The detailed analysis was carried out by retail tech specialists at Detego, a European retail software provider. Detego, which has been monitoring its own chatbot service that allows consumers to engage with retailers via their smartphones, found the most common enquiries to be about stock availability. It found data inaccuracies around inventory to be most of an issue in fashion retail where ever shorter product lifecycles, fast turnarounds of stock and multiple style, size and colour combinations can play havoc with the supply chain and in-store operations, the study reported.

"Customers, above all, want instant and accurate information on product availability," said Dr Michael Goller, CTO at Detego. "If you're shopping for clothes, you want to be sure of getting the exact size and style youre looking for. But many retailers fall by the wayside here their systems might tell them that a particular size is available; yet, there's a one in four chance that this isn't the case."

According to Goller, continually relying on manual processes for something as vital to the retail business as stock - usually by shutting up shop once or twice a year for store or warehouse staff to do a stock-take - is madness. And especially given that smart technologies abound, including RFID and mobile devices which ensure continual monitoring and lead to nearly 100 per cent accuracy and operational excellence in the stores.

"RFID item-level tagging is a powerful tool for improving inventory accuracy, which is a prerequisite for both omni-channel strategies and store floor replenishment from the backroom," the study explained.

Technology helps increase the availability of products on the shopfloor - such as using wearable devices that rely on alerts and images to guide staff and speed up the replacement of missing articles and gaps on the shelves - the industry is starting to see a gradual shift towards more connected technologies in retail. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India