Retail store managers find that tech gaps impact workload
While retailers in the United States face tough competition for market share, belt-tightening consumers, and tighter profit margins, a Forrester Research study finds that retailers have a critical need for enterprise retailing software packages, which bridge communication gaps and empower store managers with communications tools.
Retail corporate headquarters assigned stores too much work, according to managers, and of those surveyed 42 percent said that headquarters decreased the store’s operating budget recently.
The study found that the managers’ corporate headquarters ignored concerns or comments from individual stores in the United States. Of retail store managers surveyed 87.5 percent acknowledged that effective new ideas come from other branches, but that 67 percent reported difficulties sharing those innovative ideas between branch stores.
Additionally, 37 percent did not know which promotions or activities their corporate headquarters had planned online, which ultimately impacted the customer experience in store. Such communications issues can easily be solved with communication software packages and store execution management solutions, according to Nikki Baird, senior analyst at Forrester Research.
The study results underscored that while 83 percent of respondents agreed that technology helps them do their own jobs better and faster, the majority of retailers lack the essential technology tools including store manager dashboards, PDA’s or tablet PCs
