Sector Spotlight: How smart USB hubs are revolutionising retail

The digitalization of retail continues to gain pace. We’re not just talking about eCommerce, endless aisle or click and collect functions either – the demand for digital even on the shop floor is reaching new heights. There are so many advantages for staff and customers alike for deploying mobile devices in a retail environment when it’s managed well as part of a wider mobile device management strategy. Here are just some of the benefits for retailers:

 

Top 5 benefits of using mobile devices in a retail environment

 

• Staff productivity and engagement. Using familiar, effective digital devices to monitor stock, process sales and answer customer queries is a quick and hassle-free way to work, taking up less time than arduous manual checks. And because devices are already familiar, and can use consistent software or web applications, they are less complex to use and potentially require less training. Easy devices = happy workers!
• Customer experience. A well-designed mobile device service offering can provide a wealth of convenient benefits for customers, from self-service scanning and payment or information gathering to warranty validation or accessing connected services. A happy customer is much more likely to be returning or recommending customers, so it pays to ensure their experience is a positive one.
• Back-end productivity and accuracy. No more scrabbling around for those up to date sales figures or wondering whether that particular item is in stock. Using secure, well maintained mobile devices throughout your retail operation ensures efficient processes and easier access to the right information.
• Customer and peer perception. Typically, customers are extremely digitally aware these days and if your service offering feels modern and in line with technology advances, your customers will probably appreciate the innovative and customer-centric approach. And it can’t hurt to stay a step ahead of your competitors’ offerings either…
• Connected information for more efficient business management. Having connected devices ensures that data and statistics are kept up to date and accurate in real time, leading to much better stock control and replenishment capability, as well as service-enhancing features like customer profiles and order history. Cue faster decision-making based on better information - it’s a win-win!

 

How do USB hubs help to deliver superior retail experience?

 

In a nutshell, your smart USB hubs are what will enable you to deliver and scale up your mobile device management system.

 

Using high-quality, high speed USB hubs in conjunction with our comprehensive software to manage your mobile devices will help you to:

 

• ­­Keep devices consistently programmed, updated and secure
• Provide fully charged, correctly provisioned mobile devices more quickly
• Correct any errors or user changes that may have happened during the day
• Charge and provision more devices at once, letting you scale up your operation as needed
• Save huge amounts of time versus charging or managing mobile devices individually
• Regularly check for and remove virus threats and ensure ongoing safety

 

Troubleshooting mobile device management in retail

 

It’s always worth thinking about how to pre-empt and prevent issues when using mobile devices in a retail setting – or any other!

 

For a start, you want devices to be charged and working properly as a basic starting point – and that’s harder to achieve consistently than you might think!
Ensuring you are properly equipped with sufficient charging and management infrastructure (smart USB hubs, management software and so on) is a great way to ensure your mobile offering runs smoothly and glitch-free.

 

You’re dealing with expensive equipment so make sure you have adequate insurance and security protocols in place to reduce loss prevention and theft.

 

You can also choose robust protective cases to limit device damage and take out device care plans like AppleCare to ensure that help is at hand if things do go wrong.

 

Battery health is an ongoing issue for organisations using multiple devices for heavy-duty usage so it’s really important to adopt the best charging practices and know what to look for when selecting the right charging products. As a spoiler alert, that’s exactly what our smart USB hubs are designed to do – in the most intelligent way for your devices.

 

Also be aware of the expected lifespan of a device, including its memory and processing power, based on the intensity of use and the frequency of operating system or internal software updates. Allow some leeway so you always have a buffer of devices to compensate for loss, defective performance or occasional device failure.

 

Connect the experience

 

In today’s age of endless customer choices and a challenging and constantly changing environment, embracing technology can help you exceed customer expectations, maximise omnichannel capabilities, and boost efficiency, productivity and profitability.

 

Our professional USB hubs offer solutions designed to improve the way you work and deliver exceptional customer experiences: All our usb hubs.

 

Whether you want to digitize the operational and commercial processes of your business by deploying mobile devices throughout your workforce, or extend your digital offering to enhance the direct customer experience, we can help you ensure that you have the best foundations for scalable, secure control of your mobile device pool with world-leading smart USB hubs, charging stations and provisioning software partnerships from Cambrionix.

 

 

 

Cambrionix is the leading provider of intelligent USB hubs for mass mobile device management. Cambrionix’s range of USB hubs, software and tools, support many of the world's biggest businesses to succeed across a range of industries including hardware and software development, technology, logistics, education, healthcare and retail.

 

You can click to find out more about Cambrionix’s USB hubs here and the Cambrionix Connect software here.