We’re back from the Celerant Technology Client Conference and it was a fantastic two days of events, education, and sharing from over 100 Celerant retail users, just like you. CEO Ian Goldman kicked off the conference with an overview of the current retail landscape, citing “frictionless” as a buzzword for retailers to listen for as it embodies the new fast paced automated culture. “Customer behavior is less predictable than ever before. They want fast and quick without any hesitation, but what we do know is that today’s customer demand is transforming retail practices on every level. All of this signals behavioral changes and preferences,” says Goldman.

Product workshop sessions educated retailers on how to become power users and what updates and new launches are around the corner for Celerant Command, Stratus and CAM RetailSTAR 10.1. Whether POS management, e-commerce website integration, SEO/SEM best practices, warehouse management, inventory fulfillment, or POS security integration were top of mind, there was a breakout session to answer any question and share experiences.

That sharing is the lifeblood of what keeps Celerant on the cutting edge of developing the solutions that fit the needs retailers face each day. We loved listening to retailers discuss the real-world problems they are facing in the field, and much knowledge came from those sessions. Here are some of the hot topics your peers are talking about:

• The time for E-Commerce marketplace partnerships is now. Fulfillment by Amazon was a theme on top of almost everybody’s mind; those using it described their successes, and those yet to implement it expressed understanding that the time to jump aboard is now. Experienced users indicated that savings on the cost of shipping and fulfillment are starting to balance the hit to margins Amazon’s commission takes, but with Wal-Mart making a huge push online (without partnership opportunities), it’s more important than ever to leverage the power of Amazon to sell online.
• Security expert Bill Napier presented a session on emerging security technology and importance of retailers customizing a plan to address loss prevention, echoing concerns of shrinkage and cybersecurity from retailers. Investments in security often fall by the wayside in light of more immediate concerns, but Napier said, “With all the hats you inherit for running a retail business, your business can’t afford to pass on a sound security strategy.” EMV compliance is still an issue, but encryption and tokenization actually provide the best protection against digital fraud.
• 85% of all E-Commerce customers do not convert on the same device where they began their shopping journeys. That means that whether on a desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone — and even in a physical store — the customer experience must be consistent or they get lost in the mix. Most retailers are comfortable with their omnichannel presences, and attention is shifting to optimizing the shopping experience across them, and among them when using different touchpoints to access them.

What are the main issues facing your business? Let us know and find out what solutions Celerant has to address them — or we will design a custom modification for you if your needs are unique!