Friday, June 29, 2012

Retail Mobility "The App vs Web Debate Rages On"

Click on image to enlarge or click link below.

Forbes take on mobile and retail, well stated, no need to reinvent the wheel.

Part of what makes retail mobility unpopular amongst consumers and retailers is that few retailers have created a broad enough reaching approach. You won't get traction if you have only made your information available to a percentage of your shoppers.

Retailers need to think of mobility in this light, if you feel threatened by Amazon taking over the marketplace - mobility is where they shine. If brick and mortar retailers can get mobility under control, you capture the market.




Infographic created by Cognizant

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Retail Buzz Subscription Perks



Subscribe to the One Step Retail Solutions publication eNewsletter for up-to-date retail technology trends and retail trends direct to your email monthly.

Recent topics have included:

How to Minimize Shrink
Pinterest Tips to Increase Sales
PCI Compliancy updates
Mobile Product Updates
Discounts, deals and offers
and much, much more.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Submit Your Displays to Retail Details Blog

Retail Details is a popular blog amongst retailers, offering inspiration for display and retail spaces.

You can submit your store design ideas for their blogging consideration to SwirlMarketing@comcast.net

Thank you Retail Details for this fantastic resource that retailers can not only be inspired by but can contribute to!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

[Guest Article] Selling To Generation Y

By: Retail Minded

It’s actually scary to think that Generation Y, also known as the Millennial  Generation, are use to being engaged with technology for about eight hours a day. Yep, you read that right – eight hours. Between texting, social media, computers, phones, i-Pads and TV, Generation Y makes it tough to communicate with in terms of sales. Their attention span is minimal, and many are known to be very impatient when being waited on or helped. In fact, most studies tell us they expect – not just want – but expect immediate satisfaction. As an independent retailer, that’s a lot to respond to.

Born between the late 1970′s and into the early 1990′s, Generation Y are making up a large audience of potential customers. While it may seem obvious to market to them online and via technology driven avenues, it’s also important to provide traditional marketing and sales options. The key is communicating with them in a way they respond to.

For starters, Generation Y consumers typically love a good “cause”. Whether you give a percentage of sales to a local charity or provide attention to a great cause, this group of consumers want to hear about what’s going on in the world. Sure, they may not want to read a ten page report on something, but they care enough to contribute how they can. And this is especially true if they are shopping for one thing and can give to another all at once.

Just as much as they love a good cause, Gen Y also loves the uniqueness that everyone has. Their appreciation for being a “one and only” was built on upbringings that told them they were unique and could do anything. In response to this, you have to learn to react to customers a bit more uniquely, as well. Without truly profiling your customer, you can still learn a lot by how they are dressed, what they are doing (example: are they on the phone and shopping at once) and how they react to certain environments and shopping. Many want to be engaged, so stores without the option to touch things or experience products before purchase often miss out. Consider how your store would make a Gen Y consumer  feel. Does it speak to who they are? For that matter, do you want your store to?

Finally, don’t let time be on your side. Unlike many other consumers, Gen Y tends to be in a rush. They are constantly moving and looking forward to the next thing on their to-do-list, even if that’s tweeting or checking their Facebook status. So what does that mean for you? Don’t beat around the bush and get to the point in your sales and support. They’ll appreciate it, and so will you.







This article was contributed by Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, Founder & Editorial Director of Retail Minded – the nation’s only retail lifestyle magazine dedicated to independent retailers both in and out of their stores.

Learn more about
Retail Minded


Retail Minded is a part of the One Step Retail Retail Professional Association. Bringing together high-end retail industry experts and service providers.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

"Hello, World"


By: Amy Hanson, Blogger for One Step Retail Solutions

First of all, I love fashion and am ever impressed with the innovative world of not only fashion but retail and fashion/retail marketing. Retailing is the consumers connection to fashion, the products you choose to carry determine what society is going to look like.

Karl Lagerfeld and Anne Wintour may decide a cut is "this season" but the retail industry calls the shots when it comes to what will be generally distrubuted.

