Store leaders receive a tsunami of information and tasks they have to complete on a daily basis. Not only do they have to handle basic operations, they also have to cater to the needs of today’s omnichannel consumers – e.g., customers who want to purchase online and pick up in-store – if they want to succeed.
As a result, store leaders are constantly struggling to figure out how to manage their time so they can get everything done. When they enter their stores each day they must hit the ground running with plans to ensure that they meet or exceed the expectations of their customers and store teams.
It’s imperative that managers have the information they need at their fingertips, in real time, so they can make the best decisions for their stores. Being able to see this data at a glance sets the tone for the direction, communication, and execution of a business plan for the day and the coming week.
The problem is that much of the information is pushed down as tasks that have to be completed by the stores, which has led to the creation of a checklist culture. This does not lead to truly growing business acumen at the store level nor does it create a sustainable model for smarter operations.
Without at-a-glance actionable insights there is often a disconnect between store leaders and the corporate office, especially when it comes to plan execution.
Retail field leaders have told us that there is a need for at-a-glance store insights to enable the following:
- Sense and respond to operations issues and business opportunities with visibility into trusted and relevant information
- Free up time – due to actionable insight – to deliver to the stated plan
- Improve the customer experience
- Grow mastery in operations fundamentals
- Create mechanisms for communication and coaching on the floor
- Grow business acumen at the store level
Retailers want to improve their in-store executions – improve the outcomes not just the metrics. The way to do that is by providing your teams with more than dashboards. You have to provide them at-a-glance actionable insights that connect the dots on the multiple contributing factors so effective action can be taken.
Next Steps:
- Please join us Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 12 p.m. EDT, for our complimentary webcast: “Become More Customer Centric Through Enhanced Store Efficiency.” In this webcast you will learn how you can empower your local store leaders and enhance the customer experience with streamlined operations and informed decisions.
- Subscribe to our blog to stay up to date on the latest insights and trends in big data and big data analytics.
