Delivering Exceptional Experiences Across All Touch Points Critical to Ensuring Holiday Season Retail Success: Experts

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November 21, 2021

TECCF Toronto Eaton Centre — CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

The 2021 holiday shopping season has already begun across the country as consumers visit their favourite malls and storefronts, both physical and digital, seeking out exceptional experiences. And, as the festive period really commences its crescendo with fast-approaching Black Friday and Cyber Monday events, retailers throughout the industry feverishly search for offering and service enhancements that will meet increasing consumer expectations. Heightened by the impacts of the pandemic, which resulted most significantly in an accelerated digitization of the world around us and shifting consumer behaviour, they are expectations that continue to increase. And, according to Marcelo Souhami, VP of Customer Experience at SAP Canada, the ability for retailers and brands to satisfy the desires of today’s consumer is going to be paramount as we head into the most important stretch on the retail shopping calendar.

“Customer behaviour seems to be crossing over from high expectation to impatience,” Souhami suggests. “There’s a growing perception among consumers that retailers and brands have had plenty of time and opportunity during the pandemic to be able to sort out and optimize their online offering. Because many have, a new gold standard has been set with respect to the experiences that consumers expect. This standard continues to rise. Retailers have learned over the course of the past 18 months or so that their communication with customers needs to improve. Any disconnect from the buying, delivery or return experience just won’t be acceptable anymore. Retailers and brands need to make sure that they’re communicating effectively with their customers at every step of their journey. By stating and keeping the promise, whether it has to do with product quality, returns policies, providing expertise and advise concerning the product and recommendations of adjacent complimentary products, is critical. Communication with the customer has to be clearer than ever before, and it has to be executed at all touch points.”

Mobile-first

One of the most important of those touch points with respect to today’s evolving retail operation, suggests Souhami, is mobile. With the estimated number of smartphone users in Canada in excess of 30 million – a number that continues to grow – and steadily increasing mobile internet user penetration, he may just be right. Current usage and penetration within the country illustrate Canada as one of the world’s most connected online populations, he says, underscoring the need for retailers and brands to develop meaningful and effective strategies in order to support the mobile experience consumers are seeking.

“It seems as though many within the industry have been talking about a mobile-first approach for a very long time,” says Souhami. “It’s amazing to see that some brands are still hesitant to treat mobile as the de facto channel from both a conversion and marketing perspective. Retailers and brands have got to be focusing on their mobile strategies and assessing whether or not the mobile experience they offer is adequate. When product information is being shared, does it render properly in the mobile environment, and is the story consistent? For those that have developed a quality mobile experience, there are a lot of opportunities to be had. People have been couped up in their homes for a very long time and are beginning to crave experiences. The retailers that are able to create a means by which consumers can interact with product or service in unique and different ways, leveraging innovations like augmented reality, will be able to elicit their interest and engender loyalty in them.”

Evolving omnichannel behaviour

As important as Souhami believes mobile to be, however, it is but one of the channels comprising the entirety of the retail ecosystem. As such, it must be considered as part of a larger omnichannel retail experience being developed and offered by retailers and brands in which the transition from channel to channel is seamless and complementary. However, more significant than their need to build the experience, suggests Souhami, is the understanding that retailers and brands must develop concerning rapidly evolving consumer behaviour and the ways in which they are traversing through the omnichannel environment.

“There’s been a bit of a shift in how consumers are leveraging omnichannel within their shopping journey,” he recognizes. “The original conversation was about people going into the store, discovering products and then going home to purchase them online. Most recently during the pandemic, however, people have started to do a lot of their discovery online and then go into the store to buy the item. This shift in behaviour actually presents retailers and brands with the opportunity to reduce returns with the physical store serving as a critical showroom and destination for product review and confirmation. If built and executed properly, a strong omnichannel offering can also reduce friction within the customer journey, creating efficiencies and enhancements, allowing retailers to deal with these changes smoothly.”

Supply chain efficiencies?

Beyond ensuring that consumers are able to interact with the brand whenever and wherever they want within one seamless shopping experience, Souhami suggests that a focus must also be paid to finding efficiencies within the supply chain. Uncertainty has reigned over global supply since the onset of the pandemic, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight to container shortages and delays occurring all over the world. They are negative effects on the retail supply that, according to Souhami, can result in disappointment and dissatisfaction among consumers. However, he adds that through creativity and innovative thinking, useful modifications and adjustments can be made, yielding improved outcomes.

“Supply chain is absolutely going to be the boogeyman for retailers this holiday season,” he asserts. “And, because there’s been so much disruption to the supply resulting in a lot of negative customer experiences, the challenge seems to be magnified. In order to combat this, retailers have got to ensure that they clearly communicate their supply chain situation to their customers, including availability of inventory and delivery times. People will not convert to paying customers if they don’t have a high level of confidence that their needs are going to be met. With respect to the product itself, retailers need to promote availability. Whatever product they have in stock is the supply that should be prioritized. Retailers’ customer care staff should be empowered to help address issues and problems, proactively offering solutions. In these ways, retailers can optimize their supply chains and build trust in their customers.”

