The Store Front: How Modern Technology is Improving Store Operations

Lizzie Weakley

September 07, 2017

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Technology has been undoubtedly changing the core functioning of society at large. One area of special interest that has seen remarkable change is business. From the production of goods and distribution to customer communication and sales, technology has been consistently reshaping the way business is conducted. Fortunately, this change has almost always been beneficial as it often improves business operations.

The New Storefront

First and foremost, modern technology has allowed businesses to diversify their customer reach through the internet. In the past, store fronts were limited to the facade of the building that housed the company itself. Modern technology has allowed websites to become the new store front for many companies. Studies have shown that 70-80% of customers research small businesses online before visiting them in person. This shows that many customers regard a company's website as their primary store front. This technology increases a company's customer reach and visibility, allowing freedom from normal business hours or location limitations.

Data Organization and Management

Another major way that modern technology is improving store operations is through data management. Stores are responsible for the management of countless bytes of data from sensitive customer information to crucial product and service numbers. Before, this data management was done by hand within books or housed in giant computers with limited data. With the development of cloud servers, stores can now house unlimited amounts of data without worrying about system failures or backups. Companies such as Austech Weighing Pty Ltd have successfully created websites that act as virtual storefronts. Furthermore, there are several applications and software that have been developed to help companies specifically with the management and organization of such data. This helps to speed up data input, processing and retrieval making the whole process much simpler.

Diversified Sales

Selling is a critical part of any business large or small. If revenue is not established, stores will have trouble maintaining business. Fortunately, modern technology can improve the sales of stores as well. This has been shown to lead to increased business productivity and efficiency. 51% of United States citizens prefer shopping online. For stores, this statistic represents a large portion of their clientele base. Having an established online presence with online sales options can greatly improve the numbers of sales that stores can make. Online sales not only provides an alternative purchasing location, but it is also free from the time restrictions of normal business operations. Both of these advancements can help businesses to increase their sales operations.

Modern technology continues to effect the way business is conducted. As technology continues to increase and expand, stores can expect their operations to change at the same rate. The key for stores is to stay ahead of the game by including new technological advancements into their very business operations.