retail IT

CHOOSING A POS SYSTEM SOLUTION IS LIKE A CAKE. HERE’S HOW. Java, Java Philippines

Choosing a POS System Solution in 2022 is Like a CAKE. Here’s How.

Choosing a POS System Solution in 2022 is Like a CAKE. Here’s How. 650 486 Exist Software Labs

Point Of Sale (POS) systems are essential in handling business operations today. It helps the retailers to have convenient transactions with their customers and process all the orders with documentation. More than that, reliability of the POS System Solution would likely affect your business as you expand moving forward.

Likewise, opportunities that are rising as your retail business thrive would possibly empower if the POS provides store processing management, data analysis, and inventory management. 

To further explain this, getting and considering a POS supplier is very tedious, but like a piece of CAKE. Here’s how:

1. CONSIDER LOOKING FOR PLENTY OF POS SYSTEM SOLUTION SUPPLIERS

Just like hiring, you need to inquire with several POS suppliers. In this way, you will be able to gauge who can serve you better. Don’t forget to prepare your tally sheets. You can now benchmark different suppliers, check their credibility, pricing, and the features of their product.

Look for POS that can journey with your business as you grow and mature.

2. ASK IF THEY HAVE A BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN

Proven for 2020 and 2021, selling and use of POS remains to be a necessity. And it is important that your provider is someone who has the capability to support even in times of pandemic. Check if they have local support that you can contact when urgent and provide a resolution quickly. They should also have the capability to give a specific TAT (turnaround time) to not affect your sales and operation.

3. KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE POS SUPPLIER

This is very important. Check who are the customers they are catering to, what are their products and services, where are their products deployed, and how far their services have reached. By knowing this, you are putting your business into a safe scenario where you can trust the POS System Solution that you are going to implement. Enlist your other questions and continue to benchmark all the POS Suppliers that you inquired to.

4. ELABORATELY SHARE YOUR BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS

It would be beneficial to you and easier for the POS providers if you have an RFP or Request for Proposal. It states your pre-conditions, your requirements on hardware if big or small, software features if basic or advanced and other services that you need, you may also include future expansion plans. Suppliers would be able to respond immediately saving you some time so you can easily have a whitelist and see the demo as a next step.

Anahaw POS can meet all your requirements when it comes to finding the suitable POS System solution to your business. Whether you are SME or Large Enterprise, we can build a system that is tailor-fit to your business.

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

POS - Losing Opportunities By Not Using a POS Solution

Losing Opportunities By Not Using a POS Solution in 2022

Losing Opportunities By Not Using a POS Solution in 2022 1080 1080 Exist Software Labs

As the restrictions of Covid-19 became lighter, many individuals including kids, teens, and adults are now going outside their homes – playing in the park, going to the malls, and shopping. Since we are now in the Christmas season, a lot of brick-and-mortar are offering promos and discounts to entice their buyers to purchase more.

While there are many customers purchasing, businesses should be aware of the efficiency and quality of their products and services. The inconvenience on their end might affect your business. To increase customer loyalty, they must bring a convenient and personalized experience to the customers. There are a lot of opportunities that can be lost by not using a POS, including your sales. 

To prevent losing these opportunities, here are some areas we can look at:

CUSTOMER CENTRICITY

One of the most underrated fundamentals in building your business foundation is Customer Centricity. Some entrepreneurs focus on reaching their target quotas without thinking about the steps in dealing with their customers. When they visit your store, it is essential that they feel valued, and comfortable at a glance. Given the technology and tools available in the market, A POS can help retailers to avoid long queues, slow payment, and inconvenience in the experience of the customers. Customers that are happy with the products, services, and experience will surely be loyal to your store.

STORE PROCESSES

Commonly, store processes are shopping, adding to cart, checkout, pay, and go. But on the other hand, how you operate these processes varies the efficiency of your business. If the store processes are likely without standard, they will probably stress your customers and frustrate your employees. Store optimization and evaluating the store’s current situation might also help owners to identify what to implement and improve in their operation. These are some example store processes:

  • Check out process
  • Payment options
  • Product add-ons/Product bundles
  • Advance order
  • Customer loyalty card

This will go hand in hand with customer-centricity also. Recognizing their value and making them feel special will stand you out from your competitors.

