Case Study- Oz Supermarket

Question : Discuss about the Case Study- Oz Supermarket ? Answer : Introduction The report reflects on Oz Supermarket which is a newly setup retail chain with the aim of reducing exit queues at the checkout point. For achieving this goal, the retail industry has adopted PayWave technology. The report analyses the business operation of Oz Supermarket by providing proper recommendations. The report also illustrates proper option for improving the customer service with the help of proper specified suggestions. Business Operation of Oz Supermarket Oz Supermarket is a retail chain that is mainly set up for reducing problems that occur due to the queue at the exit check out points. The supermarket achieves it goal by adopting PayWave Technology. It does not accept cash. A customer with the card is allowed in the supermarket and in the market, a special RFID reader is installed in the trolley of the customers. When one of the items is selected by the customers, the item is automatically queued for payment with the help of the RFID detector and when an item is removed by the customer then it is automatically removed from the queue of the payment list (Pal Pattnaik, 2016). After completing the shopping, the customers merely exit the store and the total amount is automatically deducted from the card of the customers. If the balance in the card is not sufficient, enough for the shopping then an alarm will ring. The store has an alternative option for the people who do not have the PayWave card. Those people have to visit the front c ounter of the store for depositing money in order to get an alternative PayWave card that helps them to shop. After shopping is completed then also exit from the store same as the person with the PayWave card. The balance that remains in the card will be used by the customers later or they can return the card for getting their remaining back (Swamy, Seshachalam Shariff, 2016). Tagging every item in the store with the help of the RFID reader helps in incurring extra expenses which is mainly absorbed from the customers who visit the store in rush. Presence of shopping summary stations helps the customers to check their items that are present in the trolley. The car park area is charged per minute in peak seasons of shopping while in non-peak season the car park rates are very much lower. Recommendations for improving the business process There are three recommendations that are provided for improving the processes of business by reducing exit queue at the checkout points in the retail industry. The recommendations include: Just Walk out Technology:Just Walk out technology is one of the significant technologies that can also be used in Oz Supermarket. The technology is very much helpful in reducing the exit queues at the checkout point of the store. For this, the supermarket must have a Smartphone based app, which must be installed in the smart phones of the customers (Hassan et al., 2016). As the customers enter the mall, their smart phones are tapped at the counter of the supermarket and after then they are allowed to check into the shopping store. Surveillance cameras must be installed in the supermarket, which helps in scanning the identity of the customers for verifying their identity. The items that are selected by the customers are continuously tracked with the help of the surveillance cameras (Aryan, 2016). The premises of the Oz Supermarket must also be equipped with the help of microphones for keeping the track of the customers position in the store. The shelves of the supermarket must be fitt ed with the help of the infrared as well as load sensors for tracking the items of the stores effectively, which are picked by the customers. The sensors are also present which helps in keeping track of the people who are present inside the store. When the customers complete their shopping they go through the exit and after that, their phone is tapped with the help of the sensor. The overall balance of the shopping can be deducted from the customers account (Bates et al., 2015). This technology can be helpful for the supermarket as it does not only helps in reducing the exit queue at the checkout points but also helps in keeping track of the people who are present inside the supermarket. Use of infrared cameras:The Oz supermarket can use these cameras within its stores, as it will be the use of infrared cameras helps in improving the business processes of the retail store. The infrared cameras must be placed all around the supermarket. The infrared cameras must paired with some software that helps in determining the number of lanes needed to be open in the supermarket (Jog et al., 2015). This technology is very much helpful in reducing the wait time of the customers within the Oz Supermarket. The technology helps in enabling the store to execute at the front of the store that will be helpful for the supermarket as it helps in reducing the labor cost. The system is very much significant as it helps in improving the business without a big price tag (Bukowski Tubbs, 2016). The system comprises of various software that are developed by the IT department and the software are helpful in predicting the time that the customers will take in completing their shopping. The sys tem is also helpful in determining the number of lanes that is required to be open in the supermarket. The technology is quite helpful as well as cost-effective as it helps in reducing the cost of the labors. Use of Zipline technology:The technology is based on infrared sensors and it is very much helpful in monitoring the number of shoppers in queue. Zipline promising is a system that helps in telling the customers which is the fastest place for buying items. The concept of this technology helps in combining the sensors with the long-range, low power radio network. Algorithm that is present in the system helps in converting the sensor data into useful information, which can be displayed with the help of the phone of the customers (Patil Hedaoo, 2017). The system not only helps in checking queue but it also helps in handling them properly by providing proper view of the queue to the customers so that they can shop well without wasting must time. Option for improving customer service It is very much important to improve customer