Monsoon Accessorize has launched a new mobile electronic-point-of-sale system with the use of iPads. The solution aims to provide a true multi-channel environment that makes it easy to engage with customers while keeping the transactional process as simple as possible.

Store’ staff use the iPads to show customers the retailer’s extended product range, to locate stock, and to complete a sale on the spot using a wireless Chip and PIN device.

Pete Byrne, Head of IT Monsoon: “We want to ensure that our customers get a consistent experience across all channels. This system provides a true multi-channel environment whereby a sale can be completed then and there, even when the physical product is not available.”

The application is based on MICROS Retail Assistant, an in-store sales application that connects web with point-of-sale, and the solution itself is titled Monsoon Accessorize Extended (or MAX).

The Stock Checker functionality allows staff to quickly identify whether an item is in-stock, across several locations including the shop floor, store room, another store or eCommerce distribution centre, and available to buy. Staff may send an order to a convenient store for collection, or alternatively an order can be placed for the items to be shipped directly from the warehouse to the customer’s home. The order can be combined with additional in-store purchases, with the customer paying for all items at once. iPads will also be used by staff in the changing room for on the spot stock checks, without having to leave the customer and risk losing a sale. Byrne commented: “This project is about personalising the experience across channels using a more joined-up approach. Our store staff will have the capability to gain a clear view of stock levels across the business, which enables them to be more responsive to customer queries and go that extra mile, delivering value-added services such as personal shopping to loyal customers. It also increases revenues by incentivising staff, as sales are made and recognised on an individual store basis.”

Currently trialling the solution in its Cardinal Place, Victoria Street store in London, Monsoon Accessorize plans to introduce the service in nine more sites in March and eventually roll out across the UK estate assuming it is successful in boosting average transaction values. Byrne continued, “Staff can now maximise every sales opportunity. Our staff are telling us that the application is already invaluable, and it’s easy to use with little training required. Once they get hold of it, they generally want to use it all the time. They also love it because the multi-channel orders that they create in-store are credited to them and their store.”

He added, “It’s still early days but from what we’ve experienced so far we have high expectations for the future. Once the roll-out across our retail estate has been complete we will look to extend the offering with the free movement of stock across the retail estate, based on a single stock pool model.”

Spencer McKelvey, Sales Director at MICROS, said; “Providing customers with a seamless and personal shopping experience across any channel is one of retail’s great goals right now and it’s very much part of the MICROS vision. This is why we created The Hub, a central integration system, which connects online and in-store operations, and MICROS Retail Assistant, which puts the benefits of that multi-channel integration into the hands of customer-facing sales assistants.”

Source: blog.micros-ecommerce.com