Basic HTML Version
4G
www.binfo.co.uk
magazine
28
The concept of the pop-up shop first
emerged in the US more than a decade
ago. More recently, it has started to
gain momentum in the UK, as retailers
see the opportunity to build brand
visibility and interest through direct
exposure to the consumer in an
exciting and engaging way.
This Christmas, Harvey Nichols will be
opening several pop-up shops across the
country. One of these is at theWestfield
MerryHill shopping centre in theWest
Midlands, which will also feature another
pop-up by fellow up-market retailer
Liberty. Other chains, too, are looking at
opportunities to open temporary stores
for just a few weeks, or even days, to
take advantage of seasonal or major local
events.
Latest figures show that one in six
retail units currently lies empty on
Britain’s struggling high streets, with a
further 20 stores closing every day. So
how long before we see major retailers
regularly move in for short periods, taking
advantage of these opportunities?
Making the connection
For established retailers one of the
major constraints, besides landlords and
planning rules, has been the difficulty
in getting these stores up and running
quickly.Waiting several weeks or even
months for a landline broadband
connection doesn’t fit well with the
concept of a short-term occupancy.
Happily, this reliance on landline
data connectivity could be about to
change. The next generation of wireless
technology, also known as Long Term
Evolution (LTE), will be available in 16 UK
cities by the end of the year, although
widespread availability of 4G services
from multiple operators is not expected
to hit the streets until Autumn 2013.
Current 3G technology is beginning to
show its age with inherent problems of
speed, reliability and coverage. By contrast,
4G offers the promise of higher-speed
broadband data services over a much
wider area, helping to bridge the current
‘digital divide’ and enable shops to ‘pop
up’ in more rural locations, as well as more
populated areas with no access to 3G.
The ability to trade almost
immediately simply by plugging in a 4G
modem with SIM card gives retailers the
flexibility to go where their customers are.
As soon as the data stream is installed,
all the latest in-store technologies such
as staff iPads or customer apps can be
used in exactly the same way irrespective
of whether the pop-up unit is on the
high street, at an international sports
tournament or on the seafront.
Moreover, by gaining instant, reliable
wireless broadband access, major retail
chains will be able to replicate the
customer experience of mainstream
stores, including the ability to operate
loyalty cards, conduct footfall counts
and monitor merchandise, without any
risk of compromising the brand, whilst
maintaining security through device
tagging and CCTV feeds to a central server.
Keeping the connection
Establishing a viable retail environment
in a matter of hours is central to the
success of the pop-up concept. Equally
important is the ability to stay up-
and-running by ensuring that in-store
technologies operate to maximum
effectiveness and equipment downtime is
kept to a minimum.
No matter how well the visual impact
of a pop-up store matches that of the
broader brand, no checkouts equals no
sales equals frustrated customers. To
ensure that the latest mobile in-store
technologies enhance rather than detract
from the customer experience, it is
essential to have reliable and effective
specialist maintenance support.
Today’s pop-ups are a world away
from the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’
fireworks and discount Christmas goods
outlets of yesterday. If 4G delivers on
its promise, this really could be the last
year that the ability to trade effectively is
dependent on the landline.
Richard Olds is CEO of Vista Retail
Support, one of the UK’s leading IT
service and support organisations within
the retail, hospitality and quick service
restaurant markets.
www.vistasupport.com
Is this the last Christmas
for the landline?
Richard Olds considers how 4G services might enable
retailers to get closer to their customers this Christmas.
What does 4G mean for
business?
EE is promoting 4G to businesses for
the speed it brings to checking email
and downloading attachments and as
an enabler of video calling and video
conferencing. But is this enough for
business customers? First we hear
from Dr Tim King, chief technology
officer at mobile application
software toolkit vendor 5app, who
advises businesses to proceed with
caution when it comes to 4G; and
overleaf Michel Robert, managing
director of managed services provider
Claranet UK, explains why he thinks
4G will be a real boon to business –
but perhaps not for the reasons you
might have expected.
Dr Tom King, 5app:
“Whilst the
pioneering technology is attractive to
the discerning consumer, for enterprises,
what can 4G really offer when parts
of the UK still struggle with 3G
connectivity? Unless 4G can compete
with fixed line broadband on both speed
and cost, then both consumers and the
enterprise will stick to broadband-based
connection for fixed services. Operators
will have to initially invest in the new
equipment to provide such a level of
service and those who opt to claw back
the costs with aggressive pricing will
inevitably be faced with unsatisfied
customers. Stupidly low caps will also
have to go, putting more pressure on
price.
“Secondly, the introduction will
compound the problem of switching
between data carriers.We will now
have devices switching between 4G, 3G
and 2G networks and losing signal as
they attempt to reconnect. This makes
reliable data communications between
the mobile and fixed back end systems
even harder to create.
“Companies are beginning to
understand the value of being able to
communicate effectively with a mobile
workforce through specialised mobile
business apps that work on a variety of
devices. However, most business users
don’t really need the extra speed offered
by 4G connectivity for doing day-to-
day tasks such as entering data.Whilst
more integrated enterprise apps may
benefit from the extra speed offered by
4G, this is consequently tempered by
the worsening of the reliability of data
communication.
continued...
The ability to
trade almost
immediately
simply by
plugging in
a 4G modem
with SIM
card...
Richard Olds,
CEO, Vista Retail
Support