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// PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // January/February 2016
Retailer Alignment
Retailers offer an important opportunity for improved Stra-
tegic Alignment, provided they have access to the information
they need; but this means providing information and service
that often extends beyond what is available through their lot-
tery terminal. Although most lottery terminals provide sophisti-
cated functionality for gaming operations, information provided
by the POS terminal is usually limited to what is processed by
the online gaming system, and lacks key performance improve-
ment information such as store rankings, evaluation results, and
progress toward goals and targets. Even retrieving the financial
reports that are available from a lottery terminal can be labor
intensive and time-consuming. What’s more, additional retailer
labor is often required to re-enter this data into a store’s finan-
cial reporting system. These limitations are especially true for
outlets associated with key corporate accounts, where a standard
accounting and reporting format defined by a corporate office is
required of all stores.
Providing retailers with easy access to a wider range of expand-
ed information, and making key reports and data available in
a format better aligned with the way they manage their stores,
lets them begin to actively align their actions to lottery priorities
because they are seeing opportunities faster. This is best accom-
plished with a secure, web-based Retailer Portal that allows each
retailer to access a custom set of scheduled and ad-hoc reports
that meet their exact requirements. These systems also provide
ready access to lottery news and announcements, store-specif-
ic inventory details, comparative sales analysis, store ranking
scores, promotion details and other information that is critical
to increased performance.
The specialized requirements of key accounts have tradition-
ally been addressed by creating custom reports that provide
financial data in formats specific to each company. Unfor-
tunately, this entails significant effort and resources. Today,
many major chains (including 7-ELEVEN, Wawa, and Cum-
berland Farms) rely on Retailer Portal systems for the chain-
wide or store-specific retail information they need, in the exact
format they require, without lottery or vendor involvement.
When a lottery’s retailers and key accounts, as well as the reps
that serve them, are aligned in purpose and have access to the
real time information they need, the common focus can con-
centrate on actions that have measurable results in terms of
improving lottery sales.
Getting Started with a Strategic Alignment Initiative
Working in close partnership with our clients, we have seen
how the benefits of Strategic Alignment can significantly im-
prove levels of retail performance and revenue growth. Much of
that improved performance came not only from automating ex-
isting functions, but by making it possible for LSRs, managers,
corporate account representatives, retailers and others to work
in Strategic Alignment based upon the lottery’s key objectives,
often for the first time in the organization’s history.
The system functionality most critical to successful Strate-
gic Alignment is the ability to make information and updates
available to all users, system-wide, in real- or near-real time, on
any device type including desktop computers, laptops, tablets
and smartphones. Solution platforms equipped with features
such as “Intelligent Alert” icons helps focus efforts on clearly-
prioritized, lottery-designated tasks, ensuring that LSRs and
other system users know exactly what their priorities are at all
times. The most flexible solution platforms include web appli-
cations that make retailer information available in a variety of
formats, including colorful and easy-to-read graphs that help
focus retailer efforts on the same key lottery priorities, and are
fully customizable to meet each lottery’s specific priorities for
Strategic Alignment.
Improving retail performance through operational Strategic
Alignment represents a logical evolutionary step in a success-
ful lottery’s business processes. The improved communication
among participants and the intelligent prioritization of efforts
that this initiative entails make a strong case for basing these ef-
forts on a flexible and customizable technology.
Embarking on a program of Retail Strategic Alignment is an im-
portant step in a business strategy focused on innovation and sales
growth, and one that will reap benefits for many years to come.
■
About Lapis
Lapis Software Associates LLC is a global-recognized industry sup-
plier providing lottery-specialized applications and retail sales support
solutions. Their product portfolio include the real-time gemIntelli-
gence
™
sales force automation system, and the gemRetailer™ portal,
providing extended retailer access through lottery websites.
Lapis recently introduced gemScore
™
, the lottery industry’s first
retail scorecard and benchmarking system. Find out more by visit-
ing
http://www.gemIntelligence.comor calling +1 973 884 4006 .