When it comes to mobile data collection, it’s essential that retail field teams are equipped with an optimally effective input system.
After all, it’s the retail field teams that bring critical store-level performance data to corporate departments, who in turn use it to draw insights and make merchandising decisions. A mobile data collection system should enable, not hinder, this dynamic process. An easy to use and efficient mobile application is key to all of this—so let’s examine some best practices for mobile data collection at the input level.
In the world of mobile application design, ease of use is paramount. For one thing, that means a simple and streamlined interface that won’t confuse users and facilitates a quick path to execution. Fast performance and immediate responsiveness are a must. The best mobile apps emphasize function first. In the case of mobile data collection, this means structuring forms in a way that’s intuitive—with question prompts offering multiple choice answers or a drop down menu for easy selection at the onset and for standardization purposes on the back end. All of this will go a long way to protect against detrimental user errors and input mistakes, ensuring consistency and significantly increasing productivity.
Speaking of productivity, a mobile application with the ability to leverage rich media features will boost productivity even further. Mobile data collection applications that incorporate such vital information as GPS location details, time stamps and photos of in-store displays provide a profoundly valuable, detailed and reliable panorama of how things stand in the field. This rich media intelligence gathered by retail field teams improves operations across the board, engendering new data insights and improved merchandising decisions.
GoSpotCheck’s simply designed, rich-media enhanced mobile data collection application works wonders for businesses with operations across multiple locations. You’ll be amazed by the new findings gleaned by our system—an awareness that starts with clear and extensive store level performance data, gathered by field teams on their smartphones and tablets.
