The UK's retail sector has suffered some serious issues in recent weeks around its technology systems.
Sainsbury's was unable to fulfil its customer deliveries in March, then again in April, due to software failures. Gregg's had to temporarily shut several stores due to an error in its payment systems. McDonalds had a similar problem in stores across the UK, Australian, Japan and Hong Kong, and the likes of Tesco and Barclays have also had major problems. Meanwhile, Asda chiefs have come under fire for pushing ahead with an incomplete transition that led to thousands of staff being paid incorrectly, causing financial pressures for many of them.
It seems as though many of our UK retail giants aren't investing enough time and money into safeguarding and maintaining software and computer systems. This is a problem with a far wider reach than just their IT or operations departments having to struggle frantically to fix problems.
In an age where customers are being told that more and more of their retail experience will be done online, by automation and even AI, they need to have faith in the technology. If a store's software crashes and stops their groceries being delivered, why should they remain loyal to it, when they have busy lives juggling families and work and need goods to be there when promised? If a retailer can't process payment information efficiently, how can they be trusted with debit and credit card details – surely they are vulnerable to cybercrime?
There's more retail choice than ever out there for consumers. A simple software upgrade foul-up shouldn't be a reason for their patience to be tested by your business and look elsewhere.
Retailers, both big and small, need to focus more on Quality Engineering in their computer systems. This means changing company culture so that its approach to problems is preventative, not reactionary.
Regular, detailed analysis of a retailer's software, technology and maintenance resources is vital. It needs to constantly ensure that they meet the evolving needs of the firm, from new sales initiatives to streamlined ways of staff working. This requires frequent testing of systems – automated, if possible. It means talking to shop-floor staff, delivery teams, IT departments and others to allow them to flag up glitches, concerns and views about what they may need in the near future to continue to serve customers as best they can. Quality assurance reviews are key to maintaining and developing good standards, including with the testing procedures.
Better preparation should stop most problems developing. But when they do slip through the net, retailers must have more detailed mitigation plans that staff are well-rehearsed in and can follow to make sure that, while a software failure might cause short-term internal problems, it'll go largely unnoticed by customers.
The precise reasons for the software and tech problems that blighted the operations of Sainsbury's, Tesco and the like will no doubt emerge over the coming weeks. But other problems may arise, too. These incidents should be a wake-up call for retailers of all sizes to analyse their systems, remove or mitigate and vulnerabilities and make their tech capabilities fit for a fast-changing future.
For further information on Roq's Quality Engineering services for firms in sectors including retail, banking, healthcare, automotive, public sector and more, visit: