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November 19, 2014

8 Apps That Will Make You A Better Retail Manager

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“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.” – Paul Hawken

Think about what is being said in the above quote for a minute. Going to work is often associated with doing something that you don’t want to necessarily be doing. But it seems that the people who truly excel at their jobs are the ones who look forward to coming to the office. These people face the challenges they have before them and take pride in working to overcome these issues.

Which brings us to the topic of this post. We’re always looking for ways to be better at what we do. And if you are a retail manager, here are some excellent apps that can help you to perform at the highest level possible.

1. Xero

Having a tough time keeping track of receipts and expenses? You’re not the only one and that’s why Xero was created, and it has become so successful.

Not only does Xero allow you to create, approve and send invoices, it also lets you know how much money is going in and out of your business. Using Xero, you can track the financials of your business from a single dashboard and always stay on top of your finances, even if you’re doing all of the bookkeeping yourself, which is a very common thing for small and medium-sized businesses.

2. Collect

We all know how powerful word-of-mouth marketing can be. Local retail stores can experience the power of this, especially when engaging their communities. One person has a good experience and tells their friend. That friend does business with you as well and before you know it, a lot of people are talking about you and a substantial buzz is created.

Collect allows you to create personalized reward systems for your customers, encouraging them to come back, earn points, and buy more from you. Best of all, it encourages them to tell other people about you.

3. RetailNext

Wouldn’t you like to know about trending data that applies to you and your customers? It’s a Big Data world, but collecting and analyzing that data can be tough when you don’t have a big team to work on collecting it with you.

If you’re looking for an analytics solution that gives you actionable insights, RetailNext might be exactly what you need. It analyzes a mix of complex data derived from video cameras, WiFi, POS systems, promotional calendars, weather, and so on, and gives you simple graphs and reports on the other end that help you collect and use this data to better manage your store or service.

4. SignUpAnywhere

Need a better way to build your email list? Here’s a little stat line that lets you know just how important emails are in retail. 66% of consumers have made purchases online as a result of an email marketing message.

SignUpAnywhere allows you to collect email addresses no matter where you are. The email addresses can then be downloaded or synced with email marketing platforms like CampaignMonitor or MailChimp. It’s a huge time-saver when you’re building email lists and trying to create a database of potential customers.

5. Dropbox

Dropbox allows you to take all of your important documents and images with you wherever you go. As long as you have a mobile device, you can access your files, upload, share, and edit them on the go.

It’s also a great tool for business collaboration as well, as it enables you to share folders with your team as well and grant access for your files to others who may need them. It can make meetings more efficient and help you to organize everything you need to work successfully at the office and on the road.

6. Polldaddy

It’s nice to know who your customers are and what they think of you. You can use the Polldaddy app to conduct surveys and get feedback from the people who matter most to you and your business.

7. Evernote

The “paperless office” can be a reality. It’s not only a more efficient business solution, it’s also an environmentally friendly idea that helps your business go green while improving productivity in the process as well. Start storing all of the important notes and documents that you need in this one handy and very user-friendly app. Evernote can be synced across multiple devices too.

8. Humanity

Humanity is a business management platform built on the cloud. With this app, you can manage your staff, create schedules, track attendance, log away time, and much more.

You can access Humanity on any device from anywhere, making it a great solution for businesses that have team members working remotely or from a variety of different locations. Also, if you have ever encountered any issues with scheduling conflicts or coordinating team members, you will find it easier to foster a culture of accountability with this app and avoid these types of issues entirely with the help of this incredibly intuitive software.

Though Humanity is primarily for managing staff and schedules, it does integrate with various third-party tools too. So if you need to take your staff data to payroll, you can simply export the excellent and accurate timesheets created in Humanity and send them to your favorite payroll management app.

Conclusion

The world of retail has always been dependant on being well-organized and good at communicating with not only your team, but your customers as well. These apps make those two aspects of retail management much easier and allow you to take your work on the move with you, which is a necessary aspect of retail in today’s business world.