Teamwork Commerce Helps Fao Schwarz “Return To Wonder” In Nyc with Apple Devices

Teamwork Commerce Helps Fao Schwarz “Return To Wonder” In Nyc with Apple Devices

The renowned experience in its new location at Rockefeller Plaza was conceptualized by FAO Schwarz to be fully interactive, rooted in both nostalgia and forward-thinking applications. The new store embraces modern mobile technology from Apple and Teamwork Retail to create an interactive experience for customers, and to empower and enable associates.

When building out the new experience, the team had several requirements:

  • Powerful, reliable devices that can serve customers anywhere in the store
  • Instantly familiar user interface so guests can easily create their dream toys
  • Devices that are secure and always up-to-date
  • A robust and easy-to-use development platform to enable FAO Schwarz to create their own apps for distinct shopping experiences like RC Raceway and Baby Doll Adoption
  • A robust retail solution that could easily be managed
    Devices that retain their usefulness and value over time

For all these reasons, FAO Schwarz chose Apple as the best fit for its business. Throughout the store, guests and Team members interact with iPad and iPhone to power experiences like the RC Raceway, where guests design their own race car using iPad and build it with mechanics onsite. In the Baby Doll Adoption experience, nurses and doctors interview potential new parents using an iPad on a clipboard. To speed guests through checkout, team members are on hand throughout the store with iPhone and iPad, allowing customers to pay instantly and securely with Apple Pay. Apple TV 4K displays product videos throughout the store, and there is a Mac mini behind the scenes serving media content server and as security access control.

FAO Schwarz offers customers mobile checkout and powers its other store operations on iOS cloud commerce provider, Teamwork Retail. Teamwork’s mission for over a decade has been to remove the friction from retail, and we recognized the need to help retailers constantly evolve. In response, Teamwork built an agile platform exclusively on iOS — because Apple makes the best products and ground-breaking features, providing immense value in the retail enterprise.

Michael Mauerer, CEO of Teamwork Retail said “Apple provides the quintessential mobile platform for Teamwork to achieve its mission of frictionless commerce. We are extremely excited and proud to be an Apple mobility partner, and most of all to help our customers, like FAO Schwarz, achieve retail perfection.”

The most engaging and successful retailers today stay close with their customer, strive to remain engaging and interesting, and to keep the shopper feeling valued and coming back. This is where Teamwork Retail comes in. With our solution, retailers are able to accomplish seamless, engaging commerce that is ready to evolve with changing trends.

The key to successful brick and mortar stores today is delighting customers and staying current with the technology landscape. A store is the perfect place to focus completely on and entertain the customer so they can enjoy themselves. It’s a place for a brand to make an impression that keeps customers coming back and wanting more.

FAO Schwarz has made this a priority and its triumphant return, with their magnificent customer experience, is a showcase for the evolution of retail.

For more information about FAO Schwarz and Teamwork Retail, please contact Amber Hovious at ahovious@teamworkretail.com

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Commerce Talks EP3: Ron Sparks

Commerce Talks EP3: Ron Sparks

Guest Bio

Ron Sparks | Lead Mobile Product Design

As a key member of the product design team, Ron is tasked with the difficult challenge of turning innovative features into a reality, with a well structured & clean interface that enables rapid training and supports a range of functionality seamlessly. Ron has an extensive background in design, he helped to design and deploy self checkout UX/UI in Japan, worked for Nike & eBay prior to joining Teamwork Commerce. He currently blogs around the creative process and is an advocate for customer centric user experiences.

Overview

Product Design Is Complicated

Designing user experiences is a significant challenge embracing many considerations, for technology companies designers have to focus on creating user experiences that are simple to use and easy to engage with. In the context of Teamwork Commerce these user experiences have to support the goal of the platform: being a seamless part of the retail experience.

Innovation

User experience, design and growth are all individual factors and must be considered tangentially as well as separately, not every experience has to be customer centric. But, all user experiences must be engaging, seamless and supportive of the goal of the retail experience. Design needs to be flexible and support the retail experience.

You V. The Customer

While it may seem that an experience should be designed from your vision, it is also essential to realize your desire is not the same as the customer’s. Impulsively designers will work to show the value of the backend & it’s complexity to evaluate the experience. But, customers just want the value. A key concept in writing is show, don’t tell. The efficacy of a user experience is truly evaluated by the customer being seamlessly able to complete their desire without being slowed down by the interface.

Ron has a blog centered on his design ethos as well as trends in the world of user experience design. If you would like to read more about his approach: http://ron-sparks.com/

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Security Or Speed In The Payment Process

Security Or Speed In The Payment Process

Increased Security

The chip on a contactless card communicates with the POS device through short-range wireless technology by virtue of an embedded antenna. Upon tapping a contactless card, a cryptographic code is created unique to this transaction. Ensuring that merchants can track payments and minimize the risk of fraudulent transactions.

But, this comes with additional hardware requirements at the point of sale. Many card processing tools do not process both EMV and NFC so retailers have to ensure that the selected terminal technology is suitable for brand relevant customer requirements. If a lot of customers pay from mobile apps, NFC could be more relevant.

EMV has been so effective in reducing fraud that even credit card companies who typically bear the higher costs of producing contactless cards, aren’t hesitant to support the technology given the reduction in fraud risk.

Speed

What can be faster than a simple tap on a card processing device. On the customer side, the contactless experience is seamless: Customers can simply place their card on the payment tool and in seconds the transaction is complete. But, for retailers this process can be more complex, with additional security driving increased processing times. Leveraging hardware that is designed to handle the complexities of contactless payments is critical, 17 seconds is very different from 70 seconds.