Readying the organization

In order to properly empower their customer care teams, however, Souhami suggests that a readiness plan needs to be developed. In doing so, he says that cross-team communication is promoted, leading to further efficiencies throughout the operation and an elevated experience for the customer. In addition, he adds that it instills confidence in retail teams, from the supply chain through to frontline staff, that they’re prepared and equipped to deal with any of the challenges that they might face within a changing retail environment.

“Retailers can’t assume that their teams are going to know how to deal with all of the issues that are going to arise,” he states. “They’ve got to look ahead an anticipate where there might be issues and challenges with promotions or anything else and understand how to use the tools available to fix those issues. If customers are reaching out for support, despite the channel they’re reaching out on, are you and your teams ready to provide that support in the most effective way? IT usually prepares readiness plans for the holiday season in order to deal with higher volumes of ecommerce orders. But, it’s just as important to prepare staff that will be supporting the delivery of these higher volumes and all-important communication with the customer.”

Understanding demand

Souhami goes on to explain that a readiness plan not only prepares staff across the organization with the knowledge and tools to address issues and challenges, it also provides them with a clearer view into projected volumes and demand. It allows them to merchandise more effectively and market personalized promotions and enticements to customers more accurately, allowing for a much more strategic approach to just about everything. Underpinning all of the readiness and projections is the power of data. It’s something that the multinational software developer is intimately familiar with, and a tool that Souhami reckons is more valuable today than at any time previous.

“At SAP, we believe that if you’re not data-driven, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities that you didn’t even know existed,” he says. “Data simply takes a lot of the guesswork out of a number of retail and business decisions. When it comes to things like supply chain or the customer experience, data makes everything so much simpler, almost pointing to trends and other spikes to pay attention to. More and more, the quality of the data is being valued above all. So, all of the consented data that retailers can earn from their customers will become increasingly valuable and beneficial to the brands collecting it. It’ll provide them with insights concerning the products consumers are interested in, as well as those that they’re planning to purchase. Even abandoned online shopping carts are yielding incredibly valuable data, rich information that can be leveraged in order to enhance the customer experience.”

Supporting the retail experience

In the end, for a company that is massively involved in analyzing, dissecting and ultimately understanding the customer experience through the accumulation and use of data, SAP is helping to support the enhancement and improvement of businesses all over the world. In fact, it runs an estimated €576 billion of gross merchandise value on its commerce systems in addition to housing 3 billion customer identities. It lends dramatically to the company’s collective insights and expertise. However, more importantly, says Souhami, it’s insights and expertise that allow the teams at SAP to continue supporting the efforts of retailers and brands everywhere.

“When it comes to succeeding and growing as a retail organization, there are obviously a lot of moving parts to consider. But, no matter which department within the organization or segment of the operation that you’re talking about, it all comes back to the customer and the experience that you’re providing for them. Leveraging as many insights from as many sources as possible can be the difference between growth and stagnation, or worse. As the world becomes more and more digitized and connected, these data and insights are being generated from a multitude of channels and platforms. Those who can properly utilize it can make more informed decisions, more easily identify opportunities for growth and elevate the customer experience to heights never imagined.”

A Positive Employee Experience is Good for Retailers’ Bottom Line [Op-Ed]

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Retail Insider

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November 21, 2021

By Solange Strom and Frederic Dimanche

Customer experience (CX) has been on every one’s lips for a long time. While it seems obvious that if you are in business, you are there to serve your clients, many retail organizations have only recently discovered the notion of elevated customer experience. And it’s not a moment too soon! In a world where goods can be found by anyone and shipped from anywhere, the customer experience, whether online or in physical stores, has become a key differentiator. However, research shows that too few organizations are nailing the CX. It seems inconsistent from store to store or from channel to channel and firms are finding it difficult to scale.

This difficulty perhaps results from the fact that the ability to deliver on customer experience is directly linked to the people who work in the organization. Simply put, as Richard Branson was famously quoted as saying, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

In a tight labour market like the one we are currently experiencing, retailers who want to succeed in delivering memorable customer experiences cannot do so without focusing first on the experience of their employees. Doing so increases attractiveness for their organizations (it helps recruit staff), boosts staff retention and ultimately drives customer experience, ROI and profits. And while some might argue that turnover is high in retail and focusing on employees is a waste of money, it is exactly the reason why retailers must do so going forward.

Here are three reasons why it makes good business sense to focus on the employee experience.

It enhances your company’s attractiveness

Retailers let go of hundreds of employees during Covid, leading to severe labour shortages. Customer-facing jobs were already known to have some of the lowest wages, but despite handling additional tasks such as fulfilling online orders, selling virtually, and managing curbside pickup, salaries remained largely unchanged. As a result, many left the industry, deepening the labour crisis.

