Instant awareness of suspicious events happening in your stores strongly contributes to effective shrink reduction.  Indyme solutions that empower store and LP team members to reduce shrink and build sales will be highlighted at the June 12-14, 2013 National Retail Federation Loss Prevention Show in San Diego.

Drop by Booth 315 to learn how Indyme’s Smart Response helps avoid sales losses at locked merchandise displays, notifies store team members of possible sweep activity, instantly alerts key personnel when the receiving door or a  perimeter door unexpectedly opens, heightens awareness of fitting room activity, and much more.  We’ll also be teaming with some of our technology partners to show how Smart Response provides an instant notification path for events detected by smart video systems and intelligent merchandising fixtures.  As always, we’re always keen on exploring new solutions for your latest challenges – be sure to bring those with you!

San Diego is our home town.  So, if you’d like some unbiased ideas on where to find the best Mexican food, where to find virtually any kind of Asian food, or what we locals think are some of the best places to visit in beautiful San Diego… well, that’s yet another reason to drop by and see us!

Learn more about the show here:  NRF LP Conference & Expo

Strangely enough, even after all these years we sometimes struggle with just what to call this product family.  For many years they were simply termed “Call Boxes” – but, considering the versatility, wide range of sizes, appearance choices, and the powerful reporting that enables retailers to better understand qualitative aspects of performance in their stores, “Call Box” always seemed an inadequate moniker.  In more recent years, “Help Button” has taken over – and considering how effectively they promote personal service by linking store personnel with shoppers needing help, that does hit more closely to reality.

Dubbed the “Buy Button”

Recently, while reviewing customer results after implementing a button solution, the customer coined yet another name”Buy Buttons.”  This retailer has several Zone 1 Service Locations in their stores where “no service means no sale.”  These include locked merchandise cases, service counters that are not staffed during all open hours, and a merchandise cutting station.  They were missing out on sales at these locations as time-pressed shoppers would simply abandon their quest for a desired item when they could not readily find assistance.  The “Buy Buttons”, as they were nicknamed, helped overcome this problem.  When shoppers pressed a Buy Button at one of these Zone 1 locations, store staff knew a shopper was ready to buy.

“Buy Buttons” – it makes sense.  Getting shoppers who are ready to buy together with the personal assistance they need almost always increases sales.  Still, who would have thought we’d hear yet another name for these after all these years?

After all, it’s about providing customers with shopping experiences that translate into purchases.  One key success element is getting the right store team member in front of a shopper when and where assistance is desired.  Just last year, over 27 million shoppers were assisted, typically within 60 seconds, by simply pressing a Smart Response help button.  That’s 27 million customers that otherwise may have abandoned a desired purchase or, worst yet, were at risk of  walking out on the entire ticket.

Now is a super time to take a quick walk through your store.  Are your Smart Response help buttons mounted at those critical service locations?  Are they visible so shoppers desiring assistance can see them?  It’s one way your store can convert more of that crush of shoppers this season to an explosion of sales!

Andrea hits the mud!

We already knew our Indyme team members are strong on persistence and determination… but, a few on the team took this to a whole new level this past weekend.  If you don’t know them already, meet Andrea Braxton (Engineering Project Manager), Bill Kepner (VP Technical Services), and Sanford Cawley (Sales Applications Engineer).  They’re all now Tough Mudder veterans.

What’s A Tough Mudder?

Modestly billed as “probably the toughest event on the planet,” the Tough Mudder comprises a 10 to 12 mile “hardcore obstacle course.”  Now these aren’t just any little obstacles, either.   Among other challenges, a huge oiled quarter pipe that is only successfully crested with team work, a dive into a tank and under a barrier (oh, did I mention the tank is filled with ice water?), and then there’s everyone’s favorite… a run through wires randomly charged with high voltage!  Bill related that the first hit he took from a live wire knocked him right to the ground.  Now, that’s what Saturday fun is all about!

  It’s All for a Good Cause!

Sanford, Andrea, and Bill - Indyme's Tough Mudders!

