(PRESS RELEASE) STATEN ISLAND, NY – Last week, Celerant Technology hosted CumulusClientCon21, the 1st annual Cumulus Retail Client Conference. The conference’s theme was “Post Pandemic Success,” which focused on helping retailers embrace the latest in retail technology and digital commerce to close out the year strong, and prepare to be more competitive in 2022, and beyond. Held virtually over 2 days, the event offered over 20 training sessions, workshops and keynote speakers covering topics, such as: new in store technology, mobile shopping apps, digital commerce, loyalty programs, and marketing; and featured Celerant’s partners, including Avalara, Worldpay/GoCart, Shift4 Payments, ShipEngine, Fortis (formerly BlueDog), Management One, Star Micronics, Rezosystems and more.
“The conference exceeded my expectations; and I really like the Zoom virtual format,” stated Patrick Comerfield, co-owner of Jane Chalfant. “Out of all the sessions, the inventory and eCommerce sessions were my favorite, and I would like to learn more about the QuickBooks Online interface. I will definitely attend the conference again next year.”
“Hearing how other retailers use the program from an Implementation Manager and fellow Cumulus users is 100% helpful, and a good use of my time,” stated Mike Brey, president and CEO at Hobby Works. “Next year, we will sign up several of our employees to attend so they can interact directly with Celerant, and ask questions about specific areas of the program which they work with on a daily basis.”
Personalizing omnichannel shopper marketing
At the conference, Celerant demonstrated how to increase marketing success and drive repeat sales with omni-channel loyalty programs, discounts and BOGOs, automated email workflows, and new SMS integration, powered by Twilio. Retailers learned how to personalize campaigns by pulling in store and online sales data and shopping behavior; and trigger SMS text messages to customers based on sales, earned rewards, repair reminders, and other events, and coming soon staff alerts, such as store transfers, loss prevention and more.
Increasing sales and loyalty with new mobile shopping app
Celerant also introduced its brand-new mobile shopping app, and its seamless integration with the Cumulus Retail software. The integration makes it possible for retailers to have their app developed and designed entirely by Celerant; and keep their eCommerce website, point of sale, and app updated from one, centralized location- the Cumulus Retail back office software. Celerant demonstrated how updates to products, pricing, images and inventory levels are automatically reflected across all channels simultaneously; and the apps built-in functionality for BOPIS, curbside pickup, personalized push notifications, and more.
Strengthening eCommerce with same day pickup and new integrations
Celerant hosted sessions dedicated to eCommerce optimization. Retailers got a first-hand look at the Cumulus eCommerce platform, features and third-party integrations; and how to launch a website quicker using their supplier’s online data feeds. Celerant showed attendees how to set pricing rules, route orders to vendors for drop shipping, enable curbside pickup at checkout, and streamline orders with Celerant’s new Curbside Pickup App. Celerant showcased its integrated shipping services (UPS, FedEx, USPS, ShipEngine), frictionless and secure payment method via GoCart by Worldpay, fraud protection by ClearSale, ADA Compliance by Accessibe, online marketplace integrations, eCommerce-specific SEO services, and much more.
“As the retail industry shifted, it became important for our retail clients to be agile and stay ahead of the competition,” stated Michele Salerno, director of marketing. “To ensure our clients have the technology they need to strengthen their brick-and-mortar and online business, Celerant implemented many new features and 3rd-party integrations this past year- all of which were introduced at the conference. After hosting a client conference for our Stratus Enterprise dealers for over 15 years, it only seemed natural to bring that same benefit to our Cumulus retailers. We thank everyone involved for making this year’s virtual conference a success, and look forward to continuing again next year.”
Watch a video recap of the conference here.