Today, employees have the luxury of being more selective, driving employers to make long-needed salary adjustments. Several retailers are now offering higher wages to lure applicants as well as adding signing bonuses and going as far as promising to pay college tuition to store associates.

However, wages aren’t the only issue. The current shortages have also highlighted the deficiencies of the retail industry. When millions of people were dismissed as a result of the pandemic, they reassessed their lives and priorities. In many areas such as professional development, pay, flexibility, family life or a combination of all four, retail jobs just don’t measure up. Employees want better working conditions. Offering reasonable downtime or pledging advance scheduling and manageable work hours is what will ensure companies attract and retain the best talent.

In other words, employees want to feel welcome and respected. A recent study of retail associates found that a significant portion of retail workers have felt neglected and undervalued by their companies, especially during the pandemic. More than 42% indicated that they were considering leaving the industry entirely.

If retailers want to fill the growing number of vacancies on the sales floor, they must show their customer-facing employees that they are as valuable as any other employee who works in the company’s headquarters. They also have to strive to build a culture where retail is considered a serious profession, with training and growth opportunities, and not a side gig done while waiting for a “true career” to take off.

It helps increase talent retention

Retail’s talent drain was happening long before the pandemic with Canada’s turnover rates reaching upwards of 16%, making them the highest in North America. The crisis exacerbated the problem as retailers pivoted their attention to e-commerce, often at the expense of their customer-facing employees.

Yet despite the rise of online shopping, brick-and-mortar stores remain relevant with online retail still representing less than 15% of total retail sales. Unfortunately, many employees have grown disengaged. When faced with poorly paid jobs that require more from them than before, they want to understand what’s in it for them and more importantly, why they do what they do.

A Zipline report showed that only 24% of associates consider that retailers are doing enough to retain talent and build an ambitious retail workforce. Indeed, it is critical for retail organizations to make employees feel valued and cared for. They must show that they genuinely believe in fostering a culture of equality and diversity where all are encouraged and supported in their quest for success. This can be done by creating clear road maps for advancement and by offering training and development programs that make the sales roles more appealing and rewarding. As the world moves deeper into the digital revolution, the sales associate’s role keeps changing. Staff need to be able to serve clients as brand ambassadors while relying on technology to support tasks such as restocking and checkout. For them to feel confidently at ease in their jobs, retailers must prioritize investing in digital technologies that enhance human intelligence and focus on upskilling their teams in digital literacy, data analytics, and end-to-end customer experiences.

Upskilling teams and providing comprehensive career paths is the best way to retain top performing employees. As a 2019 Gartner survey revealed, in organizations where employees are fully satisfied with their employee experience, more than 60% intend to stay in the company, increasing retention significantly. Some retailers are already taking note: Best Buy is focusing on hiring more full-time employees, growing technology talent, and investing in helping employees develop specific expertise that will enhance their job descriptions.

Companies that recognize the importance of retaining qualified employees make a strategic decision that will pay dividends. They understand that delivering a positive employee experience is a key factor in employee retention.

It drives revenue

We all know that “happy employees make for happy customers.” If retailers are serious about managing profitable organizations, they must be serious about delivering exceptional customer experiences. And to do so, they must first and foremost build truly employee-centric organizations. It is not only good for employee retention and motivation, but it also helps improve customer satisfaction, and hence the bottom line.

A recent Harvard Business Review Analytic Services survey stated that 55% of executives believe it is impossible to provide great customer experience without providing great employee experience (EX). There is a clear correlation between EX and CX. A Temkin Group report directly linked success in customer experience to employee engagement, showing that companies that excel at customer experience are also those who have 1.5 times as many engaged employees as customer experience laggards.

There is little doubt that employee-centred companies will improve customer experiences. Not only are engaged employees more likely to recommend their company’s products and services but they also tend to go above and beyond without being asked to deliver better service. When companies focus on employees, the customer experience improves.

When employees are fully satisfied with their work experience, almost 80% intend to stay in the company, increasing retention significantly. But what is even more compelling is that firms with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers by 147% in earnings per share.

While focusing on the employee experience helps increase companies’ attractiveness and drives employee retention, it also helps grow the bottom line. Isn’t that what all retailers want?

Conclusion

The retail sector has made a lot of money by taking advantage of cheap labor. The pandemic has exposed deep cracks in the system. People who have been mistreated and underpaid are willing to give the sector up. The current crisis requires entirely rethinking the business model, putting far greater value on the people.

Physical stores are critical in delivering a human experience and telling a brand’s story better than any advertisement could. If front line workers are responsible for a portion of the brand’s marketing, shouldn’t we re-evaluate the budgets allocated to Marketing versus Learning and Development and perhaps ensure that a significant amount is spent on the latter? What if organizations looked at their human capital as part of the marketing team?

