[{"_id":"project-settings","settings":{"translateMetaTags":true,"translateAriaLabels":true,"translateTitle":true,"showWidget":true,"isFeedbackEnabled":false,"fv":1,"customWidget":{"theme":"dark","font":"rgb(255, 255, 255)","header":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","background":"rgba(0, 0, 0,0.8)","position":"right","positionVertical":"bottom","border":"","borderRequired":false,"widgetCompact":true,"isWidgetPositionRelative":false},"widgetLanguages":[{"code":"es-LA","name":"Español (América Latina)"},{"code":"fr-CA","name":"Français (Canada)"}],"activeLanguages":{"fr-CA":"Français (Canada)","es-LA":"Español (América Latina)","de":"Deutsch","en":"English"},"enabledLanguages":["de","en","es-LA","fr-CA"],"debugInfo":false,"displayBranding":true,"displayBrandingName":true,"localizeImages":false,"localizeUrls":false,"localizeImagesLimit":false,"localizeUrlsLimit":true,"localizeAudio":false,"localizeAudioLimit":false,"localizeDates":false,"disabledPages":[],"regexPhrases":[],"allowComplexCssSelectors":false,"blockedClasses":false,"blockedIds":false,"phraseDetection":true,"customDomainSettings":[],"seoSetting":[],"translateSource":false,"overage":false,"detectPhraseFromAllLanguage":false,"googleAnalytics":false,"mixpanel":false,"heap":false,"sdkAnalytics":true,"disableDateLocalization":false,"ignoreCurrencyInTranslation":false,"blockedComplexSelectors":[]},"version":5293},{"_id":"en","source":"en","pluralFn":"return n != 1 ? 1 : 0;","pluralForm":2,"dictionary":{},"version":5293},{"_id":"outdated","outdated":{"#Studie von PwC <span ljsid-1=\"\">aus dem Jahr 2019</span>":1,"#aus dem Jahr 2019":1,"#von <span ljsid-1=\"\">Emily Baxter</span> on Oct <span ljsid-3=\"\">30</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2020</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Payments </a>":1,"#digits when the customers arrive at the store to pay.":1,"#Many merchants are moving towards a buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS), or curbside pickup option to provide the service of in-store retail but the distanced safety of online purchases. Digital wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay) are a popular payment method for these transactions to make the process even more contactless. The cardholder identity can be verified through a distanced interaction such as looking at a driver’s license or the original payment method to confirm the last":1,"#pandemic has driven the industry to consider alternatives that help reduce touchpoints within the physical store space. Some of these initiatives include:":1,"#The COVID-":1,"#I want signature first.”":1,"#Every bank that issues cards determines the verification methods that are supported. While many issuers are prioritizing PIN, many are still issuing cards that say":1,"#…from the credit card brand.":1,"#Terminals go through a certification process with every card brand; the certification requires that the terminals still support the ability to capture a signature.":1,"#…the payment terminal.":1,"#Card brands are advising a signature won’t play a factor in winning or losing a chargeback dispute, and many merchants are making this requirement optional. iQmetrix supports the ability to skip signature capture at the time of the transaction.":1,"#Signature Optional:":1,"#Traditionally seen as debit-only, PIN verification is becoming increasingly common on credit transactions.":1,"#Increase in PIN:":1,"#the terminal supports PIN, PIN will match. If the terminal doesn’t support PIN, a signature would be used instead.":1,"#if":1,"#Where":1,"#different credit and debit applications?":1,"#Did you know iQmetrix supports over":1,"#the impact of COVID, to say the payments landscape is changing is an understatement.":1,"#But with the shift away from signature-capture transactions paired with the increased use of digital wallets — like Apple Pay or Google Pay—":1,"#on Oct":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Joannah Connolly</span> on Jan <span ljsid-3=\"\">26</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2023</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> CES </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Wireless Trends </a>":1,"#3 Ways to Automate Your Reconciliation Process":1,"#Becoming data-driven is quickly becoming an expectation for businesses. If you're not on top of the numbers, you could fall behind the competition.":1,"#iQmetrix | 3 Ways to Automate Your Reconciliation Process":1,"#AutomationBenefits":1,"#r":1,"#Satori Studio, Shutterstock / Rawpixel, Shutterstock / Bangkoke":1,"#iQmetrix solutions are data-driven from the ground up, combining automated revenue reconciliation with functionality your wireless business can harness to succeed. Want to learn more?":1,"#Older methods of revenue reconciliation helped stores maintain the status quo, but today’s technology can help them seize the future. Hours once spent on accounting can now be spent on marketing, training, and customer service — the aspects of any retailer’s business that will truly move the needle.":1,"#The best accounting tools in the world are not helpful unless staff can use them easily and comprehensively. Search for solutions that makes accessibility a priority. Then prioritize training and education before the rollout of the new solution. In the best cases the revenue reconciliation process is so automated that it takes little to no user input at all.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>. Get staff onboard":1,"#total enterprise upgrade":1,"#, marketing, reporting, HR, and accounting all under one umbrella provide a <span ljsid-1=\"\">360</span>-degree retail solution. Stores are then able to collect data from more touchpoints, organize and analyze it seamlessly, and apply it across properties and sales channels. Automatic revenue reconciliation becomes just one aspect of a":1,"#It’s possible to automate just select aspects of revenue reconciliation, but the best solutions integrate these capabilities with other operational and accounting solutions. Systems that combine":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>. Find a comprehensive solution":1,"#Start by studying your current reconciliation process in-depth. This reveals where automation is likely to have the biggest positive impact. It also reveals what aspects of reconciliation are best left to humans. This knowledge helps you develop a use case for automation, in order to guide when, where, why, and how a solution is implemented.