The retail industry has changed dramatically in recent years and will continue to evolve.
What does that mean for you?
You must make the necessary changes to stay ahead of trends to continue to offer an exceptional customer and employee experience.
The right retail tech stack can support the fast-paced retail industry and keep your operation running like a well-oiled machine.
Today, we’ll cover 10 components of a comprehensive tech stack to set you up for a successful future.
- Staff Scheduling Software
- Inventory Management Software
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
- Point of Sale (POS) Systems
- Unified Commerce Platforms
- Supply Chain Management Software
- Cybersecurity Solutions
- Employee Training and Development Software
- Customer Feedback and Review Management Software
- Marketing Automation Tools
1. Staff Scheduling Software
Implementing employee-centric, flexible scheduling in your retail operation will optimize labor costs and boost productivity, employee wellness, and retention.
You can reduce employee stress and burnout by accommodating individual needs and preferences, increasing job satisfaction and motivation.
Prioritizing your staff’s well-being is a non-negotiable these days. Especially since retail workers scored in the bottom 10% for workplace mental health.
A positive work environment fosters higher engagement and efficiency because employees tend to be productive when they feel valued and supported.
Implementing software that promotes work-life balance improves retention rates.
Why?
Because employees are more likely to stick with a company that offers flexible scheduling options that can be adapted to their unique circumstances.
Features to look for: Specialized scheduling software, shift optimization, mobile access, easy shift swaps, HR and payroll software integration, and AI-powered workforce management.
MakeShift: Best For Small, Mid & Enterprise Retailers
MakeShift makes scheduling simpler and smarter for your entire retail team. Using MakeShift can cut schedule-building time by 50% and the time needed to fill a shift by a whopping 83%.
MakeShift scheduling upgrades retail staff scheduling using advanced AI features to optimize workforce management.
Its AI-driven algorithms analyze historical data, forecast demand, and generate optimal scheduling suggestions that align with employee availability and your peak business hours.
ShiftMate AI ensures adequate staffing levels, reducing under and overstaffing and helping your operations run like a clock.
MakeShift also provides real-time updates and simple shift-swapping in their app. This empowers employees with easy access and more control over their schedules.
Your employees will love having their schedules in their pockets.
MakeShift allows you to automate many admin tasks and boosts employee satisfaction and productivity through more autonomy in their work schedules.
And we all know happy employees ultimately drive higher sales.
Book a demo to experience MakeShift’s smarter scheduling.
Are you an SAP enterprise retail customer? MakeShift is a powerful staff scheduling solution that integrates with SAP SuccessFactors, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, and Qualtrics via SAP BTP iflows to provide intelligent scheduling for teams of all sizes. Check us out in the SAP store.
2. Inventory Management Software
Effective retail inventory management helps avoid stockouts, overstock situations, unhappy customers, and lost sales.
Using software to manage inventory allows for real-time stock level tracking, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring more accurate inventory counts. It also automates time-consuming tasks, freeing staff to focus on customer service rather than manual stock checks.
The software also provides valuable insights through data analytics so you can make more informed future inventory decisions.
Features to look for: Real-time tracking, automated reordering, and predictive analytics.
Zoho: Best for small to mid-size retailers
Zoho Inventory allows you to manage orders and inventory in one place. With multi-channel selling, shipping integrations, and high-tech inventory control, you can optimize your inventory and order management, from purchase to packing to payments.
This solution allows you to generate reports for real-time analysis, enabling you to review, track, and manage supplies efficiently.
The most significant benefits of using Zoho for inventory management:
- Integrate multiple sales channels
- Sync stock effortlessly
- Handle multiple currencies
- Get paid online
- 3rd party integrations
- Measure channel performance
You can try it out with their 14-day free trial to confirm it fits your inventory management needs.
SAP Extended Warehouse Management: Best for large retailers
SAP Extended Warehouse Management allows you to manage high-volume warehouse operations and integrate complex supply chain logistics with your warehouse and distribution processes, delivering high-level visibility and control.
SAP EWM can be deployed either with SAP S/4HANA (in basic or advanced modes) or as a stand-alone solution. Both options are stepping stones toward full supply chain convergence with SAP S/4HANA.
Stand-out benefits include:
- Enhanced stock transparency & control
- Optimized material flow control, yard management, labor management, value-added services, kitting, & cross-docking
- Automated warehouse operations using robots
- Cloud or on-premise deployment
- Improved customer service
- Enhanced flexibility & scalability
Sign up for a FREE demo to get more info.
3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
In retail, cultivating and managing customer relationships is a key driver of sales and fostering loyalty.
A CRM system helps you gather and analyze customer data to develop personalized shopping experiences and targeted marketing campaigns, which leads to higher customer retention and more sales.
CRM software simplifies communication and follow-up by automating tasks like:
- Sending reminders
- Follow-up emails
- Tracking customer interactions across multiple channels
It lets your staff access customer information quickly and helps nurture a relationship through automated alerts for timely customer engagement.
- Features to look for: Data collection and analysis, personalized marketing, customer segmentation, and automated email sequences.