Customer experiences will make or break retail businesses. So why is training client-facing staff to deliver on the experience not part of the marketing budget? Luxury retail brands in North America alone spend over $5.5 Billion in marketing and more specifically in advertising. It should be easy to find a few hundred thousand dollars to develop super stars to represent the brand and create quality experiences in stores.

Solange Strom, Program Director R.I.S.E to Excellence

A visionary retail leader and entrepreneur, Solange Strom has over 20 years of experience helming global brands in North America, leading with a client-focused approach long before it was popular. Known for consistently driving exceptional growth through employee-centric strategies, she has leveraged her expertise to develop innovative training programs for retail’s customer-facing teams, helping them exceed expectations and build successful outcomes. Solange is currently the program director for R.I.S.E to Excellence, an in-depth retail education program focused on supporting Canadian retailers in their quest to achieve excellence in service, both online and in their physical spaces.

Frédéric Dimanche, Director & Professor, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ryerson University.

Dr. Frederic Dimanche is a Professor and Director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. He has thirty years of professional and academic experience in service marketing and consumer behaviour, particularly in hospitality and tourism. He has also contributed as a guest lecturer or as a consultant to universities, private companies and national or regional tourism organizations in several countries.

Smash + Tess Opens 1st-Ever Pop-Up at Coquitlam Centre

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Dustin Fuhs

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November 19, 2021

S+T-StorePhotos-30 — Smash + Tess at Coquitlam Centre (Photo: Smash + Tess)

Vancouver-based clothing retailer Smash + Tess has opened a 3,500 square foot holiday pop-up retail store at Coquitlam Centre in Coquitlam, marking the brand’s first brick-and-mortar location.

Smash + Tess is known for the Romper, which is featured prominently in the space, in addition to a rotating shop-in-shop with complimentary brands. It will also bring a number of limited edition product launches, a lounge and was designed with the Instagram backdrop in mind.

”Opening our first owned retail space is a major milestone for Smash + Tess.” said Ashley Freeborn, Co-Founder and CEO. “As an e-commerce-led business, we were excited by the challenge of bringing our brand experience to life in a retail environment. The online community we’ve built over the past five years is incredibly loyal. Not only are they passionate about Rompers, they also connect deeply to our value of inclusivity by design. We wanted this store to feel like an extension of our values, and we’re proud to be creating a space where our customers can feel represented, comfortable and confident.”

Smash + Tess at Coquitlam Centre (Photo: Smash + Tess)

The team encountered a challenge with the design of the pop-up shop, which included a notable absence of mannequins larger than XL (standard size 14). With Smash + Tess championing empowerment and inclusivity without exception, the brand will be offering their full size range in store, which covers 3SX – 4X.

Smash + Tess is a Vancouver designed and North American made brand created by “mother-daughter-bestie trio” Ashley & Teresa Freeborn and Mercedes LaPorte.

Additional Photos from the Coquitlam Centre Pop-Up

Bentley Launches New Store Concept in Preparation for Multi-Store National Roll-Out

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Dustin Fuhs

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November 19, 2021

Bentley NL — Bentley Avalon Mall (Photo: Bentley)

Montreal-based luggage and handbag retailer Bentley has debuted a new store design in Avalon Mall, 33 years after opening its first-ever location in the St. John’s, Newfoundland shopping centre.

The 1,980 square foot re-modeled Bentley store showcase store has a streamlined presentation of featured products. This concept is expected to be implemented into other stores over time.

During the pandemic, Bentley underwent a restructuring process, which included closing underperforming stores and reducing inventory.

“Over the years, we’ve listened and evolved with our customers,’’ says CEO Walter Lamothe. “Right now, they’re excited to start traveling again and they’re particularly thrilled to shop our new spacious retail environment where our designers have curated a collection of the best travel items to make their journey a success.”

Bentley was founded in St. John’s in 1987 and has grown to operate 160 stores and 3 Evez luggage repair shops, in addition to owning and operating the TRACKER destination shops.

“Our customers appreciate a downsized, well-curated collection of products that are stylish, functional and offer longevity of use,” says Lamothe. “The days of big assortments are over.”

Black Friday 2021 to Overtake Friday Before Christmas for Retail Sales in Canada: Study

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Mario Toneguzzi

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November 18, 2021

Black Friday at Kate Spade (CF Toronto Eaton Centre) Photo by Dustin Fuhs

Black Friday has become the busiest shopping day of the holiday season for Canadian retailers.

According to Moneris, Canada’s largest provider of mobile, online and in-store payments, Black Friday last year overtook the Friday before Christmas with the most retail sales. And yes, it’s become even more popular than Boxing Day.

Peter Goldsztajn, Director of Corporate Data Analytics for Moneris, said Black Friday has definitely taken the lead over the last few years.

Old Navy at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

“Last year, given all the restrictions and capacity limits (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and in certain regions complete lockdowns, it wasn’t I would say as popular but it was still the busiest day,” he said.

