Digitalising Retail Store Communications With WAVE PTX

How A World Leader In Athletic Footwear and Apparel Transformed Sales Associate Efficiency and Customer Experience With Increased Coverage, Connections and Productivity

Besides being Asia’s top financial centre, Singapore is now aiming to be a hub for global retail brands. Riding on Singapore’s reputation for stability and competitiveness, more international brands are setting up hubs to incubate new products and solutions.

More than ever in this digital age, retailers are transforming their customer journeys for more seamless and immersive shopping experiences to increase store footfall and sales. By utilizing technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and tech-enabled product personalization, retailers in Singapore are providing shoppers an experience that engages their physical senses.

Sportswear brands have been extending their reach by opening new stores in Singapore to cater to the rising demand for fitness apparel and gear. An American athletic footwear and apparel brand, which debuted in Singapore in 1990 and now have 8 store locations across the island, confidently made their move. In 2021, they transformed its outlet store at IMM into a concept store with exclusive services and offerings to get shoppers all excited about in-person active wear shopping.

Now 60% larger, their 18,000 square feet expanded space also offers technology-driven measurement services for their shoppers. Knowing that effective communication impacts customer service deeply, this retailer also invested in technologies that can empower their store employees to perform their best work.

Next-Generation Technology for Push-To-Talk Communication

Renowned for their culture of innovation, it is no surprise to see their willingness to collaborate with experts and try new communication tools that can meet their evolving needs without exceeding their budget.

Their experience with Motorola Solutions digital two-way radios and service support from their local vendor - Motorola Value Added Reseller (Channel Partner) paved the way for an easy decision of switching to Motorola WAVE PTX Broadband Push-To-Talk communication solution.

Beginning with their IMM store located in the western side of Singapore, the Motorola TLK 100i radio of the WAVE PTX device was selected for its stylish and slim form factor which can be easily strapped or clipped on the staff attire, and best of all, for its enhanced coverage and clear audio which requires no frequency licensing or additional infrastructure. The administration of their new radio fleet such as adding or changing talkgroups, modifying device names, adding WI-FI credentials, enabling or disabling devices instantly over the air, and the use of multiple talkgroups have helped the supervisor to better manage their inter-departmental communication efficiently.

Combining The Broad Coverage of A Nationwide Cellular Network With The Ease of Two-Way Radio Communications

It takes a large, interconnected team to make the retail store function smoothly. At the IMM location, the showroom and stockroom are separated at several shop units away. The sales associates at the busy main store need to stay connected with the back of the house teams who are stationed in the many partitioned sections of the massive stockroom. With the wide distance between them, ensuring connectivity is becoming increasingly difficult.

With the Motorola TLK 100i radios, the selection from the configurable multiple talkgroups allows the retail, back of the house (BOH), cashier, supervisor and others to interconnect and reach the right person or group with the push of a button for a fast response. To support their 100 employees working on daily rotating shifts, the retailer ordered over 50 units of TLK 100i radio for their communication needs.

These new devices have a slim design to support one-hand use while on the move, long battery life, and most importantly, deliver crisp audio for clear communication.

Compared to their previous devices which had a limited number of talkgroups, their new TLK 100i radios are programmed to support more than 4 talkgroups. Using their new push-to-talk radio, any member of the team only needs to push one button to contact multiple teams simultaneously. That means the Retail staff can call their colleagues in the work group for assistance to check on shelf displays no matter where they are. The Cashier group can contact the Retail channel to confirm price tag information before processing the customer’ payment. The Retail group can also enquire about the physical stock on the BOH channel, so that they can quickly advise their shoppers on the color and size availability for the apparel or shoes which they are keen to purchase.

Delivering Service in An Instant

These robust radios are paired with over 100 earpieces from Motorola Solutions which are a cost-effective audio accessory solution with a streamlined design and rugged cables for everyday use. They are small, comfortable and enable users to discreetly send and receive voice messages on the radio quickly. To ensure their radios are always ready for use, they also deployed 9 units of Motorola Solutions Multi-unit Charger to provide versatile charging up to 6 radios or Lithium-ion batteries simultaneously.

The slim size of the 6-slot Multi-unit Chargers enables them to be neatly placed on a rack in a dedicated central location to allow their staff to draw out a radio unit in a ‘Pick and Go’ fast manner, so that instant communication within and across the teams ensures a seamless operation. These earpieces and charging accessories increase the functionality and dependability of the radio communication to help the teams work more effectively.

Eager to replicate the success, this retailer rolled out this Motorola WAVE PTX Broadband Push-To-Talk communication solution for their store located in the eastern part of Singapore at Changi City Point.

Supporting their staff who work at the store which is located in 7 shop units, they deployed over 40 units of TLK 100i radio, 100 earpieces and 7 units of Multi-unit Charger. Another branch in Clarke Quay is making plans to procure the TLK 100i radio and accessories. The same communication solution was also launched in their overseas store located in Malaysia, with another two branches in the Central and Southern part of Malaysia (premium outlets) also procuring the same models soon.

Employee feedback on their new communication devices remains positive, especially on the voice clarity and expanded coverage, exceeding the performance of other radio brands they evaluated. Additionally, being a subscription-based service, WAVE PTX provides predictable operating costs. The WAVE PTX’s low-cost, per-user subscription makes it easy for this retailer to manage cash f low with their subscriptions that support unlimited outgoing talk-time without the capital expenses and long-term commitments.

Embracing Partnership for Success

Having dependable broadband push-to-talk (PTT) communication is a strategic asset in this always-on connected environment, where an answer is only a call away. By enabling their teams to communicate effectively and work more efficiently, this Retailer is able to ensure greater workforce productivity and superb customer service at its stores in the moments that matter.