If you remove the sporting element, every retail store needs the same things from its EPOS:
- A way to increase sales and maximise revenue
- A way to monitor stock levels and anticipate demand
- A way to ensure customers keep coming back to the store.
On the front of it all, these goals are all the same – but if we take that approach to our retail stores, how can we attempt to stand out from the crowd?
It’s the same in sport. Every team has the same targets: score goals, beat the competition, bring home trophies. But the manner in which one team might go about achieving this could be entirely different from the next. Different formations. Different tactics. Different players. And the way that these elements come together is unique too.
That’s the approach that makes one team stand out from the next and add to its trophy cabinet. And that’s the approach you should take in retail too.
Choosing the right gameplan to make a difference
Where a football team might have its tactics to make a difference on the pitch, an EPOS system has its features. But how do you identify which features are key in the game of sports retail?
1. Decide where it’s most important to succeed
If you’re aware of a specific time period – like a match day, or the end of the transfer window – where your store has considerably increased foot traffic, this is a key time where you need to be getting everything right. Equally so if you know certain products are the most in demand, you need to ensure you always have reliable stocking reports attached to them. Once you identify these key areas for your business, you can choose the features which support them best.
2. Understand what your audience want
There’s no point investing time and money into something your fan base doesn’t care about, so do your research. Find out which elements of the store experience are most important to them and look at features that enhance these areas. It’s only by improving the parts of your retail store that your audience actively engages in that they will notice a difference, and you’ll see this difference reflected back in your sales.
3. Think about what will make the biggest impact
It’s easy to get caught up in what you think there’s demand for or what other competitors are doing, but you always need to consider your business’ bottom line. Identify where you can make small and quick wins that will have the biggest impact on either revenue, or customer retention and focus your efforts in these areas.
The key features to target
Once you’ve answered the three questions above, you can start thinking about the features to include in your sports retail EPOS system that are going to help your club stand out from the competition.
Reliable inventory management – manage purchasing, deliveries, stock allocation, ecommerce inventory & fulfillment, retail stores and warehouses from one inventory management system, providing a single view of pricing and stock levels, and using automation to speed up time-consuming processes so you always have a clear view of stock levels.
Simple fan loyalty app – always stay connected to your fans through the engaging loyalty app, providing them with club news and personalised offers, whilst gathering key customer information that can be used for promotions, leading to increased retention, stronger relationships and a fanbase that continues to provide revenue for the club.
Professional kit builder – offer fans a personalised kit experience so they can choose whatever name and number combination they prefer, while the software manages the process and keeps you informed of any stock shortages, helping to keep queues moving and keep customers happy.
Embedded payments – tie everything together with accurate, secure and trustworthy payments across every channel, online and in-store, enabling your customers to pay through a range of methods and your business to reconcile payments in one place, with all information stored in the central reporting dashboard.
These are just a few of the key features that will make your sports retail store stand out amongst the competition. For more information on what to include in your retail EPOS and transform your club shop into a destination for fans, speak to a member of our team today.
