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Purchasing products today is a much broader and more detailed process than before. In addition to involving values and the brand, the evaluation of the companies' service is also taken into consideration. For supermarkets and any other retail company, this is no different, and in this context, having a good IT infrastructure and efficient service management of the technology team becomes essential to stand out from the competition.
After all, digital evolution in the market as a whole has changed the dynamics of consumption of products and services. In the retailer context, it expanded access to more customers in the digital environment and brought innovation in the way products are displayed at the POS. As a result, keeping production and logistics functional in a supermarket chain generates a lot of effort on a daily basis from IT professionals, who deal with flow control, several different systems and data sources that are not always connected.
In this article we will talk about the importance of managing IT services in supermarkets and other businesses in the retail sector, evaluating costs and ways in which technology can contribute to facilitating this process, maintaining its quality and increasing business performance.
Good reading!
IT infrastructure management in retail
The profile of today's consumer is one that is hyperconnected. In other words, people's routine consumption habits in much of the world include internet access, use of mobile devices and applications, which often need to be connected with other sales channels, bringing the omnichannel experience. In addition, there are also price comparison services and product review sites, for example.
To deal with these needs, it is necessary to equip those working in the supermarket retail trade and also in other segments, to be able to offer customers quick, uncomplicated, intuitive access and good communication . The focus is on the customer experience!
However, the efficiency of IT service and infrastructure management behind all this includes large teams and systems and many other factors to ensure the efficiency of operations, in the face of all this complexity.
Some of the main points of attention for retail IT involve:
1) Channel integration (Omnichannel)
The objective of omnichannel is to offer a consistent and unified experience for the customer throughout the entire purchasing journey, allowing them to move between different channels, each with its own uniqueness, and without friction.
Depending on this customer's profile, they can research prices digitally and make the purchase in the physical store, for example, or the opposite. Therefore, integrating physical and virtual stores is a resource that brings more convenience.
In this context, the infrastructure must be constantly improved to avoid bugs or problems in transactions , preventing the consumer from having a bad experience, as would be the case, for example, with a purchase that was made virtually, but the respective product is no longer available. product in the physical store.
2) Payment Methods
And when it comes to making the payment, the more options available, the greater the chances of pleasing the customer in your supermarket.
Innovation in payment methods guarantees more security for the consumer , using apps and purchases by credit and debit card or even pix. All this generates convenience for the customer, who can choose the payment method that is best for him.
Digital payments made by approaching a cell phone, using apps from banks and digital wallets, smart watches with apps, payment by QR Code, payment with a camera or automatic transaction are trends that are gaining more and more adherence.
3) Information security
Today, Retail is one of the sectors most affected by cyber attacks and data leaks with a 35% representation. The data was published by Security Report and refers to 2023, but it is not today that companies have suffered from hacker attacks. In 2020, a Swedish supermarket chain had to close its almost 800 stores after a cyber attack that paralyzed its cashiers.
However, you shouldn't be less reassured because the cyber attack was abroad. According to IDC data from 2022, IT security is the No. 1 priority for IT executives in Brazil according to 53.6% of companies.
In the survey, it is possible to identify that from small to large entrepreneurs, everyone is being targeted by hackers, especially those who still do not have active data security practices in their business.
Is it possible to reduce IT infrastructure costs without losing quality in processes?
Given all this complexity, there are resources and technologies that allow you to reduce IT infrastructure costs without losing quality! Service management and IT infrastructure resources are essential for small, medium or large retail entrepreneurs looking to grow even further and bring security to their services.
We list below the main points to be taken into consideration when looking for savings with IT infrastructure:
1) Invest in digital transformation
As we have previously mentioned, Retail is one of the most affected sectors, not only in Brazil but throughout the world. Research carried out by the Brazilian Society of Retail and Consumption (SBVC), even shows that the supermarket retail sector has been one of the most affected by theft, robbery and operational drops of almost 2% of revenue, and the poor management of resources focused on Security is the main reason .
As a solution, many managers have adhered to automated management systems to gain more control of all stages of sales production and even improve the relationship with the consumer. In the survey, we see that this type of integration innovation in different areas, with real-time information can generate savings of more than 80% for those who work in the retail trade .
2) Process automation
It is a process that removes excessive attention from employees in the production of activities and ensures improvement in production time, more agility and technological control.
Tools, such as inventory and cash control, for example, are capable of accelerating your company's processes , without the need to make large investments and still bring several benefits to your day-to-day life, such as:
- centralize company information;
- minimize service failures;
- reduce spending on IT infrastructure and staff.
3) Optimization of IT services
Normally, supermarkets that opt for an outsourcing service for operational optimization rely on quality results , as they have in their hands actions aligned with the specific needs of the business.
The logic is that a group of external specialists can streamline many of the internal processes, without the need to replace the internal team, which will be 100% focused on the most strategic demands.
In addition, the majority of operational processes remain with the partner, allowing your internal team's resources and time to be directed to the most essential areas of the business.
4) Migration to the cloud
Large retail chains that choose to migrate their IT infrastructure to the cloud eliminate the need for daily downloads, manual backups, installations, maintenance and updates of software and hardware in their domains .
Furthermore, the cloud is currently one of the safest solutions for storing sensitive company information, generating greater cyber resilience.
Cloud Computing is not new, but it gained even more visibility during the pandemic, as with the need to establish social isolation to stop the spread of the virus, this was one of the technologies that allowed many businesses to stay open.
According to Gartner, published in 2021, it is expected that 85% of companies will be using Cloud Computing by 2025. Currently, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, the Cloud becomes an even more necessary resource, and is in line with the growth of adoption of this technology.
Artificial Intelligence resources, especially Generative AI, experienced exponential growth in 2023. In fact, a recent study carried out by Google Cloud with IDC showed that 82% of technology executives feel pressured to implement new technological solutions in companies in which they work. Among the priorities are Cloud Computing, AI and Machine Learning solutions.
The impact of the cloud on the economy and efficiency of retail companies
Agility – Having IT infrastructure in the cloud speeds up file access and sharing, with efficient search engines, good cybersecurity practices and effective support from cloud experts.
Security – data systems in the cloud are controlled by cryptography and firewalls that do not allow access by unauthorized persons, allowing the management of IT services in a secure way for the company and the customer.
Support – being in the cloud, the system can undergo online maintenance, without the need to hire a specific IT team for this purpose.
Updating – the integrated system with other supports constantly undergoes improvements to improve user access and ensures more competitiveness in the market.
Cloud Computing with Skyone: a solution to bring cost predictability and optimize IT infrastructure with the pace of retail
The purpose of the tool is to boost market innovation and modify the use of information technologies, reducing costs with projects planned in a unique way for each company.
Furthermore, with Skyone you eliminate resources that are not being used. This mechanism ensures the best use of the cloud, reducing costs when compared to static deployments .
With a complete cloud service, the Skyone platform has different solutions that can offer what your company needs. Are they:
- Skyone Autosky: Migrate and manage software to the cloud with a complete infrastructure that optimizes your resources and financial costs.
- Cloud Servers: Migrate and manage servers to the cloud with a specialized strategic extension of your IT infrastructure.
- Cloud Database: Migrate and manage databases to the cloud and increase your team's productivity once and for all.
- Advanced backup: Customize your company's backups as and when you want, gaining greater flexibility and autonomy.
We invite you to learn about one of Skyone's most recent case He also says that the platform allowed Asun to speed up some internal processes by up to 75%.
If, like Asun, you want to take the first step to save money and optimize the management of your IT Infrastructure in retail, don't waste time and talk to one of our experts !
