Tablets Can Unlock True Omni-Channel Inventory Systems

September 2012 Integrated Solutions For Retailers

By Ed McCabe, national sales manager, Panasonic Solutions for Business

Retailers must equip associates with technology to be able to service customers properly.

In stores across America every day, there is a war of information going on — and it’s not much of a fair fight. Customers, armed with the latest smartphone or tablet computer, have the ability to walk around the sales floor with nearly unlimited access not just to information about products, but a multitude of ways of purchasing the item and taking it home. They may buy it there, buy it online, have it shipped to them, or pick it up in person.

Store associates are not nearly as well-armed. Associates often must leave the customer’s side — potentially abandoning the sale — to access computers from a back office or behind a counter. And, the computers themselves may not have the real-time, seamless integration across channels that customers expect.