Technology That Helps Retailers Maintain Customer Trust During the Back-to-School Shopping Rush

Parents sending their kids back to school are in no mood for shopping shenanigans this year. Shoppers who might tolerate long lines, high prices, and crowded parking lots have no patience for retailers that advertise products they then don’t have in stock. That's why many retailers use modern inventory data management tools to help ensure the products you see online and in ads can be carried home.

This year, the National Retail Federation predicts a record-breaking back-to-school season, with 60 percent of consumers visiting two or three locations for most of their back-to-school purchases. Nearly 70 percent of those shoppers say they would lose trust in retail stores if advertised products were out of stock.

Staying True to a Promise

Many retailers are using real-time inventory systems to avoid overselling and advertising unavailable products. This technology provides updated and accurate inventory counts that enable retailers to only advertise what’s available and avoid spending money to promote products they no longer have.

Consumers are assured a better shopping experience by seeing what's available for pickup and shipment and what orders are still being processed. By segmenting products by channel, market, location and development, virtual inventory creates virtual product pools. Retailers can then implement inventory rules according to that data, including safety stock levels and exclusions.

Also, they can set aside a portion of their goods for online sales and keep the remainder for in-person customers. With a contemporary system for managing orders and inventory data, each organization has countless options for tailoring rules.

Eliminating Wasteful Advertising Dollars  

Nobody wants to waste money advertising items that are no longer available. During the back-to-school season, retailers heavily invest in advertising and marking down products to get the most business. To avoid wasting money on advertising deals on products that are no longer available, retailers use near real-time data to maximize conversions and decrease wasted advertising spending. This inventory-aware approach to advertising provides a comprehensive view of inventory across all channels, making it easier to set alerts to stop an online ad if a company runs out of stock.

Improving Pickup and Delivery Accuracy

When retailers can display delivery by dates or ready-for-pickup times in online search results or category listing pages, they can dramatically increase conversion rates. According to a recent survey, only a quarter of U.S. retailers and brands offer an estimate on delivery in days on their product detail pages. Many consumers like to see products online first and then find the closest store that has them in stock. This guarantees the comfort of online purchases and prevents delivery delays.

Retailers can learn from and enhance their inventory management procedures throughout the back-to-school season and prevent unpleasant shopping experiences, improving long-term customer loyalty in the process.

Nicola Kinsella is the senior vice president of global marketing at Fluent Commerce, a leading order management system.