Why real-time Merchandising is a must for modern customer experiences
Why real-time Merchandising is a must for modern customer experiences
Shoppers don't think about the supply chain. They aren't concerned about channels.
What do they care about? Whether or not you can sell them the products they want, when they want and without friction. Aware or otherwise, shoppers expect your inventory to be available whichever way their retail journey takes shape. And that requires flexibility.
Retailers must meet demand wherever it comes from, on each shopper's terms, seamlessly.
Easier said than done for enterprises still running on legacy technology, relying on manual processes or reluctant to take the next steps towards Unified Commerce. Siloed operations and traditional merchandising methods are out of date for the dynamic modern market.
Retailers must regain control over their inventory, fast.
The timing couldn't be more critical. Customer behaviours are changing at an accelerating pace. Expectations are higher. Execution is harder.
In order to meet modern shopper expectations reliably across the enterprise, it requires incredibly tight coordination on the retailer's part from the moment stock arrives to the moment the product is purchased and delivered.
It requires real-time visibility, only achieved through a modern, omnichannel-native Merchandising solution.
Merchandising gives clarity
Merchandising is the eyes and ears of the retailer's customer experience engine. It aggregates data from every sales channel and transaction in real time, sharing it with stakeholders across the enterprise to make the best possible decisions and deliver the best possible outcomes.
Visibility isn't the only benefit, however. Real-time data also enables retailers to execute perpetual inventory management. Item, vendor and cost management becomes more granular, allowing retailers to realise greater profit potential from every SKU. Improved analytics helps merchandisers make better decisions for purchasing and assortment planning.
This also helps retailers meet dynamic demand. With up-to-the-moment insights on shopper behaviour and preferences by customer segment and store, retailers can adapt their allocation and replenishment strategies accordingly, without interrupting operations. The right Merchandising solution can maximise process efficiency and delight customers at the same time.
Enhanced inventory management
Greater inventory control allows retailers to carry lower inventory levels without the fear of stock imbalances and out-of-stock situations. Better inventory management can also lead to a lower risk of markdowns, as well.
All of this becomes possible when paired with the right OMS and POS solutions. Modern Merchandising solutions allow you to set automated and adaptable user-defined algorithms. By collecting transaction data and feeding it into these algorithms, POS helps retailers adapt to the demands of the market immediately and automatically.
In turn, Merchandising is essential to meeting a shopper's growing order fulfilment preferences — and doing so in a manner that is more efficient and profitable for the enterprise.
Modernise Merchandising with Aptos
An omnichannel-native, easily extensible and integrated Merchandising solution is fundamental to simplifying the relationship between customers and products in these complex market conditions. By aggregating and distributing real-time data across the enterprise, retailers can enhance their order fulfilment capabilities and adapt to the market perpetually.
As the leader in Unified Commerce, Aptos Merchandising was built from the ground up to achieve modern customer experiences while simplifying the back-end for the enterprise, making it easier to meet demand at scale.
Learn more about Aptos Merchandising.
