Creating Consistency Across The Buyers’ Journey with Fishbowl

Tackling the challenges of multi-channel retailing requires seamless customer interaction and integration. Kendrick Hair, seasoned retail expert and Chief Evangelist at Fishbowl, recently featured on the Let’s Get Retail podcast, shares practical advice on optimizing customer journeys and leveraging the right technologies for retailers seeking to improve operations and customer experience in a competitive landscape.

From concept to growth

Retail businesses often grow organically. The owner may start with a passion, and the idea grows into a burgeoning business. While focused on the product and getting it to market, the back-office becomes an afterthought. More sales opportunities become available, and the business develops additional sales channels.

Then the owner suddenly wonders, what’s my single source of truth?

“It’s important to know your systems and have them connected so you’re not spending countless hours trying to untangle data,” says Kendrick.

COVID really made this challenge apparent for many retailers - they suddenly needed to open new channels and cater to options like click and collect. Many retailers floundered while others flourished.

A client story: back-office chaos

One of Fishbowl’s clients ran an existing business selling products into the medical space. They began to sell into a completely new industry, automotive, which is very different. As they grew the automotive channel, they discovered they were spending more time on the computer processing orders– up to 4 data entries – to fulfill an order. In some cases, the order was delivered before the back-office work was complete. Their systems hadn’t been flexible enough to grow and support this new channel.

“The client was spending more time on the computer than they were working with the customer or even getting the product delivered,” says Kendrick.

Inventory

Each sales channel should be up to date on inventory, so shoppers and staff know what’s available. This is important regardless of the industry, whether the product is quickly changing (fashion) to somewhat slow selling (lug nuts).

Multiple channels

Kendrick discusses another Fishbowl client who experienced a massive shift during COVID. Auto manufacturers have typically been slower to adopt technology. Founded in the 70’s, the client was selling via catalogs and had no website. Fortunately, they were poised to move quickly and were able to develop a website which immediately became their lifeline. Along with the website, they were managing orders via phone, undocumented standing orders and email. Fortunately, Fishbowl was able to get them up and running with a system that “played well” together and could integrate the various channels. Today, they have the system foundation to support their upward growth trajectory, including the expansion into retail markets.

The right tools

If you have the right tools, it’s not as difficult to be prepared for growing channels. Some technology has come a long way to making it easier to adapt and leverage the tools though it may be complex if there isn’t a dedicated expert. The first step is determining your business needs. You can reach out for experts who can help you establish the systems so you can focus on your business and growth.

Kendrick mentions that QuickBooks can be a great place to start. Retail businesses require the flexibility to handle dynamic change and growth. An expert can speed up the adoption process by helping recommend the right tools, get a retailer set up, then train a team member to manage it. The system allows a retailer to focus on running their business so that they’re not stuck behind a computer.

Kendrick mentions, “The tools have come very far. There are many great resources available to support you.”

If you need help, there are multiple options to fit your communication preference: chat, wiki pages, videos and phone. Get in touch with Kendrick at Fishbowl, or with another QuickBooks Solution Provider for an assessment of how your business can create consistency across channels.  And check out our retail site for more blogs and podcasts focused on helping you grow your retail business.

All opinions and advice expressed here are personal and do not represent those of Intuit QuickBooks. We recommend you work with a professional to assess your specific business needs. Additional terms, conditions and fees apply with app integrations.

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