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>. Make the use case":1,"#Simply stated, automated revenue reconciliation makes life a lot easier. The question is not whether to implement it but rather how to implement it effectively. Follow these best practices to get the most from your accounting upgrade:":1,"#when trying to secure and sustain growth.":1,"#asset":1,"#huge":1,"#Automated revenue reconciliation leads to improved accounting overall. Decision makers have access to deeper insights in less time, which is a":1,"#Enhance reporting.":1,"#Revenue reconciliation takes a long time even in a small store. Automated revenue reconciliation handles the brunt of the workload. It’s a big relief for managers and frees up a lot of time and energy for other initiatives.":1,"#Save time.":1,"#is a non-issue when using automated revenue reconciliation. Key metrics are tracked in real time, making stocking, ordering, and reordering more efficient and effective.":1,"#too much or too little inventory":1,"#Dealing with":1,"#Improve inventory.":1,"#When both revenue and inventory are being reconciled at the same time, it’s much easier to identify and eliminate instances of theft.":1,"#Reduce theft.":1,"#complete and accurate information available":1,"#Smart processes are able to manage huge sets of transactional data with perfect accuracy. Financial decision making immediately improves because it’s based on the most":1,"#Eliminate errors.":1,"#Retailers are increasingly turning to automation to transform revenue reconciliation from an obligation into an asset. When more of the workload is handled automatically and intelligently, operations improve immensely. Just consider some of the benefits.":1,"#The benefits of automation":1,"#One of the greatest hazards is that since revenue reconciliation takes so much input, it is highly prone to error. Undertaking this task as a manual process leads to inaccurate ledgers and uncertain decision making, which can put the future of the store or brand in jeopardy. That’s why retailers should consider incorporating an automated revenue reconciliation process to eliminate these problems.":1,"#If you hear the phrase <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>revenue reconciliation” and groan a little, you’re not alone. For most retail managers, it’s a necessary evil rather than a labor of love. Closing the books on a daily basis is important, but it shouldn’t mean coming in early, staying late, and eating lunch in front of a spreadsheet.":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Stephanie Boyle</span> on Oct <span ljsid-3=\"\">9</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2018</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Retail Industry Trends </a>":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span> Ways to Automate Your Reconciliation Process":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Sive O’Neill</span> on Jul <span ljsid-3=\"\">18</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2019</span>":1,"#von <span ljsid-1=\"\">Allan Pulga</span> im Mai <span ljsid-3=\"\">13</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2013</span>":1,"#Business":1,"#As we celebrate the first year of our partnership, we remain committed to delivering value to our shared wireless customers. The integration enriched our solution, enabling our wireless clients to improve decision making and drive additional profit,” said Gregg Hodges, Chief Operating Officer at Envysion.":1,"#, has allows retailers to track and visually review key store performance metrics, stack rank average sale per cashier (to identify associates in need of sales coaching) and audit high risk transactions (such as refunds and discounts, for potential fraud or training issues). Wireless retailers benefit from an easy-to-use video web interface, tailored business intelligence reports and secure video clip sharing.":1,"#tool integrated with RQ":1,"#Envysion Insight, the only video-driven business intelligence":1,"#was a natural fit, granting wireless retailers unprecedented insight into daily store operations and facilitating improvements in merchandising, sales, loss prevention and customer service efforts,” said Kelly Kazakoff, Chief Operating Officer at iQmetrix.":1,"#with RQ":1,"#Integrating Envysion’s video-driven business intelligence":1,"#system’s reputation for helping retailers maximize data, grow revenue, increase efficiency and enhance customer experiences.":1,"#Retail Management System. The integrated solution significantly expanded Envysion’s footprint in the wireless industry, leveraging the RQ":1,"#) the leading Managed Video as a Service provider, today celebrates its first year of partnership with iQmetrix, and its successful integration with iQmetrix’s RQ":1,"#- Envysion®, Inc., (":1,"#VANCOUVER, BC - May":1,"#Retail Management System":1,"#Envysion Celebrates One Year Anniversary of Successful Integration with iQmetrix’s RQ":1,"#by Ash Kreider on Mar <span ljsid-1=\"\">2</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Ash Kreider</span> on Mar <span ljsid-3=\"\">6</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2024</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Mobile Industry </a>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Emily Baxter</span> on Oct <span ljsid-3=\"\">30</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2020</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Payments </a>":1,"#by Tara Bartlett on Oct <span ljsid-1=\"\">23</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2023</span>":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Joannah Connolly</span> on Jun <span ljsid-3=\"\">15</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2022</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Workforce Management </a> <a ljsid-9=\"\"> Partners </a> <a ljsid-11=\"\"> Featured </a>":1,"#Envysion Celebrates One Year Anniversary of Successful Integration…":1,"#Envysion Celebrates One Year Anniversary of Successful Integration with iQmetrix’s RQ4 Retail Management System":1,"#iQmetrix | Envysion Celebrates One Year Anniversary of Successful…":1,"#or call":1,"#www.envysion.com":1,"#s of users without straining the IT department or network. For more information, visit":1,"#s of locations and":1,"#) model which transforms video surveillance into a strategic management tool that provides instant and unfiltered business insights to users across operations, loss prevention, marketing and human resources. The MVaaS model enables Envysion to accelerate innovation by rapidly responding to market opportunity and making new capabilities immediately available to all users. Envysion’s platform quickly scales to":1,"#MVaaS":1,"#into the hands of the entire organization. Envysion created the Managed Video as a Service (":1,"#video-driven business intelligence":1,"#% by putting easy-to-use,":1,"#Envysion enables large, national retail, restaurant, cinema and convenience store operators to increase profitability":1,"#About Envysion":1,"#, iQmetrix is a privately-held software as a service (SaaS) company with offices in Canada and the United States.":1,"#Retail Management is a complete system for managing all aspects of a store chain operation, including POS, ERP, inventory and HR. When integrated specifically for wireless retailers, XQ and RQ allow users to effectively manage back-of-house operations and the in-store customer experience. Founded in":1,"#At iQmetrix, we are passionate about retail. Our purpose is to create great experiences for retailers, their employees and the end consumer. Our products bridge the gap between physical and virtual retail channels, offering the latest in retail management and