This year retailers are focused on the foundation of any business: the customer. From improving e-commerce to adding mobile platforms and focusing on the supply chain and operations, a recent report from the National Retail Federation says that customer satisfaction is the top priority for 2012.
As retailers focus on building market share and increasing sales, the key piece of the puzzle will be measurement. Enhancing the customer experience is meaningless without knowing whether or not your efforts are effective. To that end, retailers will be focused on building online sales by personalizing websites based on a customer’s browsing or purchasing history, and expanding location-based services on cellphones. They will also focus on a customer’s experience in the store, with an increase in the use of handheld point-of-sale devices.
Leveraging these tools further in 2012 will provide important data that can help find strengths and weaknesses in the supply chain, and the system overall. Retailers can pull data from ERP and other systems and use business intelligence software to turn it into usable information.
By measuring their success, they can make adjustments to ensure that the customer is satisfied and — ultimately — that their market share increases.
Source: National Retail Federation, February 2012
