We thought we’d give a view on a number of challenges facing CIOs in Retail organisations at present. There is no doubt that the role of the CIO is a tough one, but at the same time a very exciting and fulfilling role in a healthy organisation. It’s at the heart of the business or[…]
Ok, I have decided to publish an occasional series looking at issues and observations I see and perceive in Retail IT Leadership. I am going to use the generic heading of ‘Shepherding Chaos’ which might give you an insight into my general philosophy and approach. You might also see the use of several sheep pictures,[…]
People are Individuals so just get on with it. Welcome to the first installment of my view, possibly my style, of Retail IT Leadership. I have often listened to and been involved in discussions regarding which role within an organisation should be contacted for a particular solution, marketing campaign or decision. I have also listened[…]
There are many factors that engender customer loyalty, product quality, location, availability etc. – but I wanted to relate one recent story that I thought relevant. My parents at 90 & 87 are still mobile and take themselves off on a daily basis to a variety of coffee shops and cafes. These establishments come in[…]
Continuing on the theme of customer service from last week, I’ve been thinking about three key elements of retail: the product, the service and the location. For pure plays read site accessibility and visibility for location. There is no doubting the importance of your product. If the quality of what you are selling is at[…]
Continuing with the theme of applying Real World Thinking examples to the world of technology – it’s time to look at traffic queue theory – or at least a very simple version thereof. Random motorway queues at busy times are often formed by a single vehicle slowing down. Vehicles then arrive at the back of[…]
Continuing with my thoughts challenging existing IT practice I thought I’d have a stab at the Service Level Agreement (SLA). As usual, all points are made in an attempt to provoke debate. The SLA is a contractual issue that I have spent many hours debating – and I have often questioned the point. When the[…]
Many retailers (both bricks and pure plays and everything in between) have dabbled with a gift registry service. Like most things, there are a variety of success stories and some not so great implementations. The benefits are clear – even from a short term perspective, the service can drive additional revenue. If done properly it[…]
As my career continues, I ponder the constant pre-occupation that some corners of the IT community have with ‘business’ integration. The mere fact that the phrase “IT & the business” is used builds the perception of a barrier between two sides at war. Are there groups of accountants sitting around asking themselves how to get[…]
We are implementing omni-channel strategies as this is the modern customer expectation – though probably an expectation we have created. There are however sensible benefits for the retailer. A retailer managing seasonal product is fundamentally focused on selling the most product at the highest price before entering a cycle of margin threatening markdown activity. A[…]
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