Keeping goods moving, while making customers happy, is no easy task. Point of sale systems are increasingly mobile and ever-changing. That's why retail pros, ranging from route drivers to merchandisers and store managers rely on rugged Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers. These durable, lightweight devices help them get their jobs done faster and with more precision.

Merchandising Solution

Retail merchandisers and detailers need to create exciting visual environments that encourage consumers to buy. Out-of-stock items and poorly organized displays can mean missed opportunities and lost sales. In today's fast-paced retail environment, technology that enhances creativity, speed and efficiency is essential.

Panasonic Toughbook computers help visual merchandisers manage multiple brands and products from store to store. A full Windows® operating system, fast Intel® processors and large touchscreens allow merchandisers to design and display detailed plan-o-grams—on the spot—for more inviting store promotions. Merchandisers can capture and transmit wirelessly a high quality picture of the display for compliance purposes via the embedded wireless radio. This wireless connectivity also gives them instant access to inventory levels, order history and return information, which helps initiate and speed the invoicing process.

Powerful multimedia capabilities give detailers the ability to photograph product placement in actual store conditions and to conduct competitive price surveys right from the floor. Lightweight, yet rugged, Toughbook computers offer drop- and spill-resistant engineering and long battery life to ensure merchandisers have a reliable mobile computing solution that can get them from the storeroom to the selling floor.

Mobile Point of Sale and Line-Busting Solution

Customers don't like to wait. Long check-out lines and outdated manual processes can prove disastrous in the high-demand, fast-paced world of retail. Slow customer service can lead to lost sales and erase the chance for any repeat sales.

Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers help retailers take the cash register to the customer, improving the mobile point of sale experience and creating a more efficient line-busting solution. Lightweight and equipped with real time connectivity, Toughbook rugged tablet PC's and ultra-mobile computers are used by employees to take customers' orders when long lines form at the check-out counter or when assisting shoppers with hand-picked items or gift registries. Orders are then instantly synched to the system in the back office, streamlining operations while improving the customer experience.

Engineered for durability, Toughbook computers give frontline workers greater flexibility to operate in any retail environment where drops, spills, bangs and other factors would likely damage ordinary devices. Large touchscreen displays allow sales associates to navigate inventory management or other retail software quickly. Whether retrieving in-stock information, entering shipping data or processing credit cards, Toughbook laptops make it easy.

Toughbook mobile computers streamline workflows and increase efficiency, saving retailers money and making customers happy all day long.

Pre-sales Solution

Retail pre-sales consultants can't afford to waste the time of the busy store buyer. These mobile sales pros must be able to use their computers to access the latest product information, showcase promotions and merchandising opportunities, as well as take orders in the field. Salespeople's failure to have information at their fingertips can leave retailers looking to the competition for the next "hot" item to sell.

To maximize time spent in front of store buyers, companies are equipping field sales representatives with Panasonic mobile computers. The result is a faster and more effective sales call. Real time connectivity through integrated wireless communications allows sales reps to access a customer's sales history, check order status, conduct product surveys and photograph product placement—on site. All this information can then be uploaded to the company's database for faster administration of information.

Multimedia presentations, video commercials and digital images have become standard elements of today's in-store product presentations. Panasonic Toughbook computers feature fast Intel® processors combined with easy-to-navigate touchscreen displays that ensure stress-free control over these interactive digital assets. Toughbook devices come in different form factors to accommodate the variety of work styles and needs of various organizations; from lightweight rugged laptops to rugged tablet PC's to fully-rugged UMPC's. They all employ magnesium alloy for structural protection, drop- and spill-resistant engineering and long battery life to ensure sales reps have a reliable computing solution they can depend on—all the time.

Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers provide pre-sales professionals the portability and computing power they require in today's mobile retail environment, allowing them to better service their customers and actually complete more calls per day.

Retail Mobile Manager Solution

For years, the best managers have perfected the practice of "managing by walking around." For retailers, this has been an imperative for years. Anything from stockouts and spills to irate customers and employee meetings keep managers away from the floor. But in today's fast-paced retail environment, two feet simply aren't enough. Retail professionals need access to information and must be able to make decisions quickly and accurately wherever they are.

That's why they are turning to lightweight, portable Panasonic Toughbook computers. These mobile solutions are loaded with complete Windows® operating systems, providing back-office functionality from anywhere. With the ability to run any Windows application—plus full wireless connectivity—retail managers are just a few seconds away from their Excel spreadsheets or the company's ERP reports. That means they can check on deliveries, locate inventory, make ad hoc adjustments and even send and receive emails to vendors, customers and employees.

Combining long battery life with drop- and spill-resistant engineering, Toughbook computers are designed for mobile productivity, reliability and durability. Many Toughbook models come with touchscreen displays that can accept input with a digital stylus or mulit-touch gestures, making it easy for managers to collect and record information on store inspections or automatically create and distribute staffing schedules.

For retail managers who want to keep customers happy and goods moving off their shelves, Toughbook computers are the perfect mobile assistants.

Route and Direct Store Delivery Solution

Like many businesses, retailers are forced to work with a leaner staff. That means more responsibility falls on vendor route and direct story delivery personnel to stock and display products on store shelves. These mobile workers can't rely on paper-based or home-office entry of inventory and customer data; these older methods lower driver productivity and negatively impact more profitable activities such as in-store merchandising.

Successful vendors are streamlining deliveries and driving more sales by equipping their drivers with Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers. A full Windows® operating system works in tandem with integrated wireless features to give drivers the ability to access, enter and transmit data, whether in the truck or on the store floor. This means delivery personnel capture price, promotion, invoicing and authorization information—in the form of electronic signatures—in real time, without the use of paper forms or the need to manually re-enter data back at the office. Drivers can also access the latest warehouse or store delivery instructions in order to avoid back-door delays that affect on-time performance.

With the Toughbook computers' myriad of built-in options, including barcode scanning, RFID support and GPS capabilities, vendors have more visibility into, and ultimately control over, their deliveries and inventory—from manufacturer to the store shelf and every mile in between. Easy-to-navigate touchscreen displays allow delivery drivers to instantly upload information to existing inventory management systems to produce real time reports on product availability. Ergonomically engineered, Toughbook computers are lightweight and rugged, providing drivers with a practical and reliable computing solution on the road.

Companies are leveraging Toughbook computing solutions within their delivery routes, allowing them to streamline activity at the back door and maximize time at the store shelf.

Route Sales Solution

Route sales personnel have schedules to keep with little time to spare. Outdated handhelds with limited functionality only slow the pace. Paper processes and delayed communications can quickly put the brake on their ability to effectively deliver and sell products along their scheduled routes.

To help these salespeople move to a more mobile, efficient workflow process, organizations are turning to Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers as a solution to address both the "route" and "sales" sides of retail. Barcode scanning, RFID support and integrated wireless connectivity allow route sales to scan items prior to restocking shelves or removing products from display. This information is instantly transmitted to inventory management systems for real time status on available stock.

GPS capabilities enable drivers to better plan their routes and find the most efficient ways to reach their customers with automated turn-by-turn directions. Better route planning means more on-time deliveries, happier customers and lower maintenance and fuel costs. Combining the power of a full Windows® operating system with drop- and spill-resistant engineering, long battery life and shock-mounted hard disks, Toughbook computers provide drivers with a fully-rugged system that withstands the rigors of continuous trips between the truck and the store shelf.

Panasonic's comprehensive mobile solutions help manage route sales resources based on what matters most: on-time performance, productivity, miles driven and generated revenue.