SUCCESSFUL retail in 2018 is rarely a local affair. Nor is it particularly even a national concern; rather, the successful retail enterprise which can span continents is the one that will make a serious impact on its competitors.

The story of retail, especially since the arrival of so-called disruptive technology is, however, littered with tales of multinationals which have spread their wings but not taken on board local market details. US-based giants such as Amazon and eBay have failed in many Asian markets, for example, due to not understanding even simple things, such as regional differences in payment preferences.

The economies of scale of transcontinental operations are attractive, but the devil is in the detail. Even household name brands such as McDonald’s understand embracing regional differences is key to launching thousands of successful franchises.

Therefore, if your retail operation wants to prosper globally, you will need technology, and software, in particular, which can unite a transnational company but allow a degree of bespoke “tuning” for every local installation.

The inherent strength of the software solutions provided by Retail Pro is in its success in balancing the data-unifying power of the code, with a level of usability and granularity which allows change; where change is caused either by changing market conditions or by differences in local preferences.

Retail Pro is based in California, but its credo is very much one of localization and adaptation. The company is active in 120+ countries across the world and is localized into many different languages and currencies. Retail Pro is unique in that the company embraces the globalized economy by providing globally-proven, cross-market solutions that are delivered local-tailored with hyper-local implementation, support and consulting services.

Retail Pro solutions are architected for business process flexibility, are inherently mobile and platform-agnostic.

Running on the traditional desktop as well as mobile, the software can manage and control every aspect of even complex or specialist retail enterprises and make every in-store experience a special one. Aggregating data where once silos existed, the complete picture of the second-by-second status of the business can be seen, and the built-in algorithms provide strategic insights which were not available before this overarching software was conceived.

Retail’s global nature now means simple peaks and troughs in demand (Easter/Diwali/Christmas) no longer really exist as they once did. Retail Pro helps managers plot the company’s way through the ever-changing face of retail, as Singles’ Day flows into Black Friday, which flows into Christmas, and into the western – then the Chinese – New Year, etc.

Some retail markets, of course, thrive on changing tastes and perceptions, and although fashion retailers have always been aware of these shifting sands of preference, now every retailer needs to be fleet-of-foot: social media feeds trends in food, apparel, transport, accessories – even what to read or how to read it can be subject to sudden change.

Retailers take particular risks because of the nature of their business – stock needs to be held in readiness and demand anticipated. This extra cost and complication has confounded many businesses attempting to move into retail from other verticals. By using Retail Pro’s software solutions, the whole spectrum of the modern retail concern can be overseen and managed.

Consumers’ changing tastes now mean there is blurring of lines between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar, but this also means the hyper-focus on creating distinct value-added experiences for shoppers.  Retailers wishing to offer omnichannel consistency of service and experience but diversity of engagement across channels will need the right solution which can offer a fully-unified digital platform.

When customers order goods online for a split delivery between their partner’s workplace and pick-up from a store on a different continent (to be collected while away on a business trip), your software should be able to cope – and with Retail Pro, you can do better than cope, you can thrive.

To find out more about how Retail Pro’s localized solutions can empower your global retail business, get in touch with a representative today via www.retailpro.com or email moreinfo@retailpro.com.