Story = In future, South African customers will be able to obtain recipe and wine suggestions from in-store digital kiosks, scan and bag their own items, and then pay and leave the store without having to stand in a queue.
This is according to a statement by IBM, Motorola and Zebra, which have formed a mobile enterprise tri-alliance to drive mobility into retail solutions, possibly in time for 2010.
“A global trend that is making waves in the retail trade in the UK and US is mobility, where retailers are using enterprise mobility solutions to improve the customer experience,” says the tri-alliance.
"Significant time savings, increased productivity, enhanced accuracy levels and satisfied customers - mobility is the answer to most operational challenges faced by retailers," says tri-alliance spokesperson and mobile specialist for IBM, Caroline Scofield.
Whether it's giving on-demand access to product or store information as customers shop, or providing express check-out systems to customers, retailers need to find ways of improving customer services, the companies say.
From an operational perspective, they add, mobile solutions allow store managers to work on the go instead of behind their desks and control inventory by preventing shrinkage before it happens, helping run business in a more productive manner.
Scofield explains: "The facts surrounding mobility and business are quite simple. Businesses wanting to achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace and be business smart need to put in place successful enterprise mobility strategies. “
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