How Connected Spend Helps Retailers with Christmas Craziness
If you work in retail, you’ll likely have spent your summer planning for Christmas. And now that it’s officially autumn, the run-up to the festive season is well and truly upon you. If you’re feeling the pressure, there are ways to make next year a little more relaxed…
There are hundreds of things on your to-do list. And there’s mounting pressure to make this year better than the last. Now is not the time to suddenly overhaul your entire operations. But, you can start thinking about what you would do differently next year.
For example, imagine a Christmas where your expense, travel and invoice spend could be managed all in one place…
Simplified Travel Bookings
The new Christmas displays are going up in all your stores and you need to visit each one to make sure they’re present and correct. Or perhaps you run an online operation, and now is the time to boost team morale with an offsite event.
Either way, you’ll probably be booking travel up and down the country, as well as some overnight stays. That in itself is a logistical nightmare, let alone having to manage the whole laborious booking process.
What if your travel bookings were completely automated? You can easily assess your options at approved rates, without having to worry about whether it’s compliant with company policies. You could have everything booked with a couple of clicks.
On the Move Expenses
After several days on the road or rail, the bottom of your bag is littered with receipts – everything from fuels costs and train tickets, to team lunches and the odd purchase. The last thing you want to be doing is manually submitting every expense claim into a slow and outdated system.
What if you could automatically collate expenses by taking a photo of the receipt with your smartphone? You’ll get your money back without having to wait for months – so you can get your own Christmas shopping sorted – and you don’t have to hold onto piles of paper.
Connected and Controlled Cash Flow
You’ve bought all the merchandise, allocated it to all the stores, and planned for replenishment in preparation of the crazy Christmas sales. Cash flow has never been more crucial.
What if you can minimise errors, payment delays and manual processes to make sure you’ve got all your supplier invoicing covered? Everything’s automated so processes are streamlined from start to finish, and you’ve got the wiggle room to scale up if it’s a particularly big year.
The small, quick wins sometimes make the biggest difference, especially if they give you back time and energy to refocus elsewhere. Connect your expense, travel and invoice spend with SAP Concur, and Christmas will be an absolute breeze.
Ready for a more streamlined 2019? Visit our website to see SAP Concur at work in the retail sector
