Retail IT News for VARs — August 23, 2013
Retail Sales Up In July
The National Retail Federation reports retail sales rose slightly in July. July retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) rose 0.3 percent, seasonally adjusted from June. This marks 13 consecutive months of retail sales gains.
Retail Adds 47,000 Jobs In July
U.S. Retailers added almost 47,000 jobs last month, the biggest increase in retail jobs in the past 8 months. A Bloomberg article points to consumer comfort and retailers who have developed strong specialty brands as reasons for job growth.
Growth Forecasted For Mobile POS Market
According to RnRMarketResearch.com, TechNavio’s analysts expect the global mobile POS market to increase by a compound annual growth rate of 11.9 percent from 2012 to 2016.
“Mobile POS: Hype to Reality,” a 2013 IHL group study, states specialty retailers — mostly small, independent retailers and mall-based specialty chains — are deploying about 45 percent of all tablets shipped to retail for POS. This study also projects 12.4 percent of traditional POS shipments will be replaced with mobile POS by 2016, with highest replacements in department stores and specialty soft goods retailers. In addition, sales of mobile POS hardware and software in 2013 are expected to exceed $2 billion.
SMBs Favor Mobile POS
An Online Media Daily article reports mobile point of sale (POS) systems are more popular with SMBs. The article cites BIA/Kelsey’s ongoing survey tracking SMB’s use of media and advertising, that says about 40 percent of small and medium-sized businesses are now using mobile POS.
Trend Report Says We Scan More
Scanbuy’s Q2 2013 Mobile Barcode Trend Report says people are scanning more — scanning from tablets is up 1300 percent from last year. According to the report, users scan about 3 times per month from all mobile devices, an increase of 22 percent from last year, and we process a total of more than 7 million scans per month.
Report Shows Retailers Don’t Understand Costs, Logistics
An ARC Advisory Group Strategy Report, based on a survey of 177 qualified respondents answering questions about how to put omni-channel into operation, reveals some misconceptions among retailers. The report concludes retailers don’t understand costs associated with fulfilling omni-channel orders from stores and are held back by their in-store logistics.
Retail IT Talking Points
In an iMediaConnection.com article, Sue Sentell offers “3 steps to consistent omni-channel branding.” The article includes advice that consistent branding starts with leveraging the central product database to streamline the accuracy and reliability of product content.
A QSRweb.com article tells “Why the future of marketing lies in mobile payments.” First on the list is the observation that a point of sale is now a “point of interaction (POI), a place where consumers and merchants meet to exchange value for value.”