Why Upgrade to Omni-Channel?

Retail Satisfaction Barometer studies have revealed concrete evidence that cross-channel capabilities are driving higher scores of satisfaction, loyalty, and likelihood to make repeat purchases with the same retailer. The ability to provide customers with an omni-channel experience is measurably beneficial; the question is no longer if omni-channel will catch on, but how quickly retailers will beat out the competition to get their hands on it.

Omni-channel functionality is about making your retail business more flexible, capable of catering to customer requests, and better connected across the enterprise. It’s a logical next step for retailers who have already invested in ERP, understanding how important it is to have that efficiency, transparency, and ability to offer great customer service.

What Magstar’s Omni-Channel Upgrade Gets You

Omni-Channel Integration between Online Shopping Portals, Store POS Systems, and Warehouse Systems

Shoppers are able to:

• Buy online and have the item shipped to their house or office
• Buy online and have separate items within a single order shipped to different locations
• Buy online and pick the item up at a store location of their choosing
• Request notification by either phone or email when an item is in stock at a particular location
• Reserve the item online and pay for it upon pickup at the store location of their choosing
• Reserve multiple items online and have store employees assemble the purchase for them ahead of time

Omni-Channel Delivery Capabilities from within the Physical Store

Shoppers are able to:

• Pay for the item in-store and have it shipped to their house or office (commonly requested for large, heavy purchases that are inconvenient for the customer to transport themselves)
• Pay for the item in-store and have it shipped to multiple locations
• Pay for the item in-store and have it shipped to a location on a specific time and date for an event or special occasion
• Pay for an item that the store currently doesn’t have in stock, and receive a phone call or email notifying they can come pick it up when it’s shipped to the store
• Pay for an item not currently in stock and have it shipped directly to their home
• Pay for an item not currently in stock but available at another location, and then travel to that location and pick up their item there

Real-Time, Automated Updates of Product Information Across All Channels

The Magstar system ensures there are no inconsistencies or missing data when it comes to the information important to your customers, like:

• Price
• Availability
• Locations with stock
• Product photo
• Ingredients
• Dimensions
• Instructions
• Any other industry-specific data that motivates customer purchase

 Frequently Asked Questions

Will it be expensive or time-consuming for an existing Magstar client to upgrade their version of Magstar TOTAL Retail to include this omni-channel functionality?

This depends on the client and what version of Magstar TOTAL Retail they’re running. The older the POS version, the bigger the gap you have to close in order to update your POS to the version that includes the omni-channel upgrade. If you’re coming from a very old model, you can expect to pay more to get up to specs with the current version, but otherwise the upgrade cost is comparable to the addition of an extra application like the Mobile or Warehouse functionality.

For the backoffice end of the application, changes are minimal, which means for most existing clients the upgrade to omni-channel requires only a few weeks to implement and then test the update.

If a new Magstar client were to include the omni-channel upgrade as part of their initial implementation, would it increase the length of time required to get Magstar TOTAL Retail up and running?

No, not at all. In fact, going with omni-channel features from the very start is a great way to save time down the road, if you anticipate you’ll want these features eventually.

Does having omni-channel functionality included in my Magstar TOTAL Retail ERP package change the cost of the support fees?

No, the costs of support will remain the same.

What if I need something you don’t have yet? Are the components of the omni-channel upgrade easy to customize?

Magstar’s omni-channel upgrade is built on industry best practices, driven by research into how top retailers are using their omni-channel capabilities. We provide a core of the essentials that is fairly easy to tweak. Without knowing exactly what customizations you might need, it’s hard for us to anticipate how difficult any given change might be, but we’re always happy to help create the best solution for your needs.

In addition, our customer-driven philosophy means that future iterations of the omni-channel feature for Magstar TOTAL Retail will incorporate any new features or functionalities developed for other Magstar clients that are relevant to your business.

Will I need to invest in different hardware or hosting if I decide to upgrade to omni-channel?

No special hardware or hosting is required to support the Magstar Omni-Channel Solution.

Which aspects of my business will be most impacted by adding omni-channel features?

The employees who will be interacting most with your omni-channel features and functionalities will be your cashiers (collecting information from customers on what they need) and your warehouse / distribution (fulfilling the customer needs communicated from any channel). If all goes well, your head office team will not interact with the feature, but still see the impact of omni-channel in the results of any business analysis.

Do you offer any special training on how to use the features of your omni-channel upgrade?

Absolutely! Part of the process of getting it installed at your business is making sure you and your staff are empowered to start using it immediately and effectively.