In a time where customers demand experiences equally matched between online and in-store, the need for a fully-integrated commerce solution is obvious. POS and e-Commerce are a natural fit.
If you’re currently operating your POS and e-Commerce system separately, think of all the extra effort it takes to keep everything in sync. You have fragmented teams creating and managing products, maintaining catalogs in multiple systems, and a significant risk of human error and technical debt, all while lowering operational efficiency. This combined with a diminished shopping experience for your customer lowers your bottom line and reduces your Return on Investment (RoI).
It is important to think about building a greater omnichannel strategy and integrating the POS and e-Commerce solutions, not only from operational point of view, but also for driving profit and your bottom-line.
Which partners to choose?
Imagination Media and Teamwork Retail are two companies with different sets of services and products but one goal in mind: creating comprehensive, lean retail solutions, whether the sale is done in a physical store or online.
Amber Hovious, Teamwork Retail's VP of Marketing and Partnerships, gives us an intro into their products and points to the value a great integration between e-Commerce and POS can bring.
"Teamwork is a cloud-based, omni-channel retail management system focused on mobile solutions for retail stores, specifically by utilizing mobile iOS devices. We have built a suite of apps that give retailers and store associates the best tools to optimize their business.
The software readily integrates with other applications and services which then enable the retailer to make their operations smoother and more unique. We have turned the generic POS into a unified commerce platform that allows a retailer to achieve frictionless commerce which is confirmed by the top brands who are our customers: Uniqlo, Rebecca Minkoff, Alexander Wang, and Asics.“
A combined strategy will help you meet market demands but also, understand your consumers. Amber explains the role a POS solution has.
“The more a retailer knows about their customers, the better they can service them. It is vital for businesses these days to be able to see the customer from all angles.
Teamwork’s extensive backend allows for real time information and housing customer data that enables the associates to always have the most current customer info available. Our integrations make the experience between two platforms like POS and e-Commerce seamless.”
You can see the value instantly.
When thinking of POS and e-Commerce implementations, usually there’s a sense of huge complexity and very high budgets involved. Is there truth to this myth? How can merchants streamline this process? Imagination Media consultants explain that much of the complexity comes from the quality of data the customer is bringing to the integration.
“For customers that insist on merging catalogs, for example, this adds a layer of complexity in that extensive data analysis must be done to ensure that the existing catalog and the new items created in Teamwork will align, that old styles are accounted for in the Teamwork Catalog, and that work transferring catalog values is done with a focus on preserving data integrity.
We always recommend starting an integration from a clean catalog because of this. Each platform has its own set of obstacles, but they are all surmountable. Each client is different and has different requirements for data and input coming from other systems that must also be taken into consideration.
There is no cookie-cutter solution to integrations; every client has unique needs and this can add some complexity. We always strive to assess and provide feedback to avoid surprises in the end product.”
If you are interested in how you can get your retail management solution up and running and fully ready-to-rumble while keeping it in-sync with your E-Commerce site, we have the answer.
“The entire process begins with an intake of the current environment, platforms, integrated systems, and data requirements of the client. No client is the same. On existing platforms being migrated, much of the data analysis and manipulation is facilitated by Teamwork and their Data Migration teams before we begin to do mapping and analysis for E-Commerce integrations.
We have integrations for Magento, SalesForce Commerce Cloud, and Shopify/Plus that are tested with many clients and we continue to enhance these integrations to meet current and future needs. Modules for Gift Cards, Customers, Order History, Real Time Availability (RTA), Digital Asset Manager, and others are pre-built and can be configured to meet the client’s need (within reason and ability of information). The best foot forward starts with solid data, analysis of the client need, mapping, testing, and then live. A lot of detail must go into this process.”
What is the next step?
The quality of the integration is what makes the difference. We are lucky we have found each other - having a deep understanding and a long-standing partnership allowed us to mutually build on our strengths to deliver solutions that exceed clients’ expectations.
If you'd like to see what we and Teamwork Retail can do for you and your business