That said, much of it has to do with marketing and presentation. A good retailer will select hot items AND market them in such a way that they become a "must have item". The gold skinny belt, the little black dress, the maxi dress, the braid, these are all trends that were made popular through marketing and proper placement. An even better retailer will be able to market THEMSELVES in such a way that THEY are a must have item.

The question could be how do you do that? Is having impeccable taste the key or is there more to it?

One formula is interaction and inspiration, positioning yourself as a thought leader. Look books, inspiration boards, "look a day", "how to wear" and "how I wore" this contests are where it is at and J. Crew is not only on the boat but they are rocking the boat with their new "Hello, World" concept.

The concept: send out two top fashion photographers for an across the globe look at how people wear J. Crew pieces. "One-of-a-kind color and impeccable quality know no time zone".

My point isn't to glorify J. Crew (thought I do love me some colorful capri pants), my point is that they are being noted for their "global takeover" when frankly, their formula is something ANY retailer could do (minus maybe, hiring renowned fashion photogs). In the day and age of the internet and social media, a smart marketing doesn't need to have a several million dollar budget to "make it work".

What sets J. Crew apart from other retailers is the willingness to not only have a good product but to push the envelope, think outside the box with smart business decisions and take the cake... the very colorful and well constructed cake.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

One Step Offers a Referral Program with Benefits

One Step Retail Solutions created our Retail Professional Association (free) to bring together upstanding service providers to coordinate, network and offer a value-added service. This mutually beneficial association has expanded over the recent years into a strong source of cross-promotion and referrals within the retail industry.
For more information on the program and it's benefits: Retail Professional Association - Program

We additionally offer commissions for any referred lead that moves through to a sale. For more information on commission and guidelines email



Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Retail Security Made Exciting with an Infographic



[Click graphic to enlarge]
For more information on our retail security suite

Apple Announced "Passbook" App

Though consolidating your wallet isn't a new concept, the fact that Apple jumped on the bandwagon is not particular surprising and a decisive move. Passbook App will consolidate everything from your Starbucks card, Fandango tickets and boarding pass (updates on flight changes go straight to your mobile device).

Link to Tech Crunch Article

What do you think of this, retailers?

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

[Video] The Future of Retailing with Retail Pro

On June 5th at 11am we held a one hour discussion regarding the future of retailing with Retail Pro. Speakers included Retail Pro representative Ket Venethongkham, FlexQuery's Jeff Whiteside and Scott Anderson of Foundry Logic.

These top retail technology professionals shed light on the future of retailing and answered questions through the session and in a Q&A session at the end of the discussion.



We will be following up this popular discussion with a series follow-up discussions over the next month.

Tuesday, June 19th, 11 am PDT, Retail Pro Prism Live Demonstration Register

Tuesday, June 26th, 11 am PDT, Retail Pro Mobile POS Live Demonstration Register

Tuesday, July 10th, 11 am PDT, One Step Retail Analytics Live Demonstration Register

For a free Retail Pro consultation and demo, click here.

Monday, June 11, 2012

[CounterPoint Feedback] The Easiest and Quickest Implementation I Have Ever Done


My company recently made the switch to CounterPoint Enterprise SQL 8.4 and would like share my experience. We have been in business for over 50 years and have had several different POS systems and CounterPoint has been the best system by far. Implementing a new system is never easy but with the help of One Step Retail Solutions this has been the easiest and quickest implementation I have ever done.

There are so many POS systems on the market finding the best fit for your business in a very difficult decision. Kevin McAdams and Jay Shore with One Step Retail Solutions took the time to learn our business needs and recommended CounterPoint as the best solution. After using the system for over a month now I am glad I took their advice because this is a great system.

Blythe Franks our business analyst from One Step Retail Solutions has played a key role in making this transition from our old system to CounterPoint. Her experience and knowledge of the product has made implementation and integration of the system quick and easy. With her insight we were able to customize CounterPoint to meet all of our business needs making our company more efficient than ever.

