fcbusiness speaks to Lee Hyde, director of retail operations at Ipswich Town about the club’s recent investment in its online and in-store retail technology platforms.

Efficiency is the driver of all elements of the upgrade and that also includes order fulfillment and logistics. Combined with the online store there has been the installation of new epos systems by Touchretail in the club’s physical retail store which has given the club more focus on this.

“There have been changes in stock control as the new system has given us the flexibility to monitor stock more accurately,” Lee continued. “It’s all live so if somebody orders from the web and we don’t have it in our retail warehouse but the store has got it, the website will allow that order to go through.

“Once this goes through the guys in the physical retail store will get an alert on their tills saying that the product needs picking off the shop floor for an order. Again, that’s completely new to us and helps us capitalise on sales and clearing end of-line stock items, something we would have previously missed out on.”

In terms of order delivery, Ipswich has added additional carriers to its distribution network giving customers more delivery options and a speedier service.

“It’s just a few extras that we hope the fans will appreciate. We’re setting the bar high and trying to offer a service they would expect to see from a major high street chain. That is difficult given our size compared to those but the expectation is that we should be able to compete with them in terms of shipping rates and turn-around time.”

In-store, the new epos system has given fans further options such as contactless payments including Apple and Android Pay allowing for a speedier service and queuing times reducing drastically.

Most important to the overhaul was ensuring there was a clear and consistent alignment of the club’s brand values and customer journey as Lee acknowledged: “I think this is really important. Both tell a story of your brand.

“It’s your brand that you’re putting out there for people to see, especially online. It’s out there for everyone to see and it’s really important you portray it correctly. We pride ourselves on our customer service in-store and it is something I champion the store management team on. We conduct regular mystery shopping visits and gain customer feedback which we take into consideration and try to feed into our staff.

“I think the online store has to do that without any prompts. It is our 24/7–365 days per year, member of staff and it has to stand on its own two feet and be intuitive to the way the customer journey flows.

“The last thing we want are email communications with negative feedback or abandoned baskets or stock that is not available. The way that you present it and the way the store flows both physically and online has to be seamless. You can’t rest on your laurels once you’ve launched the site – you need to listen to feedback and make changes where they’re needed.”

The permeation of digital technology throughout the club’s customer facing business is something that continues as they look to transform their legacy systems across the board with the introduction of a new ticketing system upgrade, due at the end of the year.

“Digital really is at the forefront of our thinking at the moment and it’s almost like ‘how can we get everything into that digital space?’ But it’s not only about putting it into a digital space, but putting it in at a level we’re happy with and I think you can see that with the launch of the retail site. We could have gone with a much simpler, more cost effective solution but we feel that where retail shopping is going, it justifies the investment.”

So what advice does Lee have to give to other club’s looking to develop or redevelop their retail proposition?

“The biggest thing for us was the research that went into it. Know what you want to get out of it,” he said. “Make sure you ask the question ‘do you actually need to make the investment or could you work with what you’ve already got?’ We were at a stage where we couldn’t so it was black and white for us.

“I really appreciate the owner for believing in the business case that I put in front of him and for the investment that he’s made. It’s a big investment and I hope the fans also appreciate the money being spent in that way at the football club.”

article appeared in fcbusiness May 2018, Issue 109. To subscribe to the magazine please visit: www.balticpublications.com