Will your organisation have a victorious World Cup campaign?

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Will your organisation have a victorious World Cup campaign?.

With the 2010 World Cup underway, Brian Norman, Managing Director at Vista Retail Support, asks whether retailers have their EPOS in peak condition for an increase in business.

The World Cup is now well underway and the country is caught up in the excitement and expectation that comes with the competition. However, while it remains to be seen whether England will finally repeat the glory of 1966, the retail industry must stop and ensure that they are well prepared for the uplift in consumer spending which is likely to occur at this time. A good performance by England in this summers World Cup could boost retail sales, according to research published by shopping comparison site Kelkoo.co.uk.

It is predicted that sales will increase by 987 million if England survive the second round of the competition and rocket even further if the team reached the final. If the squad went on to lift the trophy, Britains retail sector could experience a potential 2.01 billion jump in incremental spending, with every goal scored by the team potentially worth 126.3 million to UK retailers. When its spelt out like this, this means there is great potential for retailers to do very well. However, there is a flipside and poor organisation could result in disappointment.

Obviously, the England manager, Italian Fabio Capello, has been very thorough in his planning; leaving no stone unturned in the squads preparations and retailers should be no different. Have they considered the changes in shopping patterns, which could have a big impact on their performance?

Some retailers have already begun to think about what the onset of the World Cup may mean to their business. Screwfix has announced it will shift its store opening times on Wednesday June 23 for the England match scheduled for 3pm that day, enabling tradesmen to extend their hours and work around the football fixture.

Meanwhile, Sainsburys staff will be able to plan their shifts around vital team matches during the World Cup. Workers will be able to book time off, swap days, start or finish earlier, and time breaks to coincide with kick offs throughout the four weeks that the tournament runs and is open to employees from all countries participating in the competition.

These examples should create a presence of mind to external factors that may impact upon the business but what about the technology that underpins the business. Businesses may have to look at their EPoS maintenance contracts to ensure their equipment is supported at the appropriate times.

With retailers facing an increase in store traffic at unusual times and with more sales going through the tills, there will be more chance of things going wrong at the PoS and staff may need training in advance to understand all the pressures of a busy store environment.

Its not just the PoS environment that retailers need to ensure is adequately supported. Another vogue initiative is the introduction of kiosks into customer areas to help share information with customers within the store environment. In their most basic form theyre little more than a web browser in a shop but the more sophisticated products are now offering full customer interaction with the retailer. The ability for the customer to view their loyalty account, look at stock in other local stores and if necessary place web orders, all help the customer have a single view of the retailer. Businesses must ensure that this technology is also maintained and supported through this busy period.

It is vital that retailers consider all these factors to ensure they are well prepared, as poor preparation will ultimately mean a poor result, which in this competitive market, retailers could face the ultimate penalty lost revenue.