Christopher Krywulak, President & CEO On a crisp Friday evening in Vancouver, Canada, one of the largest shopping centers is filled with customers perusing through endless rows of magazines and an exhaustive selection of designer clothing, via smartphones. While a few customers are constantly comparing the prices on their phones, others are conveniently checking product reviews online before making a purchase. As the long queue at the billing counter began to agitate customers, a sales associate steps in to assist them with the checkout process on an mobile Point Of Sale (mPOS) system. In order to allow brick-and-mortar retailers to thrive in a multichannel retail environment, mPOS provides an exceptional customer experience by combining simplicity, real-time reports, and stress-free staff behind the terminals.
Bridging the gap between physical and virtual retail channels without sacrificing service standards, iQmetrix offers the latest in retail management and customer experience technology through interactive retail solutions that engage, educate, and empower shoppers. The firm’s POS is a modular system for handling all aspects of a store’s operations including POS, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and inventory management. Going beyond a complete suite of retail management solutions to a “centralized platform” philosophy, iQmetrix’s unique solutions enable users to manage back-of-house operations effectively. One of the core drivers behind the inception of iQmetrix was to fuel retail operational systems with powerful metrics. To be a driver of strategy, performance, and continual improvement, there needs be the right metrics to ensure effective turnover. “Today, it is an afterthought and is not presented to every person within an organization. However, metrics is for everybody and the essence lies in using it effectually,” explains Christopher Krywulak, President and CEO, iQmetrix.
Bringing Together POS and CRM
The success in the brick and mortar retail environment demands an experience that is every bit as streamlined as possible. iQmetrix focuses on providing real-time insights for effective decision making. “In a retail store, users can quickly receive a snapshot view of the contacts and customer profile details, including open issues to be solved using iQmetrix’s CRM tool.” iQmetrix’s CRM creates a complete history of each customer’s shopping experience and significantly improves the customer experience, during and after the sale, ensuring a personalized service. Monitoring every interaction and capitalizing on every opportunity, the iQmetrix CRM’s customer tracking and sales opportunity module helps maximize sales and profitability.
We have all the tools, the digital assets and visibility into the supply chain to create an extraordinary shopping experience
This aids in scheduling call-backs and follow-ups, effectively strengthening and nurturing customer relationships either through email, phone, or mail marketing campaigns.
From a retailing perspective, POS and CRM belong together, since CRM is a part of the interaction experience. “Customers have new demands and expectations around CRM and this helps them relate to their shopping preferences when they enter a store,” says Scott McGillivray, Chief Strategy Officer, iQmetrix. Whether it is a query related to the availability of products, service, or shopping, iQmetrix’s CRM helps clients achieve their goals through a single, complete, and accurate picture of their customer. “We augment the experience on the floor by fostering a fruitful relationship between the consumers and the retailer,” explains McGillivray.
Rethinking the Offline Shopping Experience
In an era where mobile shoppers demand instant access to information, consumers use smartphones to find the best deals and perform instant comparison shopping. The challenge, however, is for retailers to become smarter about using mobile devices to their advantage. The crux here lies in retailers rethinking their offline shopping experience to meet the needs of mobile empowered shoppers. Embracing this trend and making the lives of retailers easier, the intuitive interface of iQmetrix’s retail management system allows retail staff to serve customers faster and more effectively.
Enabling staff to choose from a variety of widgets that provide easy access to important information and valuable tools instantly, iQmetrix’s POS can be accessed on a mobile or tablet device. The system’s Sales Force automation package helps target the right prospects at the right time, measuring the strengths of the sales funnel, in addition to staying in contact with real-time reporting. “With the right supply chain, there is a better chance that a particular product might be in stock, enabling the salesperson to easily receive the order, request the customer to collect it, or deliver it to their homes. To cater to this, we offer an intuitive interface, with the right tools, making it easy for consumers to get what they want. It is all about creating effective tools to help brands gain a richer user experience,” asserts Krywulak.
For instance, Spring Mobile, an AT&T wireless solutions retailer, achieved a phenomenal growth, since its inception, with the iQmetrix platform. However, 10 years ago, the picture was not as rosy. “Our system was really unstable.
We were constantly forced to verify processes, reports did not add up and it just got too overwhelming to deal with,” says Shawn Peery, Spring Mobile’s Sr. Director of Operations. In order to solve this challenge, iQmetrix brought in ‘a breath a fresh air’ with its retail management software. The platform effectively offered a single, reliable system that managed sales, customer data, and inventory. Building the perfect inventory management system for Spring with an outstanding proactive training department, iQmetrix met their growing requirements head on, helping them experience better control over reporting analytics, improved monitoring, performance, and a streamlined overall sales experience.
Taking virtual merchandizing strategy to the next level is iQmetrix’s Interactive Retail platform—Endless Aisle. Providing customers the complete scoop on all products in a retailer’s entire inventory catelog, iQmetrix Endless Aisle serves as a tool for sales staff to guide customers through the research stage of the retail experience or can be used as a self-serve option for customers who don’t require assistance. Customers can also use Endless Aisle to have products shipped right to their homes via iQmetrix Dropship.
Staying Light Years Ahead of Competition
As much as there are positive elements in retail, there are also negative ones and technology strives to address those broken elements. “By working with retailers, we not only focus on the consumer experience, we also work continuously to improve processes at the retail and supply chain level,” McGillivray says.
"By working with retailers, we not only focus on the consumer experience, we also work continuously to improve processes at the retail and supply chain level"
While changing consumer preferences and expectations are transforming the retail industry, the burning need is for a flexible approach in order to stay light years ahead of competition. For iQmetrix, this strategy starts with a strong work culture within the organization. “A byproduct of a healthy culture is a reflection of a strong business. In the next two years, we aim to expand our global footprint as well as the verticals we are focusing on. We strive to be one of the main providers of retail solutions for several global enterprise brands,” claims Krywulak.
Serving to be the perfect connection for customers and retailers, the road ahead for iQmetrix is indeed a promising one. “We have all the tools, the digital assets, and visibility into the supply chain to create an extraordinary shopping experience,” the CEO affirms.