Now, you might think the sheer joy of running up hills across 12 miles, climbing impossible walls, and diving in ice water is all just for kicks.  But, it’s much more than that.  Not only does it build personal confidence and develop team skills, but participants are also raising money for a good cause.  The Tough Mudder, designed by British Special Forces, has raised over $3 million for the Wounded Warrior Project.  So all that sweat – and pain – delivers much needed support to others who have given their all.

How About You?

There’s almost certainly a Tough Mudder event coming to a neighborhood near you.  Sign up, dive in, take on the challenge – and you, too, can join the elite competitors who have braved it all – and can now proudly wear orange Tough Mudder headbands.

Andrea, Bill, and Sanford – well done!  Your Indyme team mates are awed and proud of you!

The Crystal Awards are presented annually in recognition of superior achievement in building and sustaining a lean culture. Winners were announced at the 4^th Annual Lean Crystal Awards ceremony on April 24 in Irvine, CA.

“We are honored and gratified to have received this award,” said Indyme founder, CEO and Chairman Steve Deal. “It means a lot to all those who took part in the implementation of 5S here at Indyme.”

Indyme builds and supports Smart Response systems used in some 20,000 retail stores and other businesses. Its technology leverages today’s mobile communication devices to build sales, reduce shrink and increase the effectiveness of lean store teams.

The Employers Group is a worldwide organization that advocates for employers and provides guidance and training in a number of areas, including Lean Best Practices and Methodology. Each year, the non-profit acknowledges companies that have used its Lean Training Services to take their businesses to the highest levels of performance.

The 5S aspect of lean operations puts the focus on effective workplace organization and standardized procedures to improve safety, quality, efficiency and productivity, as well as employee attitude. The phases of 5S are: Sort, Shine, Stabilize, Standardize and Sustain. The program is aimed at reducing waste and achieving more consistent operational results through maintaining an orderly workplace.

“At Indyme,” Deal said, “5S has been a tremendous team-building exercise, as well as a solid tool for continuous improvement.” At its heart, he explained, “5S is embodiment of the idiom ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’.”

“It’s amazing how powerful such a simple idea can be when put into action,” he added. “It also is a factor that has helped power the ongoing growth of the company,” its founder said.

Long the acknowledged leader in retail help buttons, Indyme is continuously expanding its event-response product line, building cooperatve partner relationships and developing new sales channels to deliver integrated event-driven solutions that serve a broader and deeper market reach.

“Working lean provides us with both a strong foundation for continuous improvement and the flexibility to deliver the innovation that has become our hallmark.”

The Crystal Awards, presented annually by the Employers Group, recognizes companies who have utilized the organization’s Lean Training Services to increase the productivity and performance of their businesses. Companies are judged on a variety of criteria, including quality improvement of product or service, workflow efficiency gains, cost savings, level of safety enhancement and overall implementation.

All nominees will be acknowledged and winners announced on April 24 at the Employers Group 3rd Annual Lean Awards Program in Irvine, ,CA.

The San Diego-based Indyme has been nominated in the category of 5S Workplace Organization.

5S is an aspect of lean operations that focuses on effective workplace organization and standardized procedures to improve safety, quality, efficiency, productivity and employee attitude. The phases of 5S are: Sort, Shine, Stabilize, Standardize and Sustain. Centered on a system of visual cues, 5S is aimed at reducing waste and achieving more consistent operational results through maintaining an order workplace.

“Not only is it an honor to be nominated for this award,” said Indyme founder, CEO and Chairman Steve Deal, “it is a well-deserved tribute to the hard work done by our entire manufacturing team and management.”

According to Deal, the incorporation of lean practices into the Indyme workplace has made a “night and day” difference in the manufacturing facility and process. Incentivized with recognition programs by management, he continued, workers have developed pride of ownership of their respective zones. Their efforts, he said, have not only created a more pleasant work environment but also improved productivity by reducing time lost searching for tools, materials and equipment.

5S, Deal added, plays an integral role in helping the company fill orders quickly, while maintaining superior quality.

Indyme, which was founded in 1987, designs, builds and supports Smart Response systems used in some 20,000 retail stores and other businesses. Its technology leverages today’s mobile communication devices to build sales, reduce shrink and increase the effectiveness of lean store teams.