Salesforce: Best for small & mid-sized retailers
Salesforce’s cloud-based systems provide a real-time, comprehensive view of customers, which can help you build personalized shopping experiences.
Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud lets you activate data from any source using automated segmentation and insights and deploy hyper-personalized campaigns faster with AI.
Test drive their solution with a 30-day free trial.
SAP CRM & CX Solutions: Best for large retailers
CRM and CX Solutions offer retail industry-tailored customer experience (CX) connected, insightful, and adaptive solutions. These solutions allow you to put the customer at the center of your business to drive loyalty and growth.
Top capabilities include:
- Gain a deeper understanding of your customers
- Get the most value from your customer data
- Grow your business through focused engagement
Request a demo to see all CRM solutions.
4. Point of Sale (POS) Systems
A modern POS system is the backbone of any retail operation, facilitating smooth and efficient transactions. It helps manage sales data, track inventory, and provide seamless checkout experiences — all critical for keeping customers satisfied and your retail operation running smoothly.
The global retail POS market is projected to grow to $34.4 billion by 2026.
Features to look for: Integration with inventory and CRM, fast transactions, and detailed reporting.
Clover: Best for small & mid-sized retailers
As a feature-rich POS, Clover offers must-have features like the ability to seamlessly accept payments in multiple ways, invoicing, sales tracking, sales reporting, order and inventory management, and cash flow services (e.g., rapid deposits and cash advances on future credit card sales).
However, one of the top benefits of Clover, beyond its features, is its integrations.
There are hundreds of apps available in the Clover App Market to help manage various aspects of a business. These apps integrate seamlessly with Clover devices, making it a comprehensive and versatile POS.
SAP Customer Checkout: Best for large retailers
SAP Customer Checkout gives your sales staff the point-of-sale functionality they need with modern integration to support both digital and physical sales.
Integrate with SAP S/4HANA or other ERP systems or use as a standalone application.
The top benefits include:
- Manage sales, returns, payments, coupons, and gift cards with a central POS system
- Provide a unique customer experience with loyalty programs and personalized gift cards
- Track stock availability in real-time and handle omnichannel POS sales
- Access real-time reports, control sales and financial results, and extend and scale the application with flexibility
Test drive the POS solution by scheduling a free demo.
5. Unified Commerce Platforms
As retail moves more towards an omnichannel model, unifying online and offline sales is essential. Unified commerce platforms help provide a consistent customer experience across all channels, streamline operations, and maintain accurate inventory levels.
Omnichannel marketing can generate almost 6 times more sales than single-channel marketing. Retailers who don't use an omnichannel approach may experience a 10–30% decrease in sales over time.
- Features to look for: Multi-channel integration, seamless customer experience, unified inventory management.
Sitoo: Best for small & mid-size retailers
Sitoo’s flexibility helps you easily adapt to changing shopping behaviors and tech advances. Their solution lets you unify all stores and online sales channels in real-time and empowers employees to deliver a seamless cross-channel customer experience.
With the same up-to-date info across all touchpoints, you can sell and fulfill anywhere and handle returns everywhere.
Book a demo to check them out.
SAP S/4HANA Retail: Best for large retailers
SAP S/4HANA Retail for merchandise management connects retail processes across the entire value chain to increase efficiency and improve the end-to-end customer experience.
On-premise, cloud, or hybrid deployment with embedded AI, analytics, and intelligent process automation to deliver exceptional customer experiences across all shopping channels.
Key features are:
- Store manager dashboards and real-time business insights
- Reliable omnichannel store fulfillment with click-and-collect options
- Real-time inventory, product look ups, and RFID-enabled stock movements
- Execute retail offers with consistent omnichannel price and promotion information
Contact the SAP team to learn more about this solution.
6. Supply Chain Management Software
Efficient supply chain management is critical for retail success, ensuring products are available when and where customers want them.
Supply chain management software helps you optimize logistics, track shipments, and forecast demand, reducing delays and lowering operational costs.
- Features to look for: Logistics optimization, shipment tracking, demand forecasting.
Netsuite: Best for small & mid-size retailers
NetSuite's supply chain management solution boosts profitability by allowing centralized inventory management across multiple locations/selling channels with company-wide inventory visibility.
Optimize inventory levels and reduce stockouts with demand-based planning using historical demand, sales forecasts, and seasonality.
Take a free product tour to learn more.
SAP Supply Chain Management: Best for large retailers
SAP Retail Supply Chain Management solutions offer robust products through SAP S/4Hana, SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP), and SAP Ariba.
Solutions include:
- Order and delivery scheduling
- Real-time transactional data
- Risk-resilient logistics
- High-volume warehouse operation management
Request a free demo to get more information about supply chain management solutions.
7. Cybersecurity Solutions
Retail customers are demanding new and engaging experiences, and these technologies bring risk to the table.
Protecting customer and business data is paramount in retail, where breaches can lead to hefty financial and reputation damage. Robust cybersecurity solutions help safeguard sensitive info, secure transactions, and comply with data protection regulations.
