CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ThirdChannel, the retail intelligence platform that pairs real-time visibility into retail store environments with an experiential network-for-hire today revealed new features on its mobile application to make data captured about products and store selling environments even more actionable for brand manufacturers and retailers. The latest version of the app features the ability for personnel in stores to record data without internet access and includes a geotagging feature that maps data to individual store locations.
Without precise data collection and real-time analytics, brands and retailers are effectively blind to what’s happening in stores once products hit the showroom floor. But, aggregating this data quickly is a significant undertaking, and even brands and retailers that already have a data collection system in place often struggle to ensure that insights are accurate and accessible instantly.
To combat these challenges, the latest version of ThirdChannel’s mobile app includes:
- Offline usability – Due to the inconsistency of internet access in retail locations, field teams often think they’ve captured critical data into a reporting system, only to find out later that it’s been lost in the ether somewhere. In extreme cases, they collect data by hand, and enter it into platforms later, which creates a lag in reporting and higher rates of human error. ThirdChannel’s app allows field teams to report data offline (by storing data locally on their device), then syncs automatically when they connect to Wi-Fi.
- Geotagging – To guarantee accurate reporting, ThirdChannel’s app now includes geotags for location verification, aligning data and images collected in the field to specific stores. Location-based data is also housed within the mapping feature of ThirdChannel’s app, which offers an overview of a brand’s store presence across regions, and can be analyzed to determine how weather, traffic patterns, demographics and other factors are impacting performance beyond individual store locations.
- Geolocating – With field agents constantly on the move, ThirdChannel’s mobile app lets them see which store is nearest to them, and even start their store visit by clicking a location on the map. The system also validates that field teams are actually at the correct location before allowing them to submit data about a store.
Not only do the new functions improve the precision and quality of data, but by minimizing time spent on data collection, field teams can focus on making important improvements to store environments, such as fixing merchandising, restocking inventory and interacting with customers. At the same time, brands and retailers are able to instantly access and act on data from the field, without having to wait for reports after field teams have already left stores.
“Consumers today are smarter than ever before, and they start scoring a store the minute they walk through the front door,” says Gina Ashe, CEO of ThirdChannel. “Technology like ThirdChannel puts real-time data at their fingertips to optimize the retail floor. By increasing their visibility into what’s happening on the ground, brands and retailers are able to take action to ensure that the experience they deliver to customers in brick-and-mortar retail lives up to expectations.”
For more information about the ThirdChannel platform, please visit www.thirdchannel.com.
About ThirdChannel
ThirdChannel is the platform that the world’s leading manufacturing brands and retailers use to see what's happening -- or should be happening -- with products on the ground in thousands of stores and generates action plans to drive higher sales. The Web-based platform integrates real-time data from field teams on the ground with POS, inventory, traffic and other sources of data to reveal retail execution issues. The system guides field team efforts to optimize stores and unlock sales potential, quantifying results with measurable ROI. Don't have a field team? ThirdChannel matches an exclusive, on-brand force for brands and retailers to flex up presence in stores. The combination of powerful cloud-based analytics with on-the-ground observations from brand-immersed field teams delivers the full solution that retail and brand executives need. To learn more, visit thirdchannel.com, read our blog Mind the Store, or follow us on Twitter @ThirdChannel3C.