“Moneris processed I think at one point 550 transactions per second. Although it was lower than prior years by about 100 transactions, which was probably related to the lockdowns and restrictions, it’s expected that this year that trend will continue. It’s hard to say how much more but I do anticipate it’s going to be a rebound for sure.

“We can actually observe the busiest shopping time between 2 and 4 p.m. Eastern. It’s essentially when we record pretty much consecutively as the busiest shopping time.”

Goldsztajn said Moneris is expecting a spike in activity this year over last year and the company expects apparel, household goods, mass merchandise and specialty categories to top the lists of items purchased this Black Friday. Moneris is also forecasting consumers throughout the holiday season will seek experiences and experience-related gifts to enjoy with loved ones.

Indigo at Bay & Bloor (Photo by Dustin Fuhs)

He said that Black Friday has overtaken Boxing Day and much of that has to do with the timing of the event.

“I think a lot of people like to take advantage of the schedule essentially of the day and how it lands before the holidays to capture some of those sales for gifting,” said Goldsztajn.

Moneris is also expecting transaction levels during the peak of the Black Friday rush to be closer to pre-pandemic levels, now that capacity limits at stores are lifted in most provinces across Canada and consumer confidence is higher.

“Another interesting thing here is that retail experts caution on the availability of toys and apparel. Because of limitations due to the impact of COVID ongoing globally in regards to the availability of products, we definitely recommend shopping earlier,” he said.

“It’s much more important. If you’re looking for that hot new toy, then you should probably get out there earlier and if you can’t get out there earlier, a good alternative to shopping is gift cards.”

He said that over the past year average transaction sizes for shopping have increased.

“People are spending more with a lower amount of visits,” added Goldsztajn. “We do expect a little bit of that as well. That trend has been continuing throughout the latter half of 2020 into 2021. I don’t see that trend slowing down yet.

“People are still focusing on experience-based activities. That trend has been pretty vivid throughout the pandemic . . . We’ve seen a large lift this year in areas like movie theatres, going out, triple digit growth. That trend seems to be very much aligned with the rebound and the recovery from COVID. That’s going to be an interesting trend to watch, especially over the holidays.”

Hillside Centre in Victoria Adding New Retail Tenants Including Major Anchor

By

Mario Toneguzzi

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November 18, 2021

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenging time for the retail sector in Canada but for the Hillside Centre in Victoria it’s also been an exciting time as the popular shopping centre has welcomed several new retailers and will be introducing two retail giants in the near future.

Kerry Shular, the Centre’s General Manager, said the high profile additions will include a 150,000-square-foot Walmart as well as a 15,000-square-foot Dollarama.

“We have quite a few new retailers actually. The last year and a bit has been pretty exciting for Hillside shopping centre. Like everyone we lost the Sears when they went bankrupt, and since then we have procured a new Walmart for Hillside Centre which is currently under construction. It will open in May of 2022. So that’s very exciting for us,” she said.

“We’ll also be welcoming a new 15,000-square-foot Dollarama within Hillside and that will open in the Spring of 2022. In the last year, we’ve welcomed a number of smaller retailers including an amazing independent BC store called BC Shaver + Hobbies.”

Shular said having Walmart and Dollarama as part of the mall’s offering is going to be a huge draw for the property.

“We know that the Walmart at the Uptown shopping centre in Victoria is in the top 10 in Canada in terms of performance for them. We also know that it’s wholly hated for its parking. When they come to Hillside, you can pretty much drive right up to the front door. I think it’s going to be huge for Hillside and for the neighbourhood and for our customers.”

The Centre, which opened in 1969, is close to 590,000 square feet at the corner of Shelbourne Street and Hillside Avenue. It has about 110 shops and services including Marshalls, SportChek/Atmosphere, Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, Thrifty Foods and Bolen Books. The property is owned by the BentallGreenOak Prime Canadian Property Fund.

It also has a 600-seat food court.

The shopping centre is primarily on one level but a newer section was added in 2013 that is two levels on the south end of the property encompassing a two-level Marshalls and a two-level Sport/Chek on that end.

The first OceanWall in Canada, a 12’ x 7’ screen, is located in the upper food court. It offers amazing footage of the Salish Sea with all its incredible inhabitants including orcas, humpbacks, and harbour seals.

Other new retailers recently added to the mall include Local Pizza, Noodle Fans, CinnZeo, Out of Bounds, Ronsons. TELUS has also done a major expansion by doubling the size of its location.

Telus at Hillside Centre in Victoria, BC

“Like any other shopping centre, we were closed for a period of time. Not completely closed. The mall never closed but most of the retailers closed between March and May of 2020 and we’ve seen a slow recovery since then,” said Shular. “I would say that now our traffic is equal to or very close to what it was pre-COVID and depending on the retailer what you do and how you do it some have fully recovered and some are still in recovery mode. But Hillside has actually fared better than most retail centres I would say.

