How does ISO 9001 apply to retail and what are its benefits?
How does ISO 9001 apply to retail and what are its benefits?
WHAT IS TRADE AND WHAT TYPES OF TRADE ARE THERE?
Of the same value or, as in most cases, for money. Trade is a socioeconomic activity that develops based on the buying and selling market, where the buyer is the plaintiff and the seller is the bidder.
Trade is important for human history since its origins, until today and for the future, since it has driven the growth and development of civilizations for years and will continue to be an essential part for the impulse of countries and their societies.
Today, trade is driven by globalization. Technology and communications help trade to flow and generate greater strategies for its proper functioning, thus making the world part of a huge market where the global economy is involved.
There are several types of trade. Below we will mention the most relevant ones.
- Wholesale trade: involves the sale of large quantities of merchandise, in most cases, the buyer is a reseller and possibly the purchase of its raw material.
- Retail trade: involves the sale of small quantities of merchandise, where, in general, the exchange is between the seller and the final consumer.
It can also be classified as follows.
- Domestic trade: it is within a country or community.
- Foreign trade: it is between people or companies from different countries.
- Land, sea and air trade: depends on the vehicle used for the exchange.
- Electronic commerce: where the sale and purchase is carried out through digital mechanisms.
HOW DOES ISO 9001 APPLY TO COMMERCIAL COMPANIES?
Due to the importance of commerce, several agreements and treaties have been unleashed to carry out a supply-demand of products and services without barriers and with the best benefits, both for companies and for the consumer; so it has become essential to have a certified work system through which organizations work under the best quality standards.
ISO certifications are certifications that help your organization to follow and comply with the points established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which is in charge of creating the standards with the guidelines that must be implemented and complied with by your organization for its good performance. The most requested standard is ISO 9001:2015 developed for the certification of quality management systems.
ISO 9001:2015 is applicable to any company, leaving aside distinctions by number of employees, activity, location or whether it enters the private or public sector.
Since trade is a main activity of countries, organizations dedicated to it must consider the utmost care in their processes to be able to offer their products with excellent quality, and this standard provides everything necessary for organizational objectives.
WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF ISO 9001:2015 AND HOW WILL IT HELP YOUR COMPANY?
Let’s start with the structure of the standard, which has a High Level Structure, allowing easy integration with other management systems. The points to consider within the structure of ISO 9001 include the following:
- Purpose and scope of application
- Normative references
- Terms and definitions
- Context of the organization
- Leadership
- Planning
- Support
- Operation
- Performance Evaluation
- Improvement
The ISO 9001 standard was modified for its better application in 2015, shortly we will present you which points are included in this updated version, so that you have them in mind and can apply them in your organization.
The main point is the current approach that manages the standard that is based on processes, which allows you to control and manage the interaction of the processes carried out in your organization to reach the final product or service.
It also incorporates the PHVA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act), which in the chain of commerce is fundamental for the activities carried out in each area at the time of sale.
The latest version of the standard also integrates risk-based thinking, which gives you the opportunity to prevent any loss or danger that may occur in your organization. The main point is prevention, however, if a difficulty should arise in any process, your employees will have the knowledge to solve it successfully.
The standard will help your business organization, to improve the corporate image, to offer quality products, to be able to promote a culture of continuous improvement in your employees, to expand your customer base, a better positioning against your competition, among others.
Contact us and be part of the organizations that stand out for having an international quality certification, our QAlliance team is fully qualified to guide you and help you achieve your certification.