WHITE PAPER

LakeWest Group surveyed the top 100 U.S. Specialty Retailers based on revenues, as identified in the August 2004 issue of STORES magazine. LakeWest Group received 32 responses between October 1 and November 30, 2004. Respondents were typically Chief Information Officers or Directors of Store Operating Systems.

As customers become more sophisticated, expecting more benefits and incentives to remain loyal, customer service continues to be the top priority for specialty retailers. To satisfy customer service requirements, retailers are trying to differentiate their offerings while maintaining the focus on the overall return on investment (ROI).

Retailers are looking to enhance their customer service levels and justify the costs of these service initiatives in five major areas at the store level:

• 1. Customer Interaction
  Understanding profitable customers and their purchase patterns and then utilizing that information to recommend products to customers and offer a personalized shopping experience.
  
  
• 2. Multi-Channel Integration
  Providing their customers a seamless and consistent shopping experience across all channels.
  
  
• 3. Store Dashboard Functionality
  Utilizing sales and inventory information at the store level to more accurately and effectively transact with the customer and manage the store.
  
  
• 4. Labor Utilization
  Managing store labor, including resources and tasks, to ensure that payroll dollars are effectively utilized to address customer needs.
  
  
• 5. Software and Infrastructure Deployment
  Offering additional customer service functionality through faster and more effective software, hardware, and connectivity.

In their continued quest for improved customer service, retailers have prioritized their upcoming initiatives. According to this year’s survey, . . .  continued  

  

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