“We have one of the largest Canadian Tires in Western Canada and again he’s generally in the top 10 in terms of performance across Canada. We’ve got a really good Shoppers Drug Mart. We don’t see their numbers but my understanding is that he’s very happy. Thrifty Foods has just completed a major renovation of their store. It’s like walking into a brand new store.

“With the addition of Walmart and Dollarama and the smaller retailers, we hope that it’s very well positioned for continued growth into the future and we’re pretty happy with where we are.”

MeazureUp Helping Retailers Optimize Staff Performance Heading into Busy Holiday Shopping Season

By

Sean Tarry

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November 18, 2021

MUP-RetailInsider-Hero — Image: MeazureUp

Merchant preparations for the upcoming holiday shopping season – the busiest period on the retail calendar – are now well and truly underway. Retailers and brands everywhere are tweaking and enhancing every part of their operations, focussing efforts on ensuring the right merchandise, an engaging and welcoming store and superior customer service. These preparations spark an excitement in most consumers as they witness storefronts and shop windows, signage and décor transform to reflect the special time of year. However, according to Ray Abramson, COO at operations SaaS provider MeazureUp, as exciting as it might be, the holiday shopping season can be equally daunting for store operators and managers charged with coordinating all of the tasks that require execution and optimizing their staff to the best possible effect.

“The upcoming holiday shopping season is going to push a lot of retailers a lot harder than in the past,” Abramson says. “Now that the COVID-related restrictions and protocols are being lifted, there’s an anticipated upsurge in physical store traffic as consumers everywhere release a pent-up demand for experiences. A current labour shortage is placing additional pressure on retailers and brands with respect to the number of customer-facing store employees that they might have on staff. During a normal shopping season, retailers are usually adding seasonal workers to help them get through the busiest period of the year. And this season, they’ll likely be leaning even heavier on seasonal employees who often don’t possess a full education or awareness of the operational requirements of the brand or the key pillars that they need to conduct themselves by to meet the standards of that store. In order to equip store employees with the information they need to perform their jobs to the greatest effect, and to make their jobs easier, retailers need to leverage the right technologies.”

Increased in-store efficiency

One of those technologies is MeazureUp’s DailyChex digital checklist solution for store managers and their staff. Available as an API solution, the digital checklist is easily integrated into retail technology stacks, benefitting retailers of any size. The solution allows store managers to automate routine tasks, capturing and recording their completion and quality, empowering them with a complete view into the operations of the store. And, because the digital tool also provides store staff with the information critical to understanding their roles and responsibilities, it enables them to execute faster with a lessened learning curve. In addition, the data that’s generated through the checklist solution is in real-time, arming store operators with vital insights to inform strategy and improve performance. It’s a digital solution that provides retailers with the ability to ensure much-needed consistency and efficiency. And, it’s one that Abramson says helps remove any uncertainty for store managers, allowing them to reallocate their focus and efforts.

“Our daily checklist tool allows store managers and staff to conduct assessments on a daily basis,” he asserts. “They all know exactly what they need to be doing, taking a lot of the guesswork out of the equation. Nobody likes ambiguity or vagueness when working in a frenetic store environment. With this tool, every member of the store staff can log in to find out exactly what they’re responsible for at the store each day. This type of accountability among employees not only ensures that their jobs are done properly and to the best quality possible, it also increases engagement among staff, raising their collective pride concerning the work they’re doing and the experience that they’re creating for the brand and customer.”

Supporting consistency across networks

In addition to supporting the efforts of store managers and their teams, MeazureUp’s digital checklist solution also equips regional and district managers with the means by which to ensure consistency across multiple store locations. MeazureUp’s AuditApp allows brands to track their insights and performance checks, streamlining their efforts and reducing the amount of manual recording required when doing their jobs. It’s a layer of the technology provider’s offering that Abramson says is proving invaluable to district and regional managers, and one that he believes can help transform the way retailers and brands execute store and performance audits going forward.

“When district managers visit their stores, they’re able to track everything digitally with our tool.,” he explains. “This means that they save a lot of time. Without AuditApp, they’d be required to sit down at the end of a day of auditing to manually develop all of these reports for each individual store and then try to consolidate the data in order to recognize inconsistencies across their networks. We make it incredibly easy for district managers to record, track and organize all of the data efficiently and in real-time. As soon as an audit is complete, everyone, including the stores, sees the data. Because of the short feedback loop involved and how quickly the information is shared, all stakeholders can better understand where the strengths and weaknesses of those stores are, how they’ve been trending on a category-by-category basis, supporting consistency across stores.”

Enabling data-driven decisions

Abramson goes on to explain that, in his estimation, the collection, tracking and correct dissemination of data is becoming crucial to the enhancement of retail store and network operations. However, he also recognizes that the use of the data that MeazureUp’s DailyChex generates has the potential to go far beyond supporting the performance of stores, providing insights that can be leveraged to inform decisions and achieve further growth for retailers and brands.

