Retailers must use automated testing to their advantage

For retailers in 2020, it really is a year of two halves. The first six months brought lockdown, a shutdown of non-essential retail, and a chance to take stock and plan for the future as bricks-and-mortar stores begin to reopen.

In some cases, the way you trade may have changed forever. As people’s lifestyles change, the usage of the internet and mobile devices has increased to make shopping simpler and easier when purchasing items. Many retailers have found new ways to sell, including online ordering, click-and-collect and home delivery.

The ripples can be seen throughout supply chains. Automated warehousing in particular is becoming a booming prospect – from forecasting demand with accuracy, performing inventory checks and integrating AI into the supply chain processes by using robots or AMRs to organise and distribute stock. This has created cost-cutting opportunities and newfound efficiencies, many of which can continue for the long term.

You need to be armed and ready, so you don’t fall behind the competition.

• Ready to accelerate processes and deliveries.
• Ready to enhance performance up and down your supply chain.
• Ready to find the rising swells in the rough seas of a turbulent market.

How to capitalise on 2020 and beyond

While change brings challenge, it also brings opportunity - and the faster the pace of change, the more opportunities come your way. Already, UK retailers are being propelled by new use of technology and data to meet consumer expectations and reduce costs, whilst taking the time to re-evaluate their current models as the recovery evolves.

To ensure you maximise your investment in technology and deliver the quality that keeps you at the top of an ever-changing market, it is more important than ever to invest in continual and automated testing.

Digital channels are often at the forefront in the need for rapid development and deployment, and retail is no exception. Software such as CRM apps, POS systems and e-commerce channels are expected to be working at peak performance when it comes to delivering a good experience for customers and maintaining their loyalty to your brand. Virtual queuing systems, remote ordering, click and collect and contactless payment platforms must also excel. Retailers will gain further competitive advantage by investing in better data capture and analytics to help make crucial, informed decisions on the spot. This requires careful management and frequent testing of your systems for them to function properly, which is exactly what Spike95 does to ensure that you drive growth and improve performance.

Automated testing keeps a watchful eye on your systems and highlights any causes for concern like new bugs or regression, which can be resolved quickly within the development cycle. On top of this, automated testing creates the stability you need for quality results every time – BDD approaches increase the velocity of releases for new products, reducing testing timescales through clearer requirements and faster feedback.

Retail brands achieve more with Spike95

At Spike95 we work with major UK and global retail brands to accelerate change via automated testing.

We understand the unique challenges faced in the retail sector:

• Multiple data streams from different stores, regions, countries and online.
• Accounting for seasonal fluctuations in sales as trends continue to influence buying habits e.g. summer and Christmas.
• Making the most of major peaks in trade such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• Transaction glitches and delays causing customers to disengage and take their custom elsewhere
• Dealing with the ever-increasing complexity of software architectures
• Minimising human interaction with social distancing procedures

Our retail consultancy and automated testing services enable brands to achieve so much more than an increase in sales. We solve critical problems, remove key blockers and guide you towards new opportunities that will stimulate organic growth in retail revenues - all while reducing your exposure to market fluctuations and short-term risks.

Can you afford to risk resting on your lockdown laurels? Or are you ready to reopen and power your way through the competition with automated testing! We’re confident your organisation will get real benefit from Spike95’s retail sector expertise. Get in touch and we’ll show you how we can enhance the reliability and scalability of your software for success.

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