Software can help your business or hurt it, it all depends on how you use it. One thing’s for sure though — in today’s world, it’s impossible for any business to ignore software. It’s common for business owners to feel overwhelmed by new tech, and be afraid to use software that could make their lives a whole lot easier. But it’s important to move past this: done right, the software can save your business a huge amount of time and resources. In this post, we’ll go through a few tips to help you integrate technology in your restaurant business.Automate Your Email MarketingIf you’re creating new emails every week or two and sending them out one by one, you’re doing it wrong. Email marketing software can help you build automated campaigns, making the task immeasurably easier. Website visitors subscribe on your website, which triggers an email series to be sent to them according to the schedule you choose.

This approach works, too: more than 75% of revenue generated from email marketing comes from automated triggered campaigns. For best results, remember to track metrics and tweak future campaigns accordingly. Pay particular attention to open rates, click-through-rates, and unsubscribes.Make Your Customers Fiercely LoyalIt may be time to update your loyalty program — 73% of consumers are more likely to join a loyalty program if it’s tied to their mobile wallet. This way, you’ll also get great insights into what customers are buying, and you can use the data you gather to send tailored recommendations and offers to them — a win-win.

Make Inventory Management Failsafe

Managing inventory can be a real chore if done manually, but this is yet another area where software can help. Inventory management software helps simplify the process massively, connecting your inventory directly to your point-of-sale system to update numbers in real time automatically. You can set threshold numbers so you’re alerted if the stock dips below a certain level, allowing you to quickly re-order in advance.

Reduce Theft

In retail, it’s no secret that theft happens, with fashion and accessories being the area with the highest shrinkage rates. This isn’t an unavoidable problem, though. Tech can help, RFID for example. This way, each tagged item has a unique ID and can be tracked. This helps you quickly determine whether that missing pair of shoes was really stolen or just slipped down the back of the shelves.

Keep Your Data Safe

It’s not just physical good — digital data is also at risk of theft. That includes customers’ payment details, your financial records, and other sensitive information. Basic defenses like antivirus and firewall are a basic requirement, but you’ll need to do more.  Use strong regularly changed passwords, train your team to recognize common threats (like shady attachments and phishing emails), and revoking access when an employee leaves.

Make Scheduling Simpler

Scheduling shifts for your employees are still often done manually, which is clunky and time-consuming. Why not rely on scheduling apps and software instead? These make it easier to view all requests at once, make quicker decisions, and get the word out easily by simply texting or emailing everyone their schedules.Technology can be a valuable friend to retail businesses. It’s a complex and constantly changing area, and it might take a while to get used to some of the new tools and incorporate them into your workflow. Try adopting new tech features one at a time, measure results, and give your staff time to learn. If done right, the rewards can be a staggering and smart use of software can equate to an enormous amount of time saved and much smoother operations.