Sean Kinney
IT Manager
Hi-Time Wine Cellars

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Future of Retailing with Retail Pro - Web Series


One Step Retail Solutions presents:

The Future of Retailing with Retail Pro - Prism Demonstration

Coming soon to your Retail Pro POS System: Retail Pro Prism. Prism will change your retail operations in beautiful and efficient ways that will cost less and decrease your long-term investment in your store automation.

Join us and Ket Venethongkham from Retail Pro International as he shows how to brand your POS to match your store, how to set up workflows and how simple and intuitive your point of sale can be.


Recorded Live: Tuesday, June 19th, 2013

The Future of Retailing with Retail Pro: Mobile POS

Mobile POS will change the way you do business in your store, how you interact with customers and how they interact with you and your employees.
See a full demonstration of how Mobile POS can work on your iPhone, your iPod or your iPad and integrate with your existing Retail Pro POS system.
Join us and  Scott Anderson from FoundryLogic as he shows us how to bring Mobile point of sale to your store.

Recorded Live: Tuesday, June 26th, 2012


The Future of Retailing with Retail Pro: One Step Retail Analytics


One Step Retail Analytics will give you all the reporting you ever wanted to have in your store and more!

Powered by FlexQuery, Analytics will open up a world of possibilities for you to manage in way you never could before.

See a live demonstration by developer Jeff Whiteside as he shows how you can utilize all the valuable information stored in your Retail Pro point of sale system and turn it into actionable information that is easy to understand and will increase your bottom line.


Recorded Live: Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

VIEW NOW




Saturday, June 9, 2012

PCI Compliance for Mobile Point of Sale

PCI Council Releases “Accepting Mobile Payments with a Smartphone or Tablet”

By Amy Hanson, One Step Retail Solutions


“We know merchants are eager to take advantage of their existing smartphones or tablets to accept payment cards,” said Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council. “And the Council and its stakeholders, want to help the market to do this in a secure way. We're excited about this easy-to-use reference that will help merchants understand how to use the suite of PCI Standards to enable their businesses while still keeping data security top of mind.”

80% of identity theft can be traced back to small business breaches in security
With the “mobile revolution” comes a shift in retail security practices by independent retailers looking for cost effective retail technology solutions. Taunted by the allure of a “full mobile POS system” for dirt cheap, it can seem too good to be true when it comes to PCI Compliance. The PCI Security Standards Council state what many have been wondering for some time, “Mobile devices are not necessarily designed to be secure input or storage devices for cardholder data. Your mobile payment solutions thus requires additional technology, including encryption to secure cardholder data acceptance.”

At this point, the exact regulations and guidelines have yet to been fully defined by the PCI Council regarding mobile point of sale systems. So, when a prospective mobile POS provider has stated that they are PCI compliant, this does not necessarily mean that any specific actions have been taken to ensure that the specific system is secure. Factually, PCI compliance is not limited to your software capabilities and while you may be attempting to form up a small business on a dime with an iPad and a $15 a month system, you are in the hot seat if you are not only PCI compliant but truly secure.

How “hot” is the hot seat?

The reason this is of absolute importance to you as a retailer, is you could personally be held accountable for everything from full reimbursement for monies stolen, to a possible $500,000 fine for negligence should there be a data breach which traces back to one of your devices. As you can see, this is very serious business that a fly-by-night POS system should not be trusted with. In this matter, the cheapest option is not necessarily the better option and could effectively close your business.

How to protect yourself and your livelihood
Several heavily marketed and relatively new mobile POS systems are under scrutiny for PCI compliance failure (lack of data encryption is a common oversight). A  long term service provider of point of sale solutions, hardware and supporting systems (security, etc.) will know the ins and outs of how to create a safe point of sale for your retail store.  We recommend a layered approach to security. Our definition of “layered security” would include: Firewall for all internet connections, system back-ups, run regularly and security cameras installed in high theft locations in the store.  In addition to having a security suite, ensuring the mobile POS device you use has data encryption, goes a long, long way to complying with  PCI Compliant regulations.