“It’s very difficult for any retailer or brand to grow without developing a plan to scale,” he says. “For any business that wants to grow and add locations, they want to be able to put data and information at everyone’s fingertips as quickly as possible. It tends to eliminate timelapses, gaps and blind-spots, which is sometimes the difference between success and failure. For the retailers not currently leveraging data, they really need to jump on that curve. And they need to do it earlier rather than later. The use of data often helps organizations transform their cultures. When there isn’t accountability and there’s no push for consistency, an inordinate amount of work is required to achieve the same results that technology- and data-enabled solutions can help retailers arrive at in a fraction of the time.”

Streamlining operations

As the 2021 holiday shopping season quickly approaches and retailers and brands everywhere look to enhance the service and experience that they offer, many are exploring digital tools as a way to achieve these improvements and upgrades. It’s a shift in thinking among the industry, one that’s being driven by consumer behaviour and the accelerated digitization of retail and the world around us, that’s yielding impressive results for some. And, according to Abramson, it’s a shift that MeazureUp will continue to support as the company maintains its commitment to helping retailers flourish and grow.

“Because the technology and solutions that we develop are not represented by one out-of-the-box example, our digital checklist tools are completely customizable, providing retailers with amazing flexibility to build their own solution. We’re extremely focused on ensuring that our clients are equipped with the digital tools that will help them instill greater organization, consistency and efficiency into the operations of their stores, whether they operate a single store or an enterprise of 1,000 locations. And, of course, as the holiday shopping season approaches, as we move away from the pandemic environment and closer to a post-pandemic world, we’re looking forward to continuing to help retailers achieve their goals and targets through optimized and streamlined operations.”

See it in action now by visiting MeazureUp’s website.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web For November 18th, 2021

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November 17, 2021

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First-of-its-Kind Collaborative Retail Concept Launches at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton [Interview/Photos]

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

November 17, 2021

Kingsway Mall in Edmonton has launched the unique new concept UNITE as a collaborative marketplace and business incubator.

The first-of-its-kind retail concept in the Alberta city is a space for makers, creators and designers to follow their dreams and bring their business to a larger audience – the one-million-square foot mall owned by Oxford Properties.

“The pandemic has created unique challenges for local business owners, but it has also created opportunities for us to look at things differently and collaborate on innovative solutions to overcoming those challenges,” said Katrina Petryshyn, owner and founder of The Makers Keep and UNITE.

“I have seen first-hand the countless benefits a collective, supportive environment can have for entrepreneurs, and I am excited to continue to expand this concept of collective retail with the launch of UNITE.”

The new concept has 85 vendors in place in about 6,700 square feet of space in a high visibility spot in the mall – the former location of Victoria’s Secret.

Petryshyn said UNITE is a collaborative effort in one showroom.

“Essentially it’s a shop-in shop and we wanted to mimic the greats like Hudson’s Bay and how they would put in stores inside their store,” she said. “So it is an incubator for small businesses looking to scale up and potentially have their own retail storefront.”

UNITE will carry a wide array of products, ranging from jewelry to clothing, giftware to food. With the capacity to house numerous vendors at any given time, brands will be able to set up their own “shop within a shop”, making their designated retail areas their own with custom signage and displays.

The new indoor hotspot will operate as a multipurpose event space, tasting bar, and marketplace, showcasing brands from the community. UNITE will be fully licensed, carrying a selection of local food and beverage, some of which will rotate monthly. As more than just a shopping destination, UNITE also plans to host a variety of different events, workshops, educational programming, and social engagements.

Kingsway opened in 1976. UNITE is located on the second level.

“The way we structured the setup is when we went on the hunt for vendors, we put together a presentation that gave them different options to get involved,” said Petryshyn. “We wanted it to be accessible to anybody. So we had three different terms. One was the one-month pop-over. We did six months and we did the full term. And for now our full term was for one year.

“We offered that to vendors along with different financial fee structures as well. Most of the vendors we currently have in there are with the six month or the full term lease. We have not that many on the one-month turnover but we are hoping to rotate vendors in and out. So the idea is that once a vendor’s completed their term we’ll bring in a new person.”

If vendors move on and want to open their own space, UNITE will give them some guidance.

The unique feature with UNITE is it has eliminated the overhead for vendors and the staffing issues. There is a central staff that works the space. They’re trained in all of the brands. A customer can shop at all of the different vendors and pay at one central cashier.

“We have a system where our vendors can log in on the back end and view their sales and their inventory so they can still be participating in real time on what they need to stock up with or what their sales are at,” said Petryshyn.

“We just do it all under one system so that there’s a lot of headache removed there for the vendors and it just makes it easier for them to participate. They don’t have to worry about having to be there all the time or worrying about a staff member calling in sick. We take on that worry for them.”

