The new Sales Associate module has been added to Edge Pulse, a retail software program specifically developed for the jewellery industry by Retail Edge Consultants.
While the cloud-based application already provided information on sales staff activity, Retail Edge Consultants Australasian sales manager Michael Dyer explained that jewellers had expressed the need for a management tool that provided more detail.
“Sales associates have been one of the greatest underutilised and unmanaged resources in jewellery retail,” Dyer said. “With stores searching for their competitive edge, we see the continuous training in communication skills, product knowledge and enthusiasm of sales associates as a key factor in this.”
The latest module allows jewellery retailers to track key performance indicators for individual staff, such as overall and average sales, closing ratios, performance by category and items per receipt.
“This feature provides the ability to set individual goals in product categories and measure performance against these,” Dyer explained. “Having a base figure and a target figure, training can be tailored and progress measured, providing feedback on both the sales associate and the trainer. We have already had clients embrace this and get strong improvement from their sales team.”
Information from the new feature appears in real-time – something that Dyer said had never been available before. “The ability to see market trending in real-time is allowing clients [retailers] to make real-time decisions and hence see improvements in trading in the current month.”
He added that retailers had shown great enthusiasm for implementing the module and that feedback so far had been positive.
Dyer also stated that another round of features providing “more structure in the management of stores and in-depth industry analysis on growth product areas” was currently being programmed.
Edge Pulse was officially launched at last year’s International Jewellery Fair in Sydney.
The application streams live store data every 20 to 30 minutes, allowing retailers to remotely manage their businesses via a tablet, smartphone or computer.
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New software gives jewellers an edge on store management