A major DIY retailer, with a range spanning 8,000 products for home, garden, and construction projects. Renowned for its promise to ensure the lowest possible prices, the DIY retailer has 2,300 employees and an expanding number of stores, including 124 in Denmark, 50 in Sweden, and 5 in Norway.
Challenge
The DIY retailer invests in IT and innovation to continually enhance its service and drive efficiencies in its business that enable it to keep prices low. Its operating model is closer to retail than a traditional DIY market. Therefore, the DIY retailer has previously made several retail-based adjustments in the chain’s ERP system, ASPECT4, which is the system many DIY stores are using. Over time, the DIY retailer recognized that there was a need to simplify store administration. And with its previous mobile devices, used by store colleagues, starting to age, it looked to deploy new mobile work tools to future-proof the existing solution and make it more user-friendly.
Solution
Working closely with its IT partner, the DIY retailer reviewed a range of mobile devices. Mindful that its employees tend to be young, it looked for a mobile solution that was similar to a smartphone to use. In addition, it required a device that was robust to cope with the knocks and drops associated with working on a busy retail floor and that offered the multi-functions needed to manage key retail tasks, including a high-performance processor, an accurate and quick integrated scanner, a powerful battery and reliable wireless connectivity. The DIY retailer ultimately selected Zebra’s TC52 Android rugged enterprise mobile computer.
To ease the transition from its Windows green-screen software, IT partner helped the DIY retailer use Ivanti Velocity, a platform that simplifies the migration of legacy on-screen interfaces and tasks to a modern Android or Windows 10 operating system. Delfi Technologies also supported the DIY retailer in the connection of its ASPECT4 ERP solution with the TC52s –for teams to both access applications and update the ERP system in real time direct from their devices. And, to ease the management of the TC52s, IT partner installed SOTI® MobiControl to allow each device to be centrally managed and put a Zebra OneCare Essential service agreement in place to support the devices.
Results
In collaboration with IT partner and Zebra, the DIY retailer has found the right enterprise-grade solution that ensures the necessary support and maintenance of an important work tool in its stores.
Most of the tasks in the storage area can be managed via the TC52s, with associates able to complete a wide range of administrative workflows, such as receipt of goods, ordering, daily inventory and impairment. Through the store app, staff can also view information about a specific item, such as stock levels, regulate item numbers, print signs for the items, see when items are delivered to the warehouse, check which stores nearby have the item in stock, and more.
With Android, the user interface has been lifted to a higher and more intuitive level and, as it’s familiar to users, they can get up to speed quickly when using the TC52 for the first time. And by using the Ivanti Velocity platform, the DIY retailer was able to reduce the amount of time and money it would have taken to make the move from the old operating system to the intuitive, all-touch modern interface. Operating costs are further reduced thanks to the roll-out of SOTI MobiControl. This provides a central overview of device status together with the opportunity to remotely configure and deploy software.
The data from SOTI MobiControl can help the DIY retailer maintain the health of each device and encourage best practice in how employees use them. Given the importance of the devices in running the stores – and the fact that they are used in a harsh environment – the service and support agreement ensures that any downtime is minimized, with replacement devices available and a guaranteed turnaround time for repairs. Commenting on the importance of the solution, IT and project manager, say: “For me and my team, it is about ensuring a smooth operation in the stores. The new system means a lot to us. In terms of support, it simplifies the administration and we can handle all the mobile devices centrally which is very important.”
Article Credit – https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra_new_ia/en-us/solutions-verticals/vertical-solutions/retail/success-stories/retail-sucess-story-jem-and-fix-en-gb.pdf
