Monsoon Accessorize has launched the UK’s first live pilot of an in-store sales application connecting web with PoS.

The solution, known as Monsoon Accessorize Extended (or MAX), allows store staff to present the retailer’s product range to a customer and locate stock, whether on the shopfloor, in the store room, in another store, or in the e-commerce distribution centre. The application, based on MICROS Retail Assistant, is fully integrated with the store PoS, allowing the transaction to be completed on the iPad through the PoS using a wireless chip and PIN device.

Monsoon Accessorize has already launched this in its Cardinal Place, Victoria Street store in London and plans to introduce the service in nine more sites in March and pending successful trial, roll out across the UK estate. It says that it is hoping the application will boost average transaction values.

The Stock Checker functionality allows staff to quickly identify whether an item is in-stock and available to buy in the relevant store. If necessary it can leverage Monsoon Accessorize’s multi-channel capability and send an order to a convenient store for collection, or alternatively an order can be placed for the items to be shipped directly from the warehouse to the customer’s home. The order can be combined with additional in-store purchases, with the customer paying for all items at once. iPads will also be used by staff in the changing room for on the spot stock checks, without having to leave the customer and risk losing a sale.

Pete Byrne, head of IT Monsoon, says: “We want to ensure that our customers get a consistent experience across all channels. This system provides a true multi-channel environment whereby a sale can be completed then and there, even when the physical product is not available. Staff can now maximise every sales opportunity. Our staff are telling us that the application is already invaluable, and it’s easy to use with little training required. Once they get hold of it, they generally want to use it all the time. They also love it because the multi-channel orders that they create in-store are credited to them and their store. It’s still early days but from what we’ve experienced so far we have high expectations for the future. Once the roll-out across our retail estate has been complete we will look to extend the offering with the free movement of stock across the retail estate, based on a single stock pool model.”

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