customer experience technology. XQ Interactive Retail brings elements of online and mobile shopping experiences into the physical store to engage and educate shoppers during the purchase process. RQ":1,"#Envysion, Inc.":1,"#Ashley Schmidt":1,"#Envysion Press Contact:":1,"#iQmetrix Press Contact:":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>As we celebrate the first year of our partnership, we remain committed to delivering value to our shared wireless customers. The integration enriched our solution, enabling our wireless clients to improve decision making and drive additional profit,” said Gregg Hodges, Chief Operating Officer at Envysion.":1,"#Envysion Insight, the only video-driven business intelligence<sup ljsid-1=\"\">TM</sup> tool integrated with RQ<span ljsid-3=\"\">4</span>, has allows retailers to track and visually review key store performance metrics, stack rank average sale per cashier (to identify associates in need of sales coaching) and audit high risk transactions (such as refunds and discounts, for potential fraud or training issues). Wireless retailers benefit from an easy-to-use video web interface, tailored business intelligence reports and secure video clip sharing.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>Integrating Envysion’s video-driven business intelligence<sup ljsid-2=\"\">TM</sup> with RQ<span ljsid-4=\"\">4</span> was a natural fit, granting wireless retailers unprecedented insight into daily store operations and facilitating improvements in merchandising, sales, loss prevention and customer service efforts,” said Kelly Kazakoff, Chief Operating Officer at iQmetrix.":1,"#VANCOUVER, BC - May <span ljsid-1=\"\">13</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2013</span> - Envysion®, Inc., (<a ljsid-5=\"\">www.envysion.com</a>) the leading Managed Video as a Service provider, today celebrates its first year of partnership with iQmetrix, and its successful integration with iQmetrix’s RQ<span ljsid-7=\"\">4</span> Retail Management System. The integrated solution significantly expanded Envysion’s footprint in the wireless industry, leveraging the RQ<span ljsid-9=\"\">4</span> system’s reputation for helping retailers maximize data, grow revenue, increase efficiency and enhance customer experiences.":1,"#-- Joint solution from industry leaders helps wireless retailers improve operations and profitability --":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Allan Pulga</span> on May <span ljsid-3=\"\">13</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2013</span>":1,"#Envysion Celebrates One Year Anniversary of Successful Integration with iQmetrix’s RQ<span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span> Retail Management System":1,"#At its core, event-based architecture (also called event-driven architecture, or EDA) is a way of designing systems so that instead of one part of the…":1,"#Explore the Intelligent Commerce OS":1,"#Ready to connect the pieces? Explore the Intelligent Commerce Operating System to see how iQmetrix helps bring channels, payments, data, and teams into one connected operation.":1,"#That is the difference between a retail platform that keeps up and one that eventually gets left behind.":1,"#Event-based architecture isn’t just a backend design choice. It’s what allows telecom retail platforms to evolve as fast as the market around them. New capabilities, AI agents, partners, and channels can tap into events already flowing through the platform, instead of forcing teams to rebuild the foundation every time expectations change.":1,"#A Platform That Evolves with the Market":1,"#Because the iQ Platform is event-driven and AI-native by design, every event becomes a potential input for insight: captured, modeled into KPIs, and used to power forecasts, alerts, and recommended next actions. That’s the difference between a system that reports what happened and one that helps a team see what’s likely to happen next.":1,"#Intelligent automation, whether an AI agent, a forecast, or an alert, is only as good as the data feeding it. A system that only knows the current state can react, but it can’t reason about patterns or anticipate what’s likely to happen next.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>. AI-Ready Workflows That Get Smarter Over Time":1,"#In an event-driven model, an inventory movement fires as an event the moment it happens, and every channel subscribed to that data receives it right away.":1,"#Picture a customer buying the last unit of a phone in-store while another customer looks at the same phone online. In a system that only checks inventory periodically, there’s a real window where both purchases go through before anyone catches the conflict.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>. Real-Time Inventory Across Channels":1,"#It also means a journey can start on one channel and pick back up on another, a customer starting online and finishing in-store, for example, without losing the thread of what’s already happened. Order tracking becomes a full, traceable story instead of a status check.":1,"#With event-based architecture, because every step is captured as its own event, teams can see the complete path an order took, not just where it ended up. That includes support for how telecom retail actually sells: pre-orders, deposits, direct fulfillment, and split or deferred pickup.":1,"#A sale isn’t really a single moment. It’s a sequence: an order is created, moves through fulfillment, maybe gets partially fulfilled or picked up later, and eventually completes. In a system that only records the final state, most of that story disappears the moment it’s overwritten.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>. Order Lifecycle Visibility, From Creation to Completion":1,"#Three Use Cases: Where Event-Based Architecture Actually Shows Up":1,"#This is what makes the iQ Platform genuinely real-time, not just real-time in appearance. Built on that foundation, the Intelligent Commerce Retail Experience keeps inventory, orders, payments, and customer activity flowing across iQ Storefront, iQ Hub, and iQ Pay without each system constantly checking in on the others.":1,"#<strong ljsid-0=\"\">A full trace of what happened is always there to see.</strong> In a traditional system, when a record updates, the old version is usually gone. Event-based systems work differently. Every action is captured as its own event, so the platform isn’t just storing the current state, it’s preserving the complete, replay-able history of everything that happened. That history is what lets a team trace exactly what happened to an order, a device, or a payment, not just its current status.":1,"#That shift matters because it changes what telecom retailers can see, sync, and scale.":1,"#At its core, event-based architecture (also called event-driven architecture, or EDA) is a way of designing systems so that instead of one part of the software directly asking another part to do something and waiting for a reply, systems communicate by broadcasting that something happened. <strong ljsid-1=\"\">That broadcast is called an event.