Computers in retailing

Almost all retailing organizations from department stores to supermarkets are extremely competitive. To meet the pressure of competition, retail organiza­tions are changing their structure from being organized around the flow of goods and services to being organized around the flow of information. Com­puters are helping to accomplish that change.

POINT OF SALE SYSTEMS Increasingly, retailers such as depart­ment stores and supermarkets are using computers to collect data about their sales and customers at the point of sale. Point-of-sale systems are computer-based devices located at the point at which goods and services are paid for. Scanners are input devices that exam­ine a pattern such as a bar code and convert it into a representation suitable for processing. Supermarkets have long used scanners at checkout counters to record sales. In such an application, scanners reduce labour costs, make the checkout process more accurate by eliminating misreading of price tags and improper cash register reading, and move customers through the checkout line faster, thus enhancing customer service.

Today, scanners serve as input devices to sophisticated computer systems that identify best-selling products, eliminate the less popular products and subtract the amount of purchase directly from the customer’s bank account.

The nature of customer service is not only changing, but it is becoming an ever more important part of the competitive retailing industry. Not only must a com­pany employ friendly people to handle customer service, but it must also lever­age technology to deal with customers. Computers help companies become more familiar with their customers’ needs and wants.

HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS Hotels and restaurants also use comput­ers to become familiar with their customer’s needs and wants. In hotels, front-desk systems retrieve a guest record when a credit card is passed through a special reader. Some larger hotels keep guest preference profiles on computer. When the guest checks in, everything is ready.

The fast-food industry is beginning to apply computers to the task of improv­ing the preparation, cooking, and deliv­ery of food. Taco Bell is testing a taco-making robot and a touch-screen order­ing system that allow customers to order meals in much the same way that an automatic teller machine lets a bank cus­tomer bypass a human teller. Managers in the fast-food industry believe that au­tomating mundane tasks will free em­ployees to place more emphasis on the customer-service side of the business.

3.4 Find synonyms.

Help, change, accomplish, collect, examine, convert, reduce, accurate, faster, talk, determine, begin, allow, alter, gather, permit, speak, transform, check, exact, quicker, cut, start, decide, fulfill, assist.

3.5 Put the verb into the correct form.

1. Point-of-sale systems __ _____ at the point where goods and services _______.(be located, pay for)

2. Scanners _______ at checkout counters to record sales. (use)

3. Computers ________ in fast-food industry. (apply)

4. A taco-making robot and a touch-screen ordering system _____ by Taco Bell. (test)

5. A pattern such as a bar code _________ by scanners. (examine)

3.6 Answer the questions.

1. What structural changes are taking place in retailing? Why?

2. What purposes are retailing organizations using computers for?

3. What input devices have been long used in supermarkets?

4. What are the results of scanner application in supermarkets?

5. What problems are solved with help of the computer in customer service?

6. What technology is applied in the fast-food industry?

4.1 Translate the following word-combinations from English into Ukrainian.

Graphic tools, a powerful tool, the evolution of printing technology, computerized typesetting, electronic tools, make possible, ancient culture, contemporary culture, high-technology tools, convey meaning, imaginary scenes, realistic images, still frames, the illusion of motion, artificial background, produce high-quality sound, dominant role, generate sound, a condensed description of the composition, three-dimensional colour graphics, virtual-reality research.

4.2 Learn key words and word-combinations.

beep (n)– звуковий сигнал

capture (n) – збирання (даних); (v) - збирати

computer graphics – комп’ютерна графіка

computer-generated – сформований (створений) з допомогою комп’ютера

computerized presentation – комп’ютеризоване зображення

computerized typesetting – комп’ютеризоване складання (тексту)

digital signal – цифровий сигнал

dimension (n)– вимір

display (n)– дисплей; пристрій відображення; зображення; (v) відображати, показувати

edit (v) - редагувати

feedback (n)– зворотній зв’язок

fiber-optic cable – волоконнооптичний кабель

graphics software – прoграмні засоби машинної графіки

hologram (n)– голограма

imaging system – система формування зображення

laser (n)– лазер

LCD(liquid crystal display) – дисплей на рідких кристалах

permutation -перестановка

photocopier (n)– фотокопіювальний пристрій

playback (n)– відтворення

synthesizer (n)– синтезатор

virtual reality – віртуальна реальність/середовище

4.3 Read and translate the text.

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