ANAHAW POS

Designed to make retail businesses seamless, data-driven, and operate faster, Anahaw POS is a fully integrated retail solution that provides end-to-end functionality. Beyond providing the right tool for your retail business, Anahaw POS is also flexible to make your processes faster and personalize the experience in your stores with cross-selling, customer points, and product recommendations.

Why Invest in a POS solution?

  • Payment options – A POS helps the payment process faster. By scanning the codes at the back of the product’s package, the system automatically calculates the total price of the customer’s purchase. Moreover, there are payment gateway integrations that allow them to have an option if they want to pay cashless.
  • Inventory Management – Businesses can easily track their product stocks in real-time. It would save a lot of time in tracking your inventory instead of manually tracking it.
  • Loyalty cards – By having loyalty cards, this can be used in multiple ways, not just incentivizing their loyalty in your store. It could also document their contact information, purchase history, and buying behavior so that you can thoroughly understand your customers and create better business decisions.
  • Avoid Errors – Using POS can help businesses to avoid errors during operation. For example, if a cashier mistakenly scanned the item, you can easily control and correct it into the system by just putting a pin or swiping the manager’s control card.
  • Personalized shopping – With the use of POS, it can provide personalized experience to the customers. According to the Mastercard-sponsored Harvard Business Review survey, 8 in 10 respondents said that personalization is a critical driver of revenue and profits. In line with this, personalized shopping experience could lead to customer satisfaction, loyalty and increase sales because it matches their taste and preferences.

Lucky for you, Exist offers Anahaw POS that is a fully integrated solution that provides today’s retailer with end-to-end functionality. You can book a free consultation and free demo with us to understand how Anahaw POS is set up and how we can tailor-fit the product to your business.

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

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POS Solution 2022: How can it help prevent opportunity loss? Java, Java Philippines

POS Solution 2022: How can it help prevent opportunity loss?

POS Solution 2022: How can it help prevent opportunity loss? 650 486 Exist Software Labs

Retailers without the right technology like POS Solution could waste some records that can be used for inventory, marketing, etc. As the restrictions due to Covid-19 change regularly, many individuals including kids, teens, and adults are sometimes going outside their homes – playing in the park, going to the malls, and shopping. Brick-and-mortar businesses now offer promos and discounts to entice their buyers to purchase more.

While there are many customers purchasing, businesses should be aware of the efficiency and quality of their products and services. The inconvenience on their end might affect your business. To increase customer loyalty, they must bring a convenient and personalized experience to the customers. There are a lot of opportunities that can be lost by not using a POS solution, including your sales. 

To prevent losing these opportunities, here are some areas we can look at:

CUSTOMER CENTRICITY

One of the most underrated fundamentals in building your business foundation is Customer Centricity. Some entrepreneurs focus on reaching their target quotas without thinking about the steps in dealing with their customers. When they visit your store, it is essential that they feel valued, and comfortable at a glance. Given the technology and tools available in the market, A POS system can help retailers avoid long queues, slow payment, and inconvenience in the experience of the customers. Customers that are happy with the products, services, and experience will surely be loyal to your store.

STORE PROCESSES

Commonly, store processes are shopping, adding to cart, checking out, paying, and going. On the other hand, how you operate these processes varies the efficiency of your business. If the store processes are likely without standards, they will probably stress your customers and frustrate your employees. Store optimization and evaluating the store’s current situation might also help owners to identify what to implement and improve in their operation.

Here are some examples of store processes:

  • Check out process
  • Payment options
  • Product add-ons/Product bundles
  • Advance order
  • Customer loyalty card

These will go hand in hand with customer-centricity also. Recognizing their value and making them feel special will stand you out from your competitors.

ANAHAW POS Solution

Designed to make retail businesses seamless, data-driven, and operate faster, Anahaw POS system is a fully integrated retail solution that provides end-to-end functionality. Beyond providing the right tool for your retail business, Anahaw POS system is also flexible to make your processes faster and personalize the experience in your stores with cross-selling, customer points, and product recommendations.

Why Invest in a POS Solution?

  • Payment options – A POS solution helps the payment process go faster. By scanning the