payments and analytics. They can pick and
choose from a community of affordable,
world-class business apps that integrate
seamlessly with each other.
Soon, we can expect to see more retailers
running their business entirely on apps.
Retail apps like Vend can link directly to Xero
for accounting and Yoco for payments for
example, running on mobile devices like iPad
to run an entire business on-the-go. These
apps are creating complementary cloud and
mobile software for retailers as part of a
world-leading app ecosystem.
Uptake by local retailers
Independent retailers and pop-up shops,
which aren’t held back by legacy systems, are
already using this app ecosystem to better
manage their business. For example, Nicholas
Haralambous, founder of sockwear brand Nic
Harry, has three stores between Cape Town
and Johannesburg using Vend and Yoco.
Adopting an integrated solution has allowed
them to deliver a better customer experience.
“
CLOUD-BASED
TECHNOLOGIES
ARE BREAKING
DOWN
TRADITIONAL
BARRIERS AND
CHANGING THE
WAY RETAILERS
DO BUSINESS.
“Working with Yoco through our Vend point
of sale is simple and extremely efficient.
Switching apps as we’ve had to do in the
past wasn’t a sustainable way to complete
transactions. Now with the Yoco and Vend
integration the customer checkout process
is seamless.”
Personalising the
customer experience
With these new technologies, retailers
will spend far less time on tasks which
historically would have been done
manually, such as balancing the books at
the end of each week, or organising holiday
schedules and staff rosters. But one of the
biggest benefits of mobile technology is
the way it enables a more personalised and
seamless customer experience.
For example, linking a POS app with a
specialist loyalty app means retailers can
collate customer information and offer
targeted rewards and perks to them directly
via their smartphone. Or, integrating a
store’s sales system with their online shop
ensures that all inventory and customer
data is synced across both channels.
This prevents ‘double-sells’, where the
last of a product is accidentally sold to
two customers at once and means all
product and customer details can be easily
managed from one central location.
To retail and beyond
The speed at which cloud-based systems can
be implemented will also be transformative,
not just for retail but for many other
industries. Setting up a new IT system is
traditionally very time-consuming and
expensive – at least a few days for an expert
to fully implement (not to mention the
weeks of consultation beforehand).
Now, with a few clicks of a button it can
literally take around 10 minutes to set-up a
business app and start selling. Cloud-based
systems are also, by their nature, scaleable.
They can grow with a business, without the
need for costly hardware upgrades.
As these groups of connected, cloud-
based systems are rapidly implemented by
businesses, we will see a wave of revitalised
IT systems across many other industries
– from manufacturing, to transport and
finance. Faster, better, more transparent and
personal services will become the norm in all
parts of our lives. There’s never been a more
exciting time to be in tech, and the best is
yet to come. n
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