Retail cybersecurity stats that speak for themselves:
- 24% of cyberattacks targeted retailers — more than any other industry.
- 34% of retailers said cybersecurity worries were their primary holdup in moving to e-commerce.
- An attack on data typically targets 2 areas — 42% is payment info & 41% is personal data.
- Features to look for: Encryption, secure payment processing, and regulatory compliance.
Fortinet: Best for small & mid-size retailers
Fortinet provides an integrated fabric covering all retail business aspects — everything from store location to the data center to the cloud. They ensure full protection from all cyber threats.
For retailers seeking to address multiple cybersecurity areas, Fortinet solves the top network infrastructure and security issues. Issues ranging from omnichannel shopping experiences to protecting personal customer data.
They have a full range of product demos to experience their solution.
SAP Cybersecurity and data protection: Best for large retailers
SAP offers cyber security and data protection solutions for data controlling, identity and access governance, and privacy management to help keep systems and data more secure.
Gain transparency, simplify suspicious activity analysis, and automatically identify security gaps.
Key security benefits are:
- Enhanced security
- Insight into suspicious activities
- Protected operations
- Neutralized threats
Test drive SAP’s cybersecurity options with their free demo to find the best fit.
8. Employee Training and Development Software
Well-trained staff are essential in retail, where the quality of employee interactions directly impacts customer satisfaction.
Training and development software provides consistent and accessible training programs, helping employees stay updated with the latest retail practices and improve their performance.
- Features to look for: E-learning platforms, training management, and performance tracking.
TalentLMS: Best for small & mid-size retailers
TalentLMS is a cloud-based LMS featuring easy course creation and management via an eye-catching interface and minimalist workflow.
TalentLMS is most known for:
- Intuitive interface layout
- Allows creating courses and tests in your browser
- Lots of video conferencing integration options
- Zapier support and integration with BambooHR
- Social learning features
- Schedule a free demo today.
SAP SuccessFactors Learning: Best for large retailers
SAP SuccessFactors Learning helps you cultivate a culture of continuous learning in your company.
This solution supports the learner’s personal growth and equips them with the necessary compliance and strategic skills.
The AI-powered, personalized, mobile responsive-learning experience is centered around the learner, making it easy for employees to access learning in a guided way, anywhere, anytime.
Top features for this solution:
- Learning on the go & in the flow of work
- Skill-driven learning and development
- AI-driven recommendations
- Skills platform with a talent intelligence hub
- Actionable HR and experience insights
Experience SAP’s learning system for yourself with a free demo.
9. Customer Feedback and Review Management Software
Customer feedback is invaluable for improving products and services in the retail industry.
Feedback and review management software allows you to collect, analyze, and respond to customer reviews efficiently, providing insights that can enhance the customer experience and drive business growth.
- Features to look for: Feedback aggregation, timely responses, and insights generation.
Reviews.io: Best for small & mid-size retailers
Reviews.io helps you build trust with potential customers by showcasing genuine reviews and UGC highlighting your store’s value and quality.
They make it simple for your customers to review your business across the web while giving you all the benefits of review collection, including Google Stars and Seller Ratings.
Using Reviews.io can improve customer trust, increase your website traffic, and boost sales.
Book a demo to see how Reviews.io can help you.
SAP Customer Experience (CX): Best for large retailers
SAP’s Customer Experience (CX) suite solutions help you deliver exceptional customer experiences and adapt based on customer data.
Features in this solution allow for collecting feedback through embedded surveys and customer influence portals, as well as using data from various touchpoints within the SAP system to gain insights into customer sentiment and experience.
Check out how this solution works with the free demo.
10. Marketing Automation Tools
Effective marketing is vital in the competitive retail industry. Automation tools can significantly enhance the reach and effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
These tools do the heavy lifting by segmenting audiences, automating campaigns, and tracking ROI, enabling more targeted and effective marketing efforts.
- Features to look for: Audience segmentation, campaign automation, ROI tracking.
Mailchimp: Best for small to mid-size retailers
Mailchimp’s marketing automation lets you connect with people on a personal level, so you can turn browsers into loyal customers. They offer an AI-powered marketing platform built for retail.
Use automation to send consistently on-brand sales emails and content campaigns that engage customers and generate revenue. Scale quickly with pre-built flows, each customizable to your unique needs.
They offer a 1-month free trial to try before you buy.
SAP Emarsys Customer Engagement: Best for large retailers
SAP Emarsys' customer engagement platform helps you deliver personalized omnichannel marketing, including promotional and transactional messages tailored for retail.
This solution uses AI-driven personalization to deliver one-to-one experiences at scale automatically.
Key features of this solution include:
- Integration with the SAP retail ecosystem
- AI-powered insights and analytics let you get to know your customers
- Automated omnichannel campaigns
Request a free demo to experience the full capabilities.
Your Retail Tech Stack Today Determines Your Future
Things are changing fast in the retail industry, and if you want to succeed, you’d best keep up.
A robust tech stack sets you up for future success by automating time-consuming operations, upgrading your customer and employee experiences, and safeguarding protected information.
Here’s to your future.
Ready to Make the Shift?
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