Lindsay Botha, Kingsway’s Specialty Leasing Manager, said Kingsway is dedicated to championing local entrepreneurs by providing the resources and opportunities needed for them to succeed.

“We definitely noticed over the last I think 15 to 18 months there’s been a lot more self-starter businesses in the Edmonton area – people starting their own little side hustles whether they’re full time and starting small businesses on the side. So we’ve definitely seen a change and an opportunity,” said Botha.

“We wanted a seven-day market really and a seamless experience for both retailers and shoppers alike.

“On top of the 85 vendors that it’s holding it can also accommodate a rotating brewery or distillery and an eventing space as well.”

Botha said Petryshyn has an established reputation in the local business community from her existing retail location with The Makers Keep.

“She even has a waiting list of people to get in right now,” said Botha.

“I think it’s appealing for retailers that are either online or home based or those that are just not ready to scale their business yet. They don’t need to staff their space. They have all the support they need with opening up their first bricks and mortar business. So it’s really, really easily accessible for them to transition into the bricks and mortar landscape for the first time.

“There’s always opportunity for local business. It’s always been at the forefront of our minds. Kingsway is very much about the entrepreneurial spirit. That’s always been a thing for us. It’s always going to be a thing for us.”

Walmart Announces 150,000 SF Supercentre at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton with Westmount Centre Walmart Store to Close as a Result

Additional Photos from UNITE

More Canadian Consumers Expected to Shop Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2021: Study

By

Mario Toneguzzi

-

November 17, 2021

More Canadian consumers are expected to shop this year during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend and they will be spending more money as well.

According to the recent 2021 Shopify Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend Global Buyer Survey, 61 per cent of Canadian consumers plan to shop during the BFCM weekend, which is higher compared to last year (50 per cent).

It also found that BFCM shoppers plan to spend $542 over the long weekend, up from an average of $481 planned in 2020.

Hudson’s Bay Queen Street (Photo: Dustin Fuhs)

Solmaz Shahalizadeh, VP Data Science and Engineering at Shopify, said people have no hesitation to go shopping this year compared to their feelings a year ago. Part of the reason is the widespread vaccinations for COVID-19.

“People have gone out of that survival mode,” she said, as people are more mobile and thinking about gifts for their loved ones as well as buying things for themselves.

“We’re also seeing some uptick in economic recovery which means people have more disposable income to spend on gifts and things for themselves as well this year.”

And that’s good news for all the merchants out there who have had to navigate the challenges of the pandemic for more than a year and a half.

Some of the key findings from the survey include:

Half of Canadian consumers planning to participate in BFCM will be shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (50 per cent), with 32 per cent planning to shop more on Black Friday and 18 per cent planning to shop more on Cyber Monday;
Overall, 82 per cent plan to participate in Black Friday and 68 per cent in Cyber Monday;
Men plan to spend significantly more than women ($669 vs. $421), as are those with children at home ($683 vs. $461 no children at home);
A large majority of Canadian consumers planning to participate in BFCM say that COVID-19 will impact their shopping (84 per cent): Nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) plan to increase their online shopping;
34 per cent of online BFCM shoppers mentioned wanting to avoid shopping in-store because of COVID-19, significantly less compared to last year (51 per cent);
Canadian BFCM shoppers are still more likely to shop online than in-store. Overall, 89 per cent of Canadian BFCM shoppers plan to shop online and 60 per cent plan to shop in-store;
39 per cent of BFCM shoppers plan to shop online only (down from 52 per cent in 2020);
50 per cent plan to shop online and in-store (up from 45 per cent in 2020);
10 per cent plan to shop in-store only (up from 3 per cent in 2020);
Canadian BFCM shoppers main reasons for shopping online during BFCM are: want to take advantage of online sales (51 per cent), save time (46 per cent), get better prices online (45 per cent) and take advantage of free shipping (44 per cent); and
The top categories Canadian BFCM shoppers plan to purchase are: Electronics (47 per cent); Clothing/footwear/accessories (46 per cent); Toys/games/hobby supplies (31 per cent); and overall, the top category in terms of total spend is electronics (31 per cent).

Shahalizadeh said the spend in the electronics category is something that has been seen consistently over the years.

“It is one of those items and categories that has a lot of discounts happening during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. So it’s always one of those categories that consumers are planning to spend quite a bit during this weekend,” she said.

She said the trend toward more consumers shopping online has been around for the past few years.

“Part of it is the convenience of shopping online and even in the pandemic days it’s pushed all the generations, older generations, also to come online so it’s not limited to a particular demographic anymore,” said Shahalizadeh.

“The other thing is that with online shopping their options for personalization and better product discovery, things for example we are doing to help our merchants really get in front of the right customers, and this again has resulted in the shift towards online shopping.”

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First-of-its-Kind Collaborative Retail Concept Launches at Kingsway Mall in Edmonton [Interview/Photos]

Additional Photos from UNITE

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