
Retailers that don't take an omni-channel approach and use
modern technology face becoming obsolete, according to delegates
at Insider's Changing the Face of Retail
Breakfast.
The event at Manchester's Imperial War Museum North was attended
by more than 130 people.
Gareth James is the chief executive of Chester-based Intilery
and previously worked for MoneySupermarket. His new business uses
technology to track customer journeys in real-time both online and
offline at every touchpoint.
He said: "Retailers will now be able to fulfil the individual
needs of every customers across any channel [online, call centre,
in-store, in-app, email, social, etc] whilst being able to be
competitive in the retail landscape.
"Customers now expect this level of service by default."
Ian Walker, managing director of Wigan-based 3P Logistics, which
works with a number of retailers and has 4.5 million units in
stock, added that third-party logistics was creating "virtual
entrepreneurs" who never needed to touch the products.
He said: "We'll take goods in from overseas, we'll store them,
process the orders and deliver them through the normal delivery
network. We're processing about 2,000 consignments a day.
"We have to be regimental. We have a 99.7 per cent approval
service level. We do that because we embrace technology. You can't
afford negative feedback."
Matthew Williamson, a real estate partner and head of retail and
leisure at Weightmans, said there was no denying the migration to
online shopping had damaged town centres. He argued that the advent
of things like next-day delivery had raised the ante in terms of
supply chain requirements.
"Consumers are driving this," he said. "People aren't prepared
to wait.
"Look at Amazon Prime Now - you can get your goods delivered
within an hour. Just think of the infrastructure and the
distribution network that needs to go into that service.
"You could say none of this is an issue if retailers and their
logistics providers can charge for it but of course there needs to
be a cost somewhere in the supply chain in order to service
it."
Kerry Wright is the marketing director of Purple, which spotted
a gap in the market for public Wi-Fi.
She said: "There are three parts to the product - access,
getting people online, analytics - providing insightful reports
back to the business about the data that's being collected, and
action - ways for the business to take meaningful action from that
data. We like to call Purple an 'intelligent spaces platform'.
"Examples of how technology has changed how people shop include
omni-channel shopping [eg the rise of click-and-collect), the
ability to price check or 'showrooming' changing pricing models,
social influence on product [eg Instagram], mobile payments. What's
starting to come next is digital engagement as opposed to
human.
"But technology has also changed how retailers operate."
Robert Brigham, managing director of Ellis Brigham Mountain
Sports & the Snowboard Asylum, said online retail only
accounted for 10 per cent of sales. He said: "It's still a very
touchy feely market. We're trying to do more. Loyalty is a huge
part of what we've got planned for the future.
"We're not doing 'spend = points' because that's Tesco but we're
trying to be clever about it. That could include random acts of
kindness. For example if you buy a Spider jacket that could cost
£600 we might send you the matching Spider hat for free."
Asif Hamid is the chief executive of Birkenhead-based the
Contact Company, which works for a variety of retailers and sees
itself as part of the shopping journey.
He said: "We're the non-facing side of the brand. We work with
the likes of River Island, Sainsbury's, Superdrug, Argos and the
Great Little Trading Co and we are an extension of their branded
proposition.
"We're integrated. Retail is constantly changing because of
technology."
Meanwhile, technology specialist UKFast provides the platform
online for all kinds of companies to run websites, emails and
applications that make their business work. Managing director
Jonathan Bowers said that it works with a lot of retailers, with
website speed being increasingly critical.
"One thing we discovered back in 2009, that still remains
extremely relevant now, is that speed plays a huge role in relation
to success on the internet," he explained.
"Nobody likes to queue so speed should be considered alongside
conversion techniques, search engine optimisation, pay-per-click
and email marketing as a crucial part of turning visitors into
customers."
Zoe Brimelow (pictured) is the brand director of £25m-turnover
company Duo UK, which manufactures three million plastic mailing
bags a week and works with the likes of JD Williams, JD Sports,
Tesco and ASOS.
She said: "Perception of postal packaging has changed, companies
used to see this as nothing more than protection and opted for the
lightest, most robust material that was functional and fast to pack
outbound goods into.
"However, now design enhancements like carry handles, twin glue
lines and engaging branding that captures the attention of
passers-by as well as the shopper has transformed the mailing bag
from a practical item to a marketing tool."
The breakfast was sponsored by 3P Logistics, UKFast and
Weightmans.
As Featured in
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