Apart from the catering and tourism industries, the fixed retail industry (with a few exceptions such as food trade) is one of the losers in the Covid 19 pandemic. The pressure is immense.We have ServiceNow-Experten Ulrich Flamm, Director of Corporate Sales, And asked about ideas on how the retail industry can turn current pressures into motivation.
When was the last time you went to the local store?
Ulrich Fram: As soon as the store opens, I go shopping with my family. Our friend runs a clothing store that has existed for generations. You are indeed suffering from a pandemic and not far from the top of the mountain.
Online mail order, the closure related to Covid-19, is now subject to conditions, where do you see opportunities for retail stores?
Ulrich Flamm: The challenges that the pandemic poses to the traditional retail industry are obvious. After all, the success of online transactions is nothing new.
Nevertheless, fixed retail is not obsolete. on the contrary. Customers like to be able to pick up the goods. They want to try on clothes on the spot. Of course, I like to go shopping and be inspired. If I find something, I want to take it with me immediately. You may want to keep in good contact with the bicycle repair shop around the corner, or think about the unpackaged supermarkets in the area. All these have their place. But: If there is no website and shuttle service, it will be difficult.
Photo: bbernard-Shutterstock
The online store of the corner store?
Ulrich Fram: Even local retailers now know that in addition to physical stores, they must also provide online stores. The bookseller owns this store, the hardware store, and one or the other sporting goods store now sells more through the website than through the store.
Even if we walk in the city center again at some point without the minimum distance and wearing masks, the advantages of online transactions still exist and customers will continue to use them. E-commerce is the biggest winner of this pandemic.
How does ServiceNow support this feature?
Ulrich Fram: ServiceNow digitizes business processes. Like online retail, in the retail industry, countless processes must be controlled. The interfaces between suppliers, logistics staff, customer service, and consumers are usually still run through separate, less integrated tools and communication media-if in doubt, these are pens and pencils. With our digital platform, we provide an integration layer for all processes. In this way, we simplify and speed up the process and provide security. After all, if you spend hours in the cellar to see if the bottle of wine you ordered is there, which supplier can deliver it or which bicycle courier company can still deliver it today, then the most beautiful online store is of no use to you.
Of course, for example, if branch managers do not have to deal with IT service management or personnel issues other than daily business, they can work more efficiently, and employees can use apps on their smartphones to handle such things themselves.
Which store do you want to open today?
Ulrich Fram: I will open an organic deli. On the one hand, I can fully realize my preference for food. On the other hand, I developed the website, maybe an online market and surrounding shops. In this way, of course, delicious food can be brought to people digitally.
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