A reliable Internet connection is every retailer's lifeline. When network downtime occurs, it costs retailers more than just missed sales, as retailers rely on fast and stable internet to operate point-of-sale systems, security systems, inventory databases, digital signage and more.
To better understand the true impact of downtime for retailers, Accelerated Concepts, a Digi International company, conducted a research study, The Cost of Downtime: Beyond the Bottom Line, surveying retail managers and supervisors from big-box retailers and department stores on business productivity and sales related to connectivity.
You can read the full article on Total Retail and see an update to the study in our more recent blog post, Causes of Network Failure: How Retail Businesses Can Eliminate Downtime.
To Close or Not to Close? That is the Question In a Network Outage
Despite recent advancements in network infrastructure, the survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of retailers still experience unexpected connectivity outages at least once a year. While 72 percent of retailers surveyed indicated sales were lost during network downtime, the study also found that downtime severely impacts customer loyalty, employee productivity and overall business operations. The majority of respondents reported when the network is down, it can take up to four hours to get back in service. So, what's a retailer to do when they experience a network outage? Close? Remain open? Wait for help?
Today, with cellular solutions like Digi's Enterprise product line, retailers can maintain uptime with fast, seamless failover from one carrier to another.
Contact Digi for assistance selecting the right solution to support your business continuity goals, or see our product selector tool on our Cellular Routers page.