service for attracting more number of customers within the Oz supermarket and for enhancing the success of the retail industry. The option that is used by retail chain for improving the customer service includes: Adoption of Supermarket trolley GPS: The use of GPS technology based trolley in Oz Supermarket will be very much helpful in improving the customer service. The technology is very much helpful as it helps in telling retailers, the location of the shoppers in the real time and this data can be utilized for managing queues for guiding people about various special offers if they are interested (Ding Yang, 2016). The sensors are embedded inside the wheels of the trolley that helps in speeding the weekly shop. The technology is very much significant as it helps in guiding customers about various offers of the retail chain around the supermarket so that they can utilize those offers for buying things at cheaper rate (Maina, 2013). The device is also helpful as it assists in telling the location of the customers within the supermarket with the help of Bluetooth technology. The data is transmitted with the help of Bluetooth to the server of the shopper. The system is useful in altering the s upermarkets when checkout are required to be open which also reduces queue at checkout points. The technology not only helps in reducing the queue at the checkout point but it also helps in providing an extraordinary customer service (Heskett, 2013). This is because the technology guides the customers effectively within the retail chain so that move towards the direct direction by utilizing the advantages of right offers. The smart trolley helps in providing customers different types of discount vouchers. Suggestions for improving the business service or operation The customer service that is provided by the Oz supermarket can be improved further. This improvement can be brought in the supermarket by utilizing the suggestions, which are provided below: Incorporate Mobile Phones: The customers of the Oz Supermarket must incorporate mobile phones for improving the customer service within the retail chain. It helps in allowing customers to register in the platform of the organization for getting benefits. The mobile devices help customers in registering in order to have an effective communication directly with the various service agents (Braojos et al., 2015). If the organization have mobile dependent platform then the customers can purchase things with the help of mobile phones. Different types of software installed in the mobile phones help the customers in providing automated response to the customers when a customers ask for a response, which helps in enhancing customer service of the organization. GPS tracker installed in mobile phones helps in providing location of the different shops that are located in the super market (Teehan Tucker, 2014). This helps in reducing the difficulty as time of the customers that helps in increasi ng customer satisfaction. The use of mobile technology in the Oz supermarket helps in enhancing the mobile marketing through which the customers can buy products online without wasting time. Reducing Response time: Customer Service within Oz Supermarket can be improved by reducing response time when the customers want a reply. It is identified that customers does not like slow response rate as they have to wait for longer period of time for reply. Therefore it is very much necessary for Oz Supermarket that they must communicate properly with the customers and must provide response to the customers quickly. It is not important that the reply provided to the customers is true or complete but it is very much significant the response must be provided quickly to the customer, which enhances customer satisfaction (Lam Mayer, 2014). Customer software must be installed in the Supermarket, which helps in providing automated response to the customers when a customers ask for a response. This way is very much useful as the customers became satisfied that they get response for their query. Another advantage of using this system is that, this system helps in speeding the procedure o f response time by utilizing customer support email templates (Van Krumm, 2014). These templates can be uploaded into the system, which further helps in responding to multiple requests on a similar topic. This method or procedure is very much helpful in enhancing customer service by utilizing the software effectively. Prioritizing customer requests:For enhancing customer service within the Oz Supermarket it is very much important to prioritize the requests of the customers properly. The requests of the customers must be maintained properly so that the request will be solved or responded appropriately (Riquelme et al., 2015). This not only helps in enhancing the customer service of the organization but it also helps in managing the requests of the customers properly. For this also it is very much important to install customer service software which must be configured according to needs as well as requests of the customers. It helps in predicting the most urgent task and that is prioritized for providing proper service to the customers at correct time. The system maintains tasks in queue and the tasks are prioritized by the system as per its urgency (Heskett, 2013). The customer service reports are used additionally for accessing all the data of the customers for improving the service quality of the Oz Supermarket much more. Conclusion It can be concluded from the overall assignment that the PayWave technology adopted by the Oz supermarket is very much advantageous as it helps in reducing queue at exit check out points of the retail chain. It is analyzed that various recommendations are provided for incorporating technologies like Just walk out technology, use of infrared cameras and use of Zipline technology for improving the business operations of the organization. The assignment also helps in providing number of suggestions for improving the customer service of the supermarket. References .Riquelme, H. E., Mekkaoui, K. A., Rios, R. E. (2015). Internet banking customer satisfaction and online service attributes.The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce,2009. Aryan, P. (2016). 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