Technology Rings Up Revenue for Retailers

By Samuel Greengard

Eoin Comerford has seen the future ofretailing. It?s a place where checkout lines don?t exist and paper receiptshave been relegated to the dustbin of history. It?s a space where customershave access to product information from their smartphones, and employees viewlive inventory information.

?Today?s technology provides a far moreefficient way to do business and interact with customers,? says the presidentand CEO at Moosejaw Mountaineering.

As the fourth largest U.S. retailer in thespecialty outdoor niche, Moosejaw operates nine brick-and-mortar stores inMichigan and Illinois, along with an Internet storefront. Last year, thecompany began eliminating fixed point-of-sale (POS) terminals in stores, armingsales associates with iPod Touches, and completely redesigning the physicallayout of its stores to regain space and create a more compelling shoppingexperience.

?Our goal,? says Comerford, ?is to completelyredefine the shopping experience.?

These days, Moosejaw isn?t the only companyringing up sales by revamping its retailing strategy. A spate oftechnologies?encompassing areas as diverse as mobility, social media, analyticsand product life-cycle management?are creating new challenges but also newopportunities. Within this disruptive environment it?s critical to apply newthinking.

?Companies must fundamentally remap processes,as well as the way they interact with customers,? points out John Avallon,vice president, North America leader, Consumer Products & Retail Division, Capgemini.

For business and IT leaders, this meansstepping out of the retailing box and finding new and creative ways to plug indata, design stores, and manage products and services throughout their lifecycle. ?The retail industry is at a pivot point,? observes Brian Kilcourse, amanaging partner at consulting firm RSR Research. ?There is an enormousparadigm shift taking place?the likes of which hasn?t been seen since theintroduction of barcode scanning at the store level.?