Dramatic operational efficiency gains are available, freeing staff to sell
‘Momentum matters, and right now it’s firmly with furniture retailers ready to modernise,’ says Wayne Robbins, Iconography director, as the company prepares to exhibit at the Spring Furniture & Bed Show this month.
‘We’re looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones. The conversations we’re having right now are different to even a year ago. Retailers aren’t just browsing ideas: they’re actively looking for change.’
At the centre of those conversations is OMNIS Retail, Iconography’s platform designed to do the heavy lifting needed by furniture and bed retailers. ‘A big part of that is the fact OMNIS Retail is a truly unified system. One database, real-time stock visibility, and the same platform powering both ecommerce and in-store sales. That removes duplication, reduces errors and gives retailers complete confidence in their data.
‘Speaking with clients who have embraced the system, it’s clear that real world results continue to resonate. One used to have 10 people tied up in order processing. Today, that same workload is handled by one person, first thing in the morning. That’s a fundamental shift in how the business operates,’ says Robbins.
He says operational efficiency gains are a consistent theme. ‘Another retailer now processes 150 orders in the time it previously took to send just one. For others, the time savings are stark: we’ve seen businesses go from spending three days clearing weekend orders to completing the same task in a single morning. That kind of change frees up teams to focus on selling, not admin.
‘Catalogue growth also becomes easier to manage. One client doubled their SKU count without increasing headcount, something that simply wasn’t possible when products had to be uploaded individually. With OMNIS Retail, bulk management and automation remove that bottleneck entirely.’
Iconography continues to engage with retailers moving away from legacy platforms. ‘We currently have several Minerva members in build. They’ve reached a point where their existing systems can’t support the way they want to trade, and OMNIS Retail can solve so many of these common pain points.
‘Retailers know where they need to get to. Our job is to make that transition practical and commercially worthwhile. Visitors to stand 21 at the show can expect straightforward conversations, platform demonstrations and a clear view of what modern retail infrastructure can look like in practice.’