Customers need speedy transaction times, this has only become increasingly relevant in the last 6 months, as retailers across the globe have scrambled to take payments at the curbside, or find contactless solutions to reduce the high touch requirements of traditional tools. For retailers, contactless payments reduce a key pain point in the shopping process. Rather than waiting for a customer to enter a pin, or swipe their card, retailers can have their customers quickly tap a card to complete the purchase.

While this is only available on lower priced purchases this flexibility at the point of payment helps to quickly filter through customers that prioritize the convenience of brick-and-mortar. Experience focused customers are also supported in this process, retail staff are able to focus more on these customers, providing them attention and support as needed.

Comfort & Convenience

Much of the merchant payment processing experience for customers is all about speed, how quickly and easily they can pay and get out. Customers do not want to wait in line, and they also do not want to wait to pay. Retailers and credit card processors have spent years refining their point of sale experience, ensuring that customers feel comfortable and can easily purchase their products. Simply tapping one’s card on the payment tool and then leaving the retail environment is about as simple as the process can be.

Customer experience has also shifted in 2020, consumers now demand comfort in a different format. Customers want to feel safe in the retail environment, accessing all the precautions needed to ensure their safety and continued health. Even the World Health organization has stepped out in favor of contactless payment tools. Many central banks have resorted to quarantining physical bills, or burning banknotes to reduce the risk of passively spreading the virus.

29% of consumers are “extremely” or “very worried” about catching Coronavirus from physical money and so are primarily using card payments. Consumers are also concerned about catching the virus from a card payment, through a retail staff member physically touching the card. This is reflected in the data too, 30% of consumers have started using contactless payment methods since the outbreak started. It is highly likely that this shift will be permanent, customers now understand the value of contactless payments as well as the reduction in health risks as a result.

Teamwork Commerce + Global Payments Integrated

Global Payments Integrated is part of the Teamwork Commerce integration ecosystem, enabling retailers to create an optimal customer experience all the way through to the payment process. With a range of payment tools for retailers of all types Global Payments Integrated is the ideal hardware provider for physical retail transactions. With Genius, retailers can accept a myriad of payments, speed up checkout and boost customer engagement at the point of sale. From gateway to acquiring, Global Payments Integrated is a key partner in the Teamwork Commerce retail ecosystem.

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Commerce Talks EP2: Leigh Lawrence

Commerce Talks EP2: Leigh Lawrence

Guest Bio

Leigh Lawrence | Training Specialist at Teamwork Commerce

As the training specialist at Teamwork Commerce, Leigh works hard to educate and support Teamwork Commerce staff, clients and partners across the world to gain a complete comprehension around the complete functionality and utility of the Teamwork Commerce platform. She provides a high level overview of the platform, in addition, to targeted training sessions around key elements within the Teamwork Commerce ecosystem.

Overview

Starting With Teamwork

Leigh came to Teamwork Commerce after a long term experience running a Brick & Mortar game store. This experience enabled Leigh to learn a lot about the day to day operations of a retail environment, establish a strong backend comprehension of point of sale, order management & inventory control. Leigh actually used an early iteration of the Teamwork Commerce platform in her retail store, this experience practically educated Leigh on the functionality and efficacy of the Teamwork platform, inspiring her to join the Teamwork Commerce team.

The Teamwork Ecosystem

Retailers can benefit from an array of Teamwork Commerce functionality, provided across the ecosystem. For Leigh gaining an understanding of the complete opportunity for backend management as it pertains to driving more engaging store experiences is critical. Teamwork Commerce is more than just a POS – the platform offers a full range of functionality from inventory management to Order Management System.

The Training Process

Educating clients, partners & staff around the complete feature set, enables retailers to create a more effective and valuable system. An effective training process is critical to drive engaging retail experiences and ensure optimization of the in – store and omnichannel sales process. With Teamwork Commerce & effective backend training retailers are able to access valuable sales experiences.

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Commerce Talks EP1: Jonathan Mauerer

Commerce Talks EP1: Jonathan Mauerer

Guest Bio

Jon Mauerer | VP of Operations

As the VP of operations at Teamwork Commerce, Jon works with clients across the globe, coordinating incoming clients and driving continued engagement after the sale. In his role he works closely with all internal departments throughout the organization as well with Teamwork Commerce’s partners, clients and prospects. In this episode he’ll be sharing the history of Teamwork, providing an overview of our retail management software solution.

Overview

The origins | 2011

Teamwork Commerce started on the iOS platform in 2011, launching as a mobile point of sale platform for retailers, enabling an engaging retail experience. Over time the retail tool has developed to embrace all key functions of retail including: Order Management, Inventory Management, eCommerce, Analytics & Customer Relationship Management.

The Functionality | Modules

Mobile Point of sale exclusively running on iOS devices

The Cloud Backend

The point of sale is natively integrated into the backend system enabling endless aisle functionality, cross channel order management software and essential tools to support frictionless commerce for the consumer. Our clients can provide a singular experience for the customer regardless of the channel they are shopping on.

Real Time Availability | Seamless Experience

Retailers need to be able to view inventory across channels, with Teamwork Commerce we recognize the location of every SKU to drive a true endless aisle experience, products can be readily identified, allocated and shipped to a location or customer all directly from the point of sale platform.

The Partner Ecosystem | Best Of Breed

Teamwork Commerce leverages extensive partnerships across a range of technology solutions to drive effective operational efficiencies across channels. The goal of Teamwork is to great the best group of partners that enable an out of the box experience to drive engaging retail experiences everywhere.

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