Interview: Luxe Retail Technologies Help Bosco
About how to effectively manage retail with the help of IT systems, tellLyubov Rybakova, CEO of the company Luxe Retail, and Viktor Kirpichev, Director of the Information Technology Department of the BOSCO Management Company.
What is the role of information technology in fashion business management?
Lyubov Rybakova: Today, for a number of reasons, the situation in trade is quite complicated, so retailers are looking for ways to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of their work. In many ways, efficiency depends on a properly built IT infrastructure.
Have there been any difficulties in using management information systems over the years?
Lyubov Rybakova: Some difficulties could arise, the main thing is that they were quickly solved and are being solved. And there have never been any big problems. It is important for our customers that the software products of Luxe Retail have the basic functionality that takes into account the features that are important to them. It has happened that we have to make improvements to the systems based on the wishes of the client, but rarely enough.
Please advise what to prefer to a retailer at the moment of choice: a universal IT solution (for example, an ERP system) or a specialized one, purely for managing trading processes?
Lyubov Rybakova: In my opinion, the software for clothing stores, shoes, accessories should not be universal, but specialized. Someone sells clothes, someone groceries, someone gasoline. All these are different businesses and the approach to them should be different.
Victor Kirpichev: I agree with Love. Specialized developments should be a priority for each retail segment. Thanks to this, the requirements of a particular business are most fully taken into account and the most efficient IT infrastructure is built. We took the path of acquiring specialized solutions and creating our own developments, based on the specifics of the work of certain business areas of the BOSCO Group.
– Which IT systems in retail are you currently seeing an increase in demand for? What is new from the point of view of managing the work of clothing stores?
Lyubov Rybakova: Today we see an increasingly increasing role of demand stimulation technologies and the active use of loyalty programs. Therefore, our colleagues at BOSCO are implementing their own CRM system integrated with specialized Luxe Retail solutions. The right customer relationship management system will allow you to fight for literally every customer, taking into account his individual characteristics, tastes, preferences, opportunities.
Victor Kirpichev: Of course, it's not just about information technology. It is important to combine reliability, convenience, ease of use of IT systems and the high professionalism of the specialists of the company that developed these systems. In the face of Luxe Retail, we have found a partner with just such a combination.
Lyubov Rybakova: Other promising areas include smartphone apps, electronic loyalty cards, and mobile cash desks in stores. OMNI-channel is also becoming an interesting trend: stores provide customers with the opportunity to purchase goods online, using their website, or via a mobile application on their phone. We are working to ensure that our information systems support the entire range of services and all sales channels of the store.
< span style="font-size: 12px;">Photo: Luxe Retail.