It’s billed as the “ultimate antique shopping experience” – and that it is!  The Brass Armadillo… is it a store?  …a mall? Well,  what really matters is what’s there!  Namely, just about any antique you can imagine, and then some!

Just walking through the place is an incredible adventure… you just never really know what you’ll find!  Each Brass Armadillo features unique displays from each of the many antique dealers offering goods there.  It all adds up to tremendous diversity as dozens of dealers, most of whom specialize in certain types of antique goods, continuously adjust their offerings.

The newest Brass Armadillo recently opened near Phoenix.  It’s the sixth Brass Armadillo and the second in the Phoenix area. You’ll find their other locations in Des Moines, Denver, Kansas City, and Omaha.  The new store, dubbed “Phoenix West,” is the largest in the chain boasting 40,000 square feet and featuring antiques from some 60 dealers!

This location is also one of Indyme’s newest customers… Smart Response help buttons throughout the store empower shoppers to instantly summon personal assistance with a simple button press!  Activity reports provide management with an objective view on the amount of request activity and response times throughout the store.

OK, ready for adventure?  An adventure that changes almost every day?  Try the Brass Armadillo… not only do they have a very cool name, you’ll have a fantastic time!

No, this was not some dingy neighborhood market.  This rather pathetic display was in the midst of an otherwise well-stocked Central London location of a major supermarket chain.  My companion, who sold store fixtures to this very chain, was acquainted with the problem.  Apparently the demographics of this particular location was such that new shipments of razors and blades quickly found there way out of the store – but not through the registers.

Even under these dire circumstances, the chain would not embrace securing merchandise in any way and the manager had long ago decided it would be more profitable if there were no razors left to steal!  I had to admit, that is a pretty solid strategy for stopping shrink.  Of course, it’s also the success path to reducing tickets, frustrating shoppers, and losing loyal customers to the store down the street that manages to have razors available for purchase.

Weeks prior to this incident, a Loss Prevention professional at one of our customer companies challenged me to identify situations in which securing merchandise (even locking it up, if necessary) could actually increase sales.  I thought he was kidding…

There are five specific ways these sales increases occur… four of those are listed in my last blog entry and we’ll explore all five in more detail in an upcoming entry.

Today, I’ve been reflecting on a frequent topic regarding how often shoppers request assistance.    Simply put,  is it “good” or “bad”  if a lot of shoppers are requesting assistance?  Since each request represents the probability of a saved or increased sale, it’s most likely very good!  But, as it turns out, not everyone sees it quite that way.

Working with dozens of major retail chains executing different customer service strategies, we’ve learned that the answer to the activity level question is “it depends.”  Some retailers view heavy service request activity as a good thing; they realize many sales-building shopper interactions probably would have been missed otherwise.

Conversely, other retailers strive to assist every shopper proactively and value help buttons as a critical safety net.  When request activity creeps up in a store or department, they investigate to find out what’s going wrong.  They may discover a labor scheduling issue, a merchandising problem or even a local management situation.

Whether a retailer defines success as sky high activity levels or as a safety net, Smart Response™ help buttons empower them to build revenue and profitability day after day.

• Ticket abandonment avoidance: The unassisted  shopper would have stormed out of the store buying nothing;
• Item abandonment avoidance:  The shopper required help to find or select a desired item;
• Cross selling:  A helpful sales associate brings related items to the shopper’s attention;
• Up selling:  The helpful associate shows the shopper the value in a higher quality alternative.

A new white paper from the Axsium Group reveals some stunning survey results bound to capture the attention of retailers. According to this survey, “Customers offered a helpful suggestion by an associate had a basket size 31% larger than customers who had not.”  Certainly strong evidence of the value of a knowledgeable and helpful associate interacting with a shopper at the right time.

Among the survey’s other findings is the observation that “75% of consumers will walk out of the store or buy less if there aren’t enough knowledgeable associates available.”  Again, it’s about interacting with shoppers at the right time. Failing that, the entire sale can easily be lost and, worst yet, the risk of losing a loyal shopper.

Availability of knowledgeable sales associates is essential. So is getting those knowledgeable associates in front of shoppers at the right time.  That’s where Indyme’s Smart Response comes in – it’s all about providing instant awareness of shoppers needing assistance and accountability for successful prompt shopper engagement.