Bringing Retail Technology To Life - Assurance & Confidence

Bringing Retail Technology To Life - Assurance & Confidence

Our role is to bring retail technology to life, which in short means providing confidence to deliver the growth businesses require from their investment!!

That feeling of assurance that the technology will do what it should is where we step in. In this article, I wanted to share how retailers can focus on getting their biggest bang for the ‘transformation buck’ knowing the investment is doing what it should!

Retail technology has undergone significant changes over the years, and this has revolutionised the way retailers operate their businesses. Retail technology led by a very changed and demanding customer has brought new processes bringing efficiency and improvement to the crucial customer experience. This is where assurance and confidence in retail technology play a crucial role.

A Defined Framework

Assurance and confidence refer to the ability to trust the technology and the processes to deliver the desired outcomes. This involves a comprehensive framework that includes continuous testing, monitoring, and validation to ensure everything does what it should.

Our framework works across four key pillars.

• Systems Integration
• End-to-end approach
• Test automation
• Business Acceptance

System Integration

System integration is of course crucial for achieving seamless communication and information flow between different systems and applications used by the business. Setting up the integration is an early and key step in our framework. The ambition needs to be about a long-term solution which allows retailers to adapt quickly to changing market needs.

Moreover, careful integration enables people across the business to feel ownership. One of the biggest failures of digital transformations is the lack of investment in wholly involving the individuals who will be continuing the day-to-day success. The technology aspect of this step is as important as the people who we involve to make it happen.

An End-to-End Approach

• Security
  We also consider the security risks associated with retail technology and ensure this is in that holistic framework. Cyberattacks and data breaches can be catastrophic and assurance steps guard against risks like lost revenue, customer trust, and overall brand protection. Security is a critical concern for any organisation, and it requires constant vigilance to mitigate risks effectively. One approach is to introduce a series of "test & monitor" measures that assess vulnerabilities, identify potential threats, and track suspicious activity.
• Data Driven
  Enabling retailers to make data-driven decisions is key to our role. With the proliferation of technology and the need to track customer lifetime value, retailers now have the ability to access vast amounts of data. Assurance and confidence also come about for businesses when they know the data will be accurate, reliable, and secure.
  Our quality projects are led with the idea that after we step away, individuals can make informed decisions that lead to improvements.
• Governance
  Data from apty.io tells us that only around 30% of businesses successfully manage digital transformations, but giving governance some investment reduces that risk exponentially. Essentially start with a clear framework for decision-making, risk management, and accountability, but see our piece on Quality Governance we published recently detailing exactly how we take on compliance and regulatory requirements.

Test Automation

Operational efficiency through test automation is the most exciting approach for us because, with the right technology in place, so much can be achieved.

Our focus at Spike is to provide assurance that:

• Is delivered in ‘good time’ (time to market is often critical)
• Reduces costs
• Increased profitability

But all this is done with the most invisible of measures taken at the start or often as part of evolving tech development.

Business Acceptance

• Acceptance across the business is crucial as it determines the success of any implementation, and can lead to resistance, hindering adoption and further innovation, if this is not carefully addressed.
• All parties will need clarity that they are getting what they need, but also to understand the benefits and the impact on the organisation. We do this in many ways once being with a careful focus on having the right people in the room at the very start.

Skills & Personalities

The people and the personalities that come into play in landing a project will make or break it! In all the transformations and evolutions of technology we have been involved in, we have learned it is the ability to be flexible and proactive that stirs the most change and success.
In an age when we all know the importance of positive workplace culture and agility, we have found the best technology assurance and confidence comes when we have all aligned and together decide we have the correct balance across the business.

In an age when we all know the importance of positive workplace culture and agility, we have found the best technology assurance and confidence comes when we have all aligned and together decide we have the correct balance across the business.[vlt_post_quote_block text="“It's how we work and not what we deliver which has the most impact.”
Steve Dennis - Executive Director | Spike" css=".vc_custom_1684916167157{background-color: #ef22a9 !important;}"]Agile teams are 25% more productive and after adopting agile methods, companies have experienced an average 60% growth in revenue and profit.
But so much of our success we honestly put down to enjoying what we do and enabling others to relax and bring their best.

Summary

In conclusion, quality assurance and confidence in retail technology is not simply about moving forward, delivering on a rigid framework but instead, it is the ability to deliver desired outcomes consistently and securely. All with people who are well informed, involved and nurtured to allow for their most effective performance.

We then allow for retailers to focus on the next big thing - like staying ahead of the competition and thrilling their customers.