Summary
A thorough list of best practices is expected before year end. In the mean time, a straightforward paper (link below) gives some hands on advice for merchants including:


  • Leveraging the benefits of the Council's recently published Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) standard and program
  • Responsibilities under PCI DSS, and how to translate to mobile payments

Be sure to choose a mobile payment acceptance solution that complements the merchant's PCI DSS responsibilities.

PCI Security Standards Council - Accepting Mobile Payments with a Smartphone or Tablet

If the above link doesn't work, copy and paste this into your browers: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/accepting_mobile_payments_with_a_smartphone_or_tablet.pdf

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Introducing: Apparel POS, Our Newest Website


One Step Retail Solutions is more than proud to announce the launch of our newest website www.Apparel-POS.com A striking and modern website design that quickly gives you a firm understanding of who we are, what we do and the leading retail management systems available.

Please take a look at our in-depth pages on retail software solutions, hardware options, services and how to easily find out more.

This website is a must for the high-end, multiple location or up-and-coming retailer.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

[Guest Article] Taking Your Organization Global is More Than Just Translation

Taking Your Organization Global
More Than Just Translation


In today’s global economy it is more imperative than ever before to make sound decisions based on research and best practices before taking your organization global. As the prospects for continued growth diminishes in the United States and Europe, companies must look to other regions, such as the Middle East and China, for future growth, brand development, and profits.

Preparation, as well as the knowledge and acceptance needed to truly embrace another culture, are critical if you don’t want to waste money and/or make a fool of your company and product. This means that not only do you have to professionally translate all your company’s materials--from HR and marketing to the software that may drive your product--but you must also acquire the cultural awareness related to every aspect of your company’s internal and external messaging, This messaging also includes your employees’ behavior.

Consider how long it took you, how many meetings and how many technical writers, perhaps even focus groups, to craft and hone your company’s message and image.  Take the same kind of care with your selection of a translation company because your target customers will only see the translation, not the original.

There are 5 key cultural factors to keep in mind when planning for international expansion:

·        When in Rome… – Make yourself aware, region by region, what the behavioral norms are, so as not to offend people from the host country. For example, never use your left hand to serve yourself in a Muslim country; do not expose the sole of your shoe when sitting down in the Middle East, and in Korea be prepared to socialize into the night as part of ramping up to negotiations. 

·        Managers Need Help Too – Global employees need tools that allow them to maneuver among cultures.  Making them aware of the 7 cultural dimensions that constantly come into play is a good place to start.  See Cultural Dimensions Theory

·        Negotiating Across Cultures - Buying and selling across cultures requires a set of skills that probably are different than what you’re used to. Training employees and helping them become attuned to the cultural subtleties the other side expects when engaged in negotiation is key. For instance, in many cultures discussion of price is never the first consideration. Whereas with Americans, price is typically the opening salvo.

·        Don’t Break the Speed Limit - Communicating with people who come from a culture where hierarchy is strong, directness is avoided,  and time management is non-existent represents its own set of challenges. Adjust your communication pattern to click with your interlocutors.

·        First Impressions Matter - The way we dress, the way we sit, the way we shake hands sends a specific message. Think of your first meeting as a job interview and get this opening impression right.  Across cultures, it is of utmost importance to play the part and display the correct level of respect through non-verbal cues.

To be sure there are many other facets of taking your organization global but an understanding and implementation of the key points listed above will benefit you in countless ways.


Jeff Williams
PTIGlobal
Email
Website

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Electronic Hangers and Social Media


An "electronic hanger" has been created and is in limited use by Brazilian retailer C&A. This hanger includes a simple touch screen where a person can "like" the item and create a running count of likes on an image of the picture on Facebook.

Currently in BETA this product has been sparking curiosity.

What do you think of this concept?


Image Source

Friday, June 1, 2012

Welcome to June!

Summer is fast approaching and the weather is warming up (or in some cases, burning up). We are excited to enter a brand new month and continue to be at the forefront of the mobile technology boom with 4 leading systems with full mobile capabilities.

Fashion is bright and perky, technology continues to march forward and the year is nearly half over (already?!). If the J Crew window is any indication, this is going to be a sweet summer.

What are you looking forward to in the coming few months?