Retail POS Ethnography, Insights & Solutions for Dell
Initiative involving Marketing, Sales, Solutions, and User Experience.
Purpose/Objective: Identify gaps for Dell-based solutions via ethnographic research with Store Managers and Sales Associates, not decision makers.
Goal(s): Deeper understanding of: Front-of-store inventory management, POS (point of sale) transactions, Routines and responsibilities of Store Managers and Sales Associates, Tools (tech and non-tech) used to accomplish day-to-day activities, In-store tech audit, Strengths, weaknesses, and pain-points of current mix of technology and process.
Role(s): I led the ethnographic research efforts, including reviewing internal data, conducting a competitive analysis, and driving ethnographic field studies; I created screeners and materials for observation, task analysis, and contextual inquiry (structured and unstructured onsite interviews); An industrial designer joined me for site visits to help conduct interviews and record observations, and they also created illustrations for the rollout.
Insights generated from Store Managers and Sales Associates…
Technology was taking them away from the salesfloor.
Technology was restricting customer facing time.
Less employee headcount = more job functions per employee.
Opportunities identified…
Messaging - emails, promotions, markdowns, special offers, overall communication with corporate, IT, and other store locations.
Customer Interaction tech opportunities
Look up products - get additional information about products online.
Locate products - at other company stores, in the warehouse.
Order products for customers.
Sign up for customer loyalty programs, special offers and promotions, and for contests.
Less employee headcount because of economy - Store Managers and Sales Associates have elevated workload, so efficient designs/solutions are paramount.
Concepts were created to illustrate some possible opportunities-
