Always rapidly evolving, in recent years the Retail sector has faced challenges, setbacks, and new opportunities. Embracing the digital space has become essential to thrive in the modern market. Whether for sales, marketing, inventory management, or more, cloud-based technologies and rising customer expectations has made a company’s networking equipment and operation a fundamental part of doing business.

RG Nets, when developing the rXg networking gateway, considered what administrators and users actually want from their network at every step. Ease of use, small equipment footprint, customizability, excellent value, and profit opportunities were central to its design and implementation. What resulted was the perfect platform for total control, clear communication, and complete cognizance over businesses’ end-user population.

To explore the rXg functions and features designed with the Retail Sector in mind, we will follow a customer, Daniel, as he shops at “OneShop” utilizing RG Nets’ rXg technology.

Use Case

Daniel decides to stop by the recently opened OneShop. It’s a chain he’s heard of, but has never been to. From the moment he steps through the doors, Daniel is immediately engaging with rXg features.

As he enters, he notices the store’s security cameras. Thanks to Centralized Management and Cloud Service Monitoring features, the networked security cameras are easily managed through the rXg. Additionally, the store employs a headcount software using door sensors to track the number of customers. Any employee with rXg access can check headcount through the rXg interface. With the rXg’s “all-in-one, Everything Talks to Everything” model, all networking equipment, networked equipment, and relevant third-party programs can be accessed, monitored, and managed in the rXg. This not only dramatically streamlines network management, it significantly reduces networking equipment footprint, freeing valuable space for products and services.

Like a growing number of customers, Daniel’s phone plan prioritizes using Wi-Fi for calling and text, with a limited data plan. He is pleased to see that Guest Wi-Fi is available. Upon attempting to connect, he is taken to a Custom Captive Portal created with the rXg. The Captive Portal looks slick, displaying the OneShop logo and tagline. Daniel is presented with two options: connect to the general Guest Network, which allows basic browsing, or connect to the OneShop Loyalty Program Network for a faster connection and exclusive deals. If already a member, he can enter his credentials or he can join via the Captive Portal.

The Captive Portal informs Daniel that if he joins today, he will unlock a coupon for 10% off his purchase. Persuaded, Daniel enters his contact details. His information collected, he’s provided a digital membership card, given access to the network, and can begin shopping.

Daniel has just interacted with several more rXg features. Namely, Integrated Billing, SD‑WAN and Fair Share Equalization. Unlike competitors, the rXg has Integrated Billing out of the box, no third-party programs required. This allows administrators to offer a variety of network services to end-users utilizing whatever pricing scheme they desire. In this case, Daniel accessed a higher-speed connection by providing Personally Identifying Information (PII), but there can be paid tier options, subscription options, purchasable add-ons, or the ability to trade accrued Loyalty points for access.

The rXg’s SD‑WAN is an optimized solution for the modern cloud-based Internet. Secure, automatable, and essentially unlimited workflow customization options are all configurable through the rXg’s interface. Paired with the rXg’s exclusive Fair Share Equalization feature, administrators can provide predictable, consistent, and quality network performance to their end users.

Fair Share Equalization takes basic QoS network traffic routing to the next level. Instead of handling network traffic on a “first come, first serve” basis, like most network gateways, Fair Share Equalization automatically and intelligently allocates bandwidth based on user, device, and network needs. Essentially, it allows business owners to get the absolute greatest value out of their available bandwidth, ensuring a more reliable connection for users, and helping prevent stoppages or slowdowns.

Now that Daniel is on the network, OneShop is able to both learn more about him and provide more services to him. The rXg allows administrators to configure exactly what Information they gather about end users. This can be as much or as little as desired, and there are no in-program limits about the volume of or length of time data can be stored.

Daniel spends some time looking at the different drink options. Here, the rXg’s Dwell Time feature comes into play. Dwell Time allows administrators to understand how much time customers spend in their store, in what areas, and utilizing which services. This can be used both for business analysis and provides customer engagement opportunities. As he browses, Daniel receives a coupon for a 2-for-1 deal on certain drinks for Loyalty Members, which the store’s network administrator programmed to appear if Dwell Time indicated a customer spent more than five minutes in the drink section.

Dwell Time works in conjunction with another feature, Wayfinding. The store Daniel is in is small enough to be easily navigable. However, if he were at OneShop’s flagship location, a significantly larger department store, he could take advantage of Wayfinding. Complementary with, or even replacing, physical signage, Wayfinding allows users to see where the goods and services they are seeking are in relation to their position.

As Daniel gets in line with his purchases, he notices that the cashier seems to be having issues with the Point-of-Sale system. The cashier asks the customer before Daniel to wait and steps aside, calling the store’s network administrator. The administrator is off-site today, but is able to Remote Access the rXg. Thanks to detailed Network Diagrams, including images of what devices are installed where, the administrator is easily able to quickly direct the employee to address a loose cable. The employee confirms the PoS is operational and the issue is resolved in under five minutes. Daniel receives a notification Event that the network administrator configured in case customers experienced issues in-store. He will receive a bonus amount of Membership points today for his patience.

Daniel checks out, using his accrued coupons, and receives Membership points on his account for his purchases and patience. As he exits the store, he receives a notification for a survey Event configured to appear for all first-time customers. Daniel completes the survey to accrue more points, sharing his experiences.

When Daniel, pleased with his visit, returns a few weeks later, he immediately notices several improvements. OneShop has utilized data gathered from individuals Dwell Time, survey responses, engagement with coupon Events, purchasing data, and the frequency of repeat Guest and Loyalty customers to make changes at the store. Products consumers expressed little interest in were reduced, clearing space for higher-demand products to move in. Quality of Life features, such as using rXg’s Centralized Management features to rotate store digital signage to more clearly advertise ongoing and upcoming deals, have been implemented. More benefits for Loyalty Members were added, now easily visible in the Custom Captive Portal. Daniel leaves his second visit feeling heard and respected as a customer, encouraging friends to visit the store.

In Summary

This document overviews how many of the rXg’s features benefit retail environments. For a more in-depth look at each feature, and to learn about additional rXg features to fit your unique business needs and workflow, visit rgnets.com or click through to individual RG Nets Feature Briefs.

From install to ongoing management, RG Nets has taken every opportunity to provide value, customizability, ease of use, and profit sources to their customers and clients. The RG Nets’ rXg fits so well into every environment that it currently runs everything from individual home networks all the way to two of the top airports and one of the top three stadiums in the United States.

Its price-for-value cannot be beat, growing with your business while retaining its affordability. The rXg’s integration with third-party hardware and software makes install a breeze, no matter what mix of hardware and software currently utilized on site. Settings, once configured, can be easily cloned for quick deployment across chains, multi-site locations, and backups.

Whether an independent small business or a multi-national chain, reach out to an RG Nets representative today to learn how the rXg can turn your network from a pitfall to profit, improving customer experience the whole way.