</strong>":1,"#What Event-Based Architecture Actually Means":1,"#Modern retail moves in real time: inventory changes the second a sale happens, and a customer expects the same accurate information whether they’re on a website, in an app, or standing in a store. That kind of responsiveness isn’t possible with request- driven systems alone. It requires a different architectural foundation, one built around events.":1,"#by Joannah Connolly on Dec <span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span>, <span ljsid-3=\"\">2024</span>":1,"#The iQ Terminal supports tap, chip, and swipe transactions, is fully EMV-certified, and provides a streamlined checkout process that enhances both speed and compliance. <a ljsid-1=\"\">Click here</a> to learn more about the iQ Terminal.":1,"#Alongside fully integrated EMV-capable payment terminals, RQ users can also leverage the <strong ljsid-1=\"\">iQ Terminal</strong> through <strong ljsid-3=\"\">iQ Pay</strong>. Seamlessly integrating with RQ, the iQ Terminal offers a modern, secure, and customer-friendly payment experience right at the counter.":1,"#iQ Pay Terminals for RQ":1,"#7 Retail Inventory Management Practices":1,"#Inventory can be a struggle. Too much, to little, no space. Sound familiar? Spare yourself the stress with these 7 alternative solutions.":1,"#Feature Photo: Dmitry Kalinovsky / Shutterstock.com":1,"#are only seven of the many ways your business can optimize inventory and ensure stock doesn’t go stale. Interested? Register for the upcoming iQmetrix Spring Cleaning webinar and refresh your stock with tips from the inventory experts.":1,"#Speaking of product visibility mentioned above, bringing data-driven logic to ordering can give retailers more opportunities for revenue growth. Relying on data, like historical sales and analysis of the impact of past promotions, helps retailers avoid the twin perils of overstocking and understocking. Using irrefutable data from your inventory center means avoiding the most common inventory turnover challenges. many ways your business can optimize inventory and ensure stock doesn’t go stale.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">4</span>) Bringing Data-Driven Logic to Ordering":1,"#, into an inventory management process allows retailers to offer an expanded array of products and accessories, without taking up valuable shelf space.":1,"#We know it’s not possible to stock every item; however, there are ways to ensure the customer can always leave with the product they want. Incorporating a fulfillment solution, like iQmetrix’s":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>) Go Beyond the Physical Stock":1,"#, businesses have an eagle-eye view of inventory data. It makes it easy to forecast stock requirements and automatically order popular items that keep customers coming back.":1,"#iQmetrix’s retail management solution, RQ":1,"#Retailers need to consider deploying the appropriate retail software, like those with vendor managed inventory (VMI) functionalities. These tools can integrate with and pull the necessary data from the most current internal retail management systems. With a fully VMI-integrated tool like":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>) Automating Inventory Management and Ordering":1,"#Understanding your inventory needs and ordering appropriately can be a huge win for controlling costs. Having visibility into what you have and what you need is vital to the success of the inventory manager. This allows them the opportunity to lower the per-item charges with bulk purchases and mitigate expansion costs by leveraging buying power with vendors.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>) Leverage Inventory Cost Control Opportunities":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">4</span> Ways to Improve Inventory Management in your Retail Store":1,"#But how do retailers get over their inventory obstacles? Well lucky for you, we wrote a guide on strategies for approaching inventory management.":1,"#system capabilities, it can mean a ripple effect of benefits for their entire retail business.":1,"#inventory management":1,"#When a retailer focuses on improving and rationalizing their":1,"#to help alleviate some of the challenges in keeping retail stores stocked. Through analysis of market trends and conditions, these partners help retailers keep inventory balanced with optimal stock levels.":1,"#vendor managed inventory partners":1,"#industry-leading":1,"#Whatever retail industry you operate in, you have undoubtedly had challenges with stocking, ordering, delivering and, most importantly, selling products to your customers. Trust me when I say, you’re not alone. iQmetrix works with":1,"#These three alternatives for inventory control can solve many problems encountered by brick-and-mortar retailers. Worried about not being able to sell a product that’s only available online? Endless aisle has got you covered. Concerned over your retail square footage? Consider drop shipping. What about those long nights counting stock for the holidays? That becomes so much easier with intelligent inventory. With these modern inventory management solutions, companies are in a better position to succeed.":1,"#Effective solutions for inventory management problems":1,"#Auto-generate purchase orders for convenient order fulfillment.":1,"#Gain real-time visibility into stock quantities and details.":1,"#View inventory history reports.":1,"#Many companies aren’t leveraging analytics to manage their inventories. According to <a ljsid-1=\"\">a report by Wasp Barcode Technologies</a> by Wasp Barcode Technologies, <span ljsid-3=\"\">43</span>% of small businesses manually track inventory stock or don’t even track it at all. Upgrading to an automated digital process can easily bring inventory control up-to-date. With <a ljsid-5=\"\">intelligent inventory</a>, retailers can harness big data to manage their stock and order more before they run out.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>. Intelligent inventory":1,"#Gain insight into product views and session durations, which can help determine what to stock more of in the future.":1,"#Easily update product pages through a centralized platform.":1,"#Enable customers to quickly find what product they’re looking for.":1,"#Customers have grown used to finding and ordering anything from online stores, whether it’s a rare baseball card from eBay or a specific pair of noise-cancelling wireless headphones in rose gold from Amazon. They expect the same flexibility when they walk into a brick-and-mortar store. That’s why sales associates need to have a digital tablet ready when they greet a customer, so they can offer the store’s entire catalog upfront. <a ljsid-1=\"\">Endless Aisle</a> is an effective way for retailers to bring the digital and physical components of shopping to the in-store experience.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>. Endless aisle":1,"#Ensure customers can easily receive their orders at home, work, or in-store.":1,"#Allow employees to focus on being <a ljsid-1=\"\">brand ambassadors</a> to help improve sales.":1,"#Minimize the amount of floor space required and save on rental costs.":1,"#Instead of using traditional techniques like just-in-time management, which relies on accurate forecasting and warehouse management duties, retailers can turn to a more convenient form of inventory control. By using <a ljsid-1=\"\">drop shipping</a>, they no longer have to store and ship items — cutting carrying costs and saving time. Once an order is submitted, the vendor or wholesaler is notified and they can handle this task instead. That means retailers can concentrate on more important matters, like providing their customers with a satisfying shopping experience.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>. Drop shipping":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span> Alternatives to Traditional Retail Inventory Management Practices":1,"#But making moves to keep inventory, well, moving, shouldn’t be left up to the small retailers; effective inventory management is beneficial for all business. Here are a few techniques that wireless retailers - big and small - can employ to keep stock fresh.":1,"#Traditional inventory control practices currently aren’t cutting it. According to a <a ljsid-1=\"\"><span ljsid-1-0=\"\">2019</span> study</a> by PwC, says that the distance between large and small companies is increasing and a main driver of this is in regards to inventory performance. Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO) is an efficiency metric used to understand how long a company holds inventory before selling it. Larger companies, on average, are able to clear out their stock rooms <span ljsid-3=\"\">27</span>.<span ljsid-5=\"\">8</span> days sooner than smaller businesses. However, smaller retailers are taking strategic measures to optimize their inventory which is reflected in a narrowing of the DIO gap.":1,"#Inventory management is a balancing act. If there’s a shortage of merchandise, retailers may lose out on potential sales. If there’s too much, retailers may have to deal with warehouse costs, spoiled products, out-of-season goods, or other concerns.":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Channing Kochylema</span> on Mar <span ljsid-3=\"\">20</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2020</span> in <a ljsid-7=\"\"> Retail Industry Trends </a>":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">7</span> Retail Inventory Management Practices":1,"#What’s more, once it was in place, it needed to be adaptable based on those moving goalposts mentioned earlier. Phee explains, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>RQ made a pretty simple, once we figured it out, to be able to change on the fly with Verizon, as they change their compensation when they offer SPIFFs to us to change sales behaviors. That made it easy for us to do that for our entire salesforce in a quick manner.”":1,"#Phee of TEAM Wireless explains that, since his stores run on RQ, most employees go directly to the commission reporting tools to show them exactly how much commission they will make on that sale. <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>Our team members have access to all that information. They’re very interactive with RQ on a daily basis as a tool to give them that transparency on commissions. And then we send daily reports out to all team members using BI [Business Intelligence] out of RQ. And we also use Shiftlab, which plugs into RQ, to help with our scheduling.”":1,"#Addington, who joined Shiftlab after many years of working directly in wireless retail, added, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>I see retailers that have seven different things that affect your commissions and by the end of it you think, hey, I sold this much, I should make this much, but they have all these rules in there that say, but if you do this then you lose a percentage. And if you don’t hit your protection sales target, then you lose a percentage. And in another situation, you lose it all. Plus, those rules are constantly moving the goalposts, by changing from month to month. That’s where it’s so confusing.”":1,"#Shiftlab’s Shawn Addington suggests that simple is better. <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>So many companies do two things: one, they change how they pay people so often that it confuses them. And two, they complicate it so much that workers feel like they’re being cheated of wages. And the truth is they just don’t understand how they’re being paid.”":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>You need a system where employees and their personal schedules and preferences are honored in the store shift schedules. And make it easy for employees to manage their schedules with features like shift and break reminders and the ability to request time off through a mobile app.”":1,"#It may be the easiest route, but this is where mistrust from employees takes root and can grow. One of the <a ljsid-1=\"\">CWA survey</a> respondents, who works at an authorized retailer-run store in Alabama, said his employer used a performance tracking tool with chronic <span ljsid-3=\"\"></span><span ljsid-5=\"\">“</span>system issues” that always calculated staff compensation discrepancies in favor of the store owner. Such a practice might result in higher profits for the retailer, but is highly unethical and creates an extremely negative culture that is ripe for pay disputes and staff resignations.":1,"#Addington explains, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>This is where it can get tricky. It can be a difficult push to convince retail operators of the need for that transparency. From their point of view, it’s often easier to limit the employees’ access to this kind of information. Some companies might even have the policy, which is not the right practice, of keeping this information limited and allowing the employees who notice something is off, to notice it and say something to rectify it — and allowing the ones who don’t notice it, to not notice. This is not the right thing to do ethically speaking, but as a company, this is oftentimes the easiest route.”":1,"#Shawn Addington of Shiftlab says, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>It’s important to bring all that information together in one view, where the employer is seeing all their shifts and the hours they worked, and what their hourly rates is they’re getting paid, and having that daily view that keeps them up to date. So, at the end of the pay period, there’s no moment of <span ljsid-5=\"\"></span><span ljsid-7=\"\">‘</span>what happened to my pay? I thought I’d worked this many hours last week, but I’m only being paid for this many.’ Having a system where employees get a daily look at where they’re at, not just for hourly wages but also all their commissions and bonuses, makes staff feel at ease and understand why they’re being paid that amount.”":1,"#Even an area that should be simple, like number of hours worked and the base hourly pay that is due, can be complex in the world of retail. Store associates might be scheduled to cover a shift, but give it to a colleague. They might work overtime, or through their break in order to leave early. They might turn up late and ask their colleague to punch them in on time — otherwise known as <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>buddy punching.” These and many other permutations of shift work can create confusion and mistrust between employee and employer, especially when it comes to pay.":1,"#Ultimately, communication, training, clarity, and understanding are the foundations on which to set up workers with their compensation structures. Bergman adds, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>In the vast majority of cases, I don’t think there’s any malice or intention to underpay workers. Retailer operators just have to use systems and tools to create the full transparency that’s needed from the start, so that expectations meet reality.”":1,"#An unintended consequence of commission-based earnings can be overselling — which in the telecom retail sector could result in a disproportionately high number of chargebacks for the associate. Bergman explains, <span ljsid-1=\"\"></span><span ljsid-3=\"\">“</span>Very good salespeople who understand the business will have relatively few chargebacks, because they have understood their customer’s needs and ability to pay and have sold accordingly. If I’m an aggressive salesperson, and I’ve sold you a six-line deal when you’re a two-person household, you’re more likely to deactivate several lines when you don’t use them, and then I’m hit with the chargebacks.”":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>You have to offer a competitive pay package, and clearly show how they will make their money, otherwise you won’t get any applicants,” Bergman told iQmetrix. <span ljsid-2=\"\"></span><span ljsid-4=\"\">“</span>In some ways, these employees have the ability to literally write their own check. By their own efforts they can dictate how much commission and bonuses and SPIFFs [sales performance incentive funds] they’re going to make. As an employer, you can explain what the base rate is and the commissions and the amounts that they would earn on these different elements that they sell, and they can create their own earnings goals for themselves.”":1,"#iQmetrix | Three Signals from MWC 2026 That Will Reshape Telecom…":1,"#Access the Telecom Retail Summit Recordings":1,"#The winner in telecom retail will not be the brand with the best digital app. It will not be the brand with the coolest store. It will be the brand that makes the two completely indistinguishable.":1,"#The operators and retailers who act now, who rebuild their retail architecture, who connect the digital front door to the physical experience, who lay the foundation for the agentic transition, will shape this moment on their own terms. The ones who wait will find that the experience layer has been claimed by someone else.":1,"#Despite all the AI energy at MWC, there is still little evidence that AI is driving network traffic growth on its own. The real monetization layer will come from services, experiences, and ecosystems, not raw bandwidth. The most strategic battleground is customer experience. Which is precisely the domain of telecom retail.":1,"#Barcelona made one thing clear. Telecom networks are rapidly becoming AI-native infrastructure. But the place where customers actually experience that infrastructure, the store, the app, the buying journey, is still built for a previous era. The next phase of telecom transformation will not be defined by faster radios alone. It will be defined by who reinvents the customer interface to that intelligent network.":1,"#The Window Is Open":1,"#This is where iQmetrix operates. Our primary role today sits within the orchestration layer that connects digital and physical channels across the retail ecosystem. We coordinate workflows, transactions, and data across systems, stores, and touchpoints. From that foundation, we are expanding further into the experience layer itself, supporting capabilities such as the mobile app for a CSP, helping operators create a more seamless bridge between the customer’s digital journey and the in-store experience. From app to chatbot to store. From intent to activation. One brand, one journey, many touchpoints.":1,"#The store is the absolute last physical defense against commoditization. And the operator that owns the digital front door, the AI touchpoints, the app experience, and the physical store as one connected system will own the customer relationship.":1,"#There is also a warning here that the industry should take seriously. The Motorola Rokr story from the <span ljsid-1=\"\">2000</span>s shows how incumbents can accidentally train their disruptors. In telecom retail, large operators risk unknowingly preparing the ground for Apple, Amazon, hyperscalers, and AI commerce platforms to capture the customer relationship layer. If a third-party brand owns the hardware, the ecosystem relationship, and the physical retail experience, what is exactly left for the carrier? Without an experience layer, carriers devolve into invisible utility providers competing on price alone.":1,"#Apple figured this out years ago. The Apple Store is not a distribution channel. It is the pinnacle expression of the brand, a physical interface for a digital operating system. It generates an estimated $<span ljsid-1=\"\">5</span>,<span ljsid-3=\"\">550</span> in sales per square foot, multiples more than the top telecom retailers. That gap is not about product superiority. It is about experience architecture. Apple treats the store as brand theater where service and sales become the same interaction. It trains guides, not clerks. The primary metric is dwell time and engagement, not throughput speed.":1,"#The modern telecom journey is a connected arc: the app builds awareness, the AI chatbot answers initial questions, the customer configures and pre-qualifies, and then visits the store to complete the transaction with a knowledgeable human. That arc should feel seamless. But too often it does not. A customer configures a plan in the app, selects a device, gets a trade estimate, sees a monthly price, and then walks into a store where the associate has no visibility into any of it. The store should feel like the crescendo of that journey. Instead it feels like a restart.":1,"#That dynamic is about to get more complex, not simpler. MWC <span ljsid-1=\"\">2026</span> made clear that the device ecosystem is expanding well beyond phones, tablets, and watches. Google demonstrated prototype Android XR smart glasses with live translation. Physical AI and embodied AI were prominent themes. Each new device category adds complexity to the customer interaction: catalogs grow, compatibility management becomes harder, activation orchestration gets more intricate. More devices means more complexity, and more complexity means a greater need for orchestration at the retail edge.":1,"#And yet, here is the reality that the digital-first narrative consistently overlooks: <strong ljsid-1=\"\">the majority of high-value telecom transactions still close in a physical store.</strong> Upgrades, trade-ins, multi-line family plans, device financing, accessory bundles. These are high-consideration interactions that involve physical product, personal guidance, and trust. Even as digital channels handle more of the discovery and qualification, customers are choosing the store for the moments that matter most. The digital journey builds intent. The store fulfills it.":1,"#For decades, the industry believed that location equals traffic, traffic equals acquisition, and acquisition equals growth. That model is over. Customers now expect clarity before they ever step into retail. They expect the brand to know them, to remember what they researched, and to make the in-store visit productive from the first moment.":1,"#Perhaps the most significant emerging pattern is the carrier app’s evolving role for existing customers. The app is no longer a billing portal. It is becoming the relationship engine. It notifies a customer that they are eligible for an upgrade. It surfaces the devices available at a nearby store. It lets them configure a plan, get a trade-in estimate, pre-qualify for financing, and schedule a device transfer appointment, all before they leave the house. The app is building intent, qualifying demand, and routing the customer to the right channel at the right moment. The front door to telecom has moved to the phone.":1,"#Digital leaders like T-Mobile, Verizon, and MobileX have leading app experiences with strong mobile identity, transparent plan logic, upgrade eligibility, real-time usage visibility, and in some cases, eSIM activation built in. T-Mobile’s T-Life app now handles roughly <span ljsid-1=\"\">75</span> percent of the company’s upgrades digitally. Verizon has embedded a Gemini-powered AI assistant into its My Verizon app that handles upgrades, billing, line additions, and account management, and reports that its <span ljsid-3=\"\">28</span>,<span ljsid-5=\"\">000</span>-agent service team saw a nearly <span ljsid-7=\"\">40</span> percent increase in sales after launch. AT&amp;T’s CEO confirmed that digitally fulfilled transactions will accelerate through <span ljsid-9=\"\">2026</span>. AI chatbots, voice agents, and self-service flows are rapidly becoming primary touchpoints for routine interactions.":1,"#The way customers enter and navigate the telecom relationship is being redesigned in real time. eSIM was everywhere at MWC <span ljsid-1=\"\">2026</span>. Amdocs launched a Global eSIM Traveler Solution. Juniper Research projects eSIM connections will exceed <span ljsid-3=\"\">1</span>.<span ljsid-5=\"\">5</span> billion over the next four years. But eSIM is just one dimension of a much broader shift in how customers engage.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">3</span>. The Front Door Has Moved, the Channels Are Multiplying, and the Store Still Closes the Deal":1,"#But the agentic store only becomes possible on a modern foundation. Telecom complexity is real. Every channel runs slightly different logic, and the experience fractures as a result. What the industry needs is a coherent orchestration layer: a real-time coordination engine that unifies product catalog, synchronizes pricing, shares eligibility rules, connects inventory, and maintains persistent customer state. Digital and retail have to subscribe to the same brain. That is the precondition for agents to actually work.":1,"#At our Summit, this is where the conversation became most forward looking. The store of the near future will not be a place where associates process transactions. It will be a place where AI handles routine complexity and humans handle judgment, empathy, and the moments that require trust. As hardware ecosystems grow more complex, the role of the human shifts entirely from transaction processing to complexity navigation. The goal is to train guides, not clerks.":1,"#One of the more striking observations from the MWC analysis is the speed mismatch between AI and telecom. AI evolves at internet speed. Telecom evolves at standards speed. That structural gap means that innovation will likely happen outside the network core first, in applications, commerce, retail, and digital journeys. This is where companies that operate at the retail and experience layer have a genuine advantage. Retail platforms and commerce systems can move faster than the core network stack.":1,"#The retail implications are already becoming concrete. At MWC this year, Microsoft introduced a telecom agentic store reference framework that replaces traditional click based journeys with natural language interactions where coordinated agents manage discovery, sales, billing, and support end to end. We also co presented several of our own agentic retail solutions with Microsoft at their booth. What this makes clear is that agentic retail requires deep orchestration across billing, activation, inventory, CRM, POS, and digital channels, which is exactly where iQmetrix operates, providing an orchestration layer that connects digital and physical journeys while enabling a unified digital experience layer.":1,"#Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon framed his entire keynote around the concept, calling <span ljsid-1=\"\">2026</span> the inflection point where agents redefine digital experiences beyond smartphones. Samsung elaborated that Galaxy AI is evolving from reactive tools into a truly agentic companion, demonstrating multi-step orchestration across apps, devices, and services. China Telecom’s leadership declared that AI has fully advanced into the Agentic AI stage, characterized by autonomous execution and intelligent collaboration.":1,"#If there was one word that defined MWC <span ljsid-1=\"\">2026</span>, it was agents. Not chatbots. Not assistants. Agents: autonomous, context-aware systems that act on behalf of users and businesses without requiring a human to sequence every step.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">2</span>. The Age of Agents Has Arrived, and Retail Is One of Many Proving Grounds":1,"#In other words, we are orchestrating the telecom retail experience at the point where the customer actually interacts with the brand.":1,"#This is the problem iQmetrix is solving at the retail edge. Our orchestration layer coordinates the systems that power telecom commerce across both digital and physical channels. By connecting device, inventory, plans, customer identity, and transactions across the ecosystem, we enable a unified digital experience layer where journeys can move seamlessly between mobile app, web, and store.":1,"#Telecom’s challenge is not just fragmented data, it is fragmented execution. Customer journeys today span billing platforms, activation systems, device lifecycle platforms, CRM, retail POS, ecommerce, and mobile apps. Completing a single upgrade or activation often requires multiple disconnected systems to work together in real time.":1,"#At our Telecom Retail Summit, the honest conclusion across the room was architectural. Most retailers are running on systems designed for a world that no longer exists. The stack itself has become the constraint. AI does not fix bad architecture. It amplifies it. The industry is reinventing the network, the compute layer, and the device layer, but the retail experience layer is still largely built for a previous era.":1,"#For telecom retail, the implication is direct. If the network is the nervous system, then retail is the sensory interface. Stores are where devices enter the ecosystem, where customers adopt new capabilities, where services are explained and trusted. The store becomes the human interface for an increasingly AI-driven network economy. But that interface only creates value if the systems behind it are as modern as the network powering it.":1,"#But here is the insight that deserves more attention. As the network becomes intelligent infrastructure, the strategic value shifts upward, toward the layers above it. Operators are actively searching for the value layer above connectivity. They have reason to search urgently. In the <span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span>G era, the industry failed to capture the platform layer. Apple, Google, and Amazon claimed it. The question now is whether the same thing happens again with the experience layer.":1,"#SK Telecom outlined a full AI-native rebuild of its network and customer systems, scaling its sovereign language model past one trillion parameters. Deutsche Telekom demonstrated MINDR, a multi-agent system built on Google’s Gemini models that autonomously monitors and corrects network performance across radio, transport, and core layers. Orange, SK Telecom, and others described ambitions to move from connectivity provider to digital ecosystem orchestrator. These are production commitments, not research prototypes.":1,"#MWC <span ljsid-1=\"\">2024</span> treated AI as a bullet point on a spec sheet. MWC <span ljsid-3=\"\">2025</span> positioned it as a competitive differentiator. MWC <span ljsid-5=\"\">2026</span> presented AI as infrastructure, as fundamental to mobile computing as the radio stack itself.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">1</span>. AI Is Now Infrastructure, and the Race for the Value Layer Above It Has Begun":1,"#I was in Barcelona not just to listen, but to convene. iQmetrix hosted the Telecom Retail Summit on March <span ljsid-1=\"\">4</span><sup ljsid-2=\"\">th</sup>, bringing together telecom operators, retail leaders, and technology innovators for a focused conversation about the future of telecom retail. We also had the opportunity to co-present with Microsoft at their booth, where we showcased several of our emerging agentic solutions and how they can begin to reshape the telecom retail experience. Three signals from the week stood out above all others, and each one carries real implications for the road ahead.":1,"#More than <span ljsid-1=\"\">109</span>,<span ljsid-3=\"\">000</span> attendees from <span ljsid-5=\"\">205</span> countries gathered at Fira Gran Via under the GSMA’s chosen theme: The IQ Era. Qualcomm’s CEO declared <span ljsid-7=\"\">2026</span> the year of agents. Samsung introduced its Galaxy S<span ljsid-9=\"\">26</span> as an agentic AI phone. Microsoft announced landmark AI partnerships with Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefonica. NVIDIA unveiled a coalition of a dozen global operators committed to building <span ljsid-11=\"\">6</span>G on open, AI-native, software-defined platforms. The NVIDIA narrative was especially telling: <span ljsid-13=\"\">5</span>G and <span ljsid-15=\"\">6</span>G are being repositioned not just as connectivity, but as AI infrastructure for the physical world. The network is becoming the nervous system. The question is who builds the sensory interface.":1,"#Every year, Mobile World Congress draws the global telecom industry to Barcelona to showcase what is next. Every year, there is more AI, more edge compute, more talk about transformation. But MWC <span ljsid-1=\"\">2026</span> felt different. This was not a show about what might happen. It was a show about what is already happening, and what operators can no longer afford to ignore.":1,"#by <span ljsid-1=\"\">Christopher Krywulak, CEO</span> on Mar <span ljsid-3=\"\">12</span>, <span ljsid-5=\"\">2026</span>":1,"#5 Trends and Challenges Disrupting the Telecom Industry":1,"#The telecom industry has seen rapid and huge changes over the past year—here are the biggest factors disrupting the space and causing retailers to pivot.":1,"#iQmetrix | 5 Trends and Challenges Disrupting the Telecom Industry":1,"#Read the State of the Telecom Retail Industry Whitepaper":1,"#Want to read more about the state of the telecom retail industry? Our whitepaper gives you a deeper dive into the trends disrupting the market today, and where the sector is headed.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>By bringing a whole new set of products to market that telecom retailers are not traditionally comfortable with, and don’t yet understand what they will mean or bring to consumers. <span ljsid-2=\"\">3</span>G and <span ljsid-4=\"\">4</span>G didn’t radically change the technology, the hardware, or rate plans, but that bubble that retailers have been working in will burst. <span ljsid-6=\"\">5</span>G will change products, rate plans, and services, as well as store operations in general. This will create both threats and opportunities.”":1,"#The rollout of <span ljsid-1=\"\">5</span>G will also disrupt traditional stores and the products they’re selling, added Hamer.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">“</span>Service and education will always be needed,” said Yaskowich. <span ljsid-2=\"\"></span><span ljsid-4=\"\">“</span>As these products and services get more and more complex, consumers will come to the stores for help. But the reason they are in-store for an hour shouldn’t be because they’re waiting around to be served and because the retailer’s system and processes are slow and cumbersome.”":1,"#And yet, for all that change, the reality is that most consumers still go into the store to complete the last mile of their purchase. Even with store closures and the pandemic, brick-and-mortar stores accounted for <span ljsid-1=\"\">63</span>% of sales between January and June <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span>, according to a <a ljsid-5=\"\">study by J.D. Power</a>.":1,"#The physical store model is changing. Black Friday as we knew it — crowds of shoppers waiting outside stores at dawn and fighting to grab the best deals — was proven all but dead in November <span ljsid-1=\"\">2020</span>, as shoppers moved online and stores largely remained quiet. To compete with initiatives such as Amazon’s Prime Day, as well as provide a safe shopping experience when encouraging shoppers to pack stores is not advisable, many retailers spread their deals and promotions over the course of several weeks. While online sales over the <span ljsid-3=\"\">2020</span> Thanksgiving weekend broke new records, in-store purchases decreased.":1,"#<span ljsid-0=\"\">5</span>. Physical stores and evolving products":1},"version":5293}]