The key to retail success is having a plan you can implement, reducing the variables and executing the plan to perfection! Ok So you knew that already, but how do you go about doing that.

Since you are reading this, I will assume you are part of the 20% of retailers that have put processes in place to monitor your expenses, manage your inventory levels and are reviewing your product mix and performance.  

You might even be part of the 20% of the 20% that has implemented a CRM that tracks customer preferences and is aware of slippage activity; if you are just doing loyalty that’s not good enough.

So you are now part of the 20% of the 20%, now what - how do you get to be 20% of the 20% of the 20% that is executing to perfection. Let’s look at one of the simplest ways to get there.

Put another way :

80% of all small business are content with opening the doors and waiting for customers to come in - when they do they focus on selling them what they have and meeting whatever needs they ca,

20% of them are looking at their product mix and managing their costs and inventory levels on a regular basis - They are aware of a key KPI’s and are looking for ways to increase margin and ROI.

20% of that 20% (4% of all merchants) are taking it a step further they have implemented a CRM and have launched an online commerce store - they  work hard at trying to increase their foot traffic, focusing on marketing, making their inventory visible and doing what they can to match their stock levels to customer preference.

The difference makers - the ones who seem to have all the luck the 20% of the 20% of the 20% (thats .8% or 80 out of a 1000 businesses) are focused on doing more with what they have - seems simple but often misunderstood it's focusing your energy and efforts on where they make a difference. Make every action count! What does that mean.

3 Tips to improve retail performance

1. Monitor your conversion rate 

How many customers come in and how many are buying -  if for example 10 out of every 50 customers who come in buy something, focus on what it takes to get that to 11 - that immediately reflects a 20% increase in sales.   Are they looking for sizes, color or product you don't have - can you meet those needs using retailcloud’s endless aisle or predictive reordering to ensure you have the right mix? Does your clienteling system allow you to suggest substitute products?

2. Monitor your Units per Transaction

Yes again you are right everyone says that , but what kind of insight does your POS system give you on similar customers, are you using machine intelligence to recommend items based on what customers have selected as well as what that customer has previously purchased? If your average units per transaction are 1.67 and you get 1 out of every 5 customers to buy one more item this could result in a 12% increase in sales.

3.What’s your customer retention like 

Look at what how many customers are coming back and how often, does your POS system allow you to reach out to them with targeted offers (promos or experiences) to drive them back - the better you know your customers the more effective experience based marketing is; say for instance you know they love UnderArmour shoes, invite them back for an early preview of the new shoe line; or if they like a certain wine - allow them to reserve part of that allocation before it comes in - (use the retailcloud prepaid feature). Utilize the valuable information in your customer preference profiles. If you can increase your customer retention by 10% this again would have a huge impact on your bottom line.

So what does it take to be the 20% of the 20% of the 20% - it’s the little details; while your competition is using a scrambling approach you can focus on the details and successfully execute a winning strategy. 

retail Key performance Indicators ( KPI ) in combination of recommendation & pragmatics analytics are key to solve sales challenges retail companies are facing. If you would like to learn more about the how you can improve your retail performance bookmark our blog and keep watching this space.