Cloud computing has changed how we manage personal data, photos, passwords, and documents. We aren’t confined to the memory capacity of our smart phones, tablets, and laptops anymore. So, why do we continue to confine our businesses to onsite servers? 

Cloud-based computing has changed the retail biz in ways furniture retailers can’t ignore and shouldn’t overlook.

The four biggest benefits of cloud-based retail management systems (RMS) are:  1) Inventory management and visibility, 2) Increased on-the-spot sales, 3) improved merchandising, and 4) cost and time.

Imagine a chain of stores with multiple vendors, teams of sales, operations, and warehouse associates, and logistic services. Now imagine that business operating on paper procedures and isolated servers. More than likely, you know that business. 

Now, imagine a business with front to back visibility, responsive and integrated. Every store, every associate has access to up-to-date inventory. Sales associates have direct access to vendors and delivery resources. 

With cloud-based RMS that dream store (or stores) can be your reality. Cloud-based RMS is the technology solution to help you streamline operations and help your business thrive.

With this total visibility and access comes an increase in on-the-spot sales. Sales associates can assist customers with confidence knowing that when an item on the sales floor catches a customer’s eye, that salesperson can locate the item, then give the customer accurate pricing and delivery estimates. Warehouse managers and inventory buyers can monitor inventory in real-time, eliminating stock-outs, especially of those popular items likely to sell out repeatedly. 

Floor designers and merchandisers will benefit from cloud-based RMS thanks to the easily extracted sales and customer data—accurate reporting for accurate ordering. With this data, merchandisers can predict whether an item will be popular without direct attention on the sales floor, or if an item will require more creative staging to spark a customer interest. Over time, retailers can analyze sales data such as buying trends, vendor lag time, and consignment fulfillment time periods. From this data, they can decide what to stock, how to display the stock, and how to promote the stock.

The last benefit is cost and time, your two most precious resources. 

Cloud-based storage solutions are less costly and more flexible than onsite servers. Management teams will find less downtime required for updates, onsite server maintenance eliminated (more money in the till), and size and cost of cloud-based services flexible, able to change as your business grows. With cloud-based RMS you pay for what you need here and now, not for what you may need in the future.

Now that you know the benefits, what are you waiting for? Get your store in the Cloud.