retailers, maintaining consistent compliance across diverse geographic regions presents unique challenges. Different local regulations, language barriers, cultural practices, and operational norms can complicate compliance efforts. Cegid’s retail operations platform addresses these challenges by providing tools that translate brand guidelines and procedures into local languages, ensuring that all staff understand and adhere to company standards. This localisation capability enhances brand integrity and reduces the risk of non-compliance.

Empowering Data-Driven Decision Making

Retail operations directors require clear, actionable insights to make informed decisions that enhance efficiency and effectiveness. The analytics capabilities of Cegid Retail Store Excellence delivers valuable insights into store performance. By leveraging real-time data, directors can identify trends, detect inefficiencies, and make informed decisions to boost performance. This empowers directors to optimise workforce allocation, refine processes, and improve overall operational efficiency.

The Importance of Real-Time Analytics in Retail Operations

Real-time analytics provide retail operations directors with the ability to respond swiftly to changing conditions. Whether it’s adjusting inventory levels based on sales trends or reallocating staff to underperforming areas, data-driven decision-making enhances operational agility and effectiveness. By harnessing analytics, directors can develop strategies that align with consumer demands and market dynamics, thereby improving customer satisfaction and driving revenue growth.

How could operation management plan workforce allocation more effectively

Last-minute absenteeism, scheduling issues, deciding which team member gets allocated which task, finding temporary staff during peak season: the average retail operations manager is confronted with many workforce-related woes.

Cegid Retail Store Excellence enables HQ to create tailored labour budgets for specific stores, tracking forecasts against actual hours worked. This foresight allows managers to plan months in advance, matching labour forecasts with in-store tasks to prevent over-spending on extra staffing costs.

Strategies for optimising workforce management

Optimising workforce allocation involves more than just scheduling shifts. It requires a comprehensive approach that considers employee skills, availability, and store needs. Cegid Retail Store Excellence provides directors with powerful analytics that highlight performance metrics across different departments and stores. By analysing these metrics, directors can make strategic decisions that align staff capabilities with operational demands, ensuring productivity and cost-effectiveness.

How AI can streamline task management?

The retail AI arms race continues to gain strength. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of retailers are investing in AI according to a 2024 global report by IDC. As many of these businesses are discovering, AI is helping them improve operational efficiency.

Harnessing AI for operational excellence

AI continues to revolutionise retail operations by offering solutions that enhance communication, task management, and content creation. Cegid Pulse, Cegid’s set of AI agents facilitate seamless cross-cultural communication, breaking down linguistic barriers and improving customer interactions. The AI-powered post generator feature also supports efficient content creation for marketing, allowing staff to focus on customer engagement rather than brainstorming campaign and communication ideas.

One of the biggest boons of AI for retailers is that it frees up staff to work on other tasks. Today, employee-generated content is an increasingly important part of retail marketing. Yet, few managers want their employees spending precious hours brainstorming ideas for Instagram posts when they could be selling to customers instead. Fortunately, the AI post generator feature in Cegid Retail Store Excellence can do this work for them by crafting compelling social posts, as well as sourcing engaging imagery (see PVH Europe’s story below).

The Role of AI in Transforming Retail Operations

AI offers transformative potential for retail operations by automating routine tasks and providing predictive insights. For instance, AI can analyse customer interactions to offer personalised recommendations, enhancing the shopping experience. Additionally, AI-powered tools can support managers in troubleshooting operational issues, thereby improving operational efficiency and reducing downtime. By integrating AI into their strategies, retail operations directors can drive innovation and improve outcomes.

Success Story: Real-World Impact of operational efficiency in retail

PVH Europe is an Amsterdam-based fashion brand which owns Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. It has been using Cegid throughout its European retail operations for over three years; it estimates it has saved £300,000 in labour costs since implementing the technology.

“[Cegid] has been a huge step forward in our communications, alignment, visibility and the onboarding of different departments,” says Tara Apsey, senior specialist, PVH Europe. “By allowing us to have everything in one place, it’s uncovered things we didn’t know were happening in the business. From a central point of view, we can now see what’s going on in every single store across Europe.”

PVH also uses Cegid’s Retail Store of Excellence. “It houses everything: quick sheets, store operational manuals,” says Apsey.

The platform has also been a boon for content too, particularly its post generator feature, which can craft social media posts.

“Retail Store of Excellence allows us to add or remove content, and create short, snappy video,” says Apsey. “I’m not the most creative person and you can quickly spiral when thinking of creative content. Is it cool to use emojis anymore? Who knows? However, this will probably be my best friend and allow me to get some time back.”

Being based in 40 countries, PVH Europe previously faced difficulties communicating in multiple languages. Since using Retail Store of Excellence’s AI post translation feature, this has become much easier. Says Apsey: “The AI post translation has been a game-changer for us, allowing us to communicate to stores in their local language.”

Conclusion

In the complex realm of retail operations, clarity and efficiency are crucial. Equip your team with Cegid Retail Store Excellence, a premier retail operations platform, to centralise communication, ensure compliance, and gain actionable insights that drive success. Transform your retail operations into a seamless, efficient powerhouse.

Q&A

1. How can Cegid improve retail operations?

Cegid’s suite of software solutions can drastically improve retail operations and in-store productivity by equipping staff with mobile POS solutions that speed up sales processes, monitor store activities from remote locations, allocate tasks to workforce and optimise staff scheduling. Thanks to the 24/7 monitoring of retail performance that Cegid’s omnichannel solutions provide, managers can feel empowered to make data-driven decisions which lead to increased sales.

2. What are the standard operating procedures in retail?

Put simply, standard operating procedures (SOP) are a roadmap giving guidance to retailers and other businesses on how they can ensure consistent quality and customer service. A robust SOP should be a handbook for all employees, with clear descriptions of their roles and tasks. SOPs can also help enforce company-wide compliance with regulations such as health and safety standards.

3. What are the key benefits for using mobile devices for real-time customer assistance?

Perhaps the biggest advantage for retailers is more sales. When employees are equipped with a POS mobile solution, they can serve customers wherever they might be: on a private shopping experience, in different areas of the store when checkouts are busy, or at brand events. According to an IHL Group study, companies whose staff use mobile sales tools enjoy 77% higher sales growth. Meanwhile, by accessing customer data such as recent purchase history or product preferences, as well as a real-time view of inventory, employees can deliver personalised services to customers, as well as give realistic expectations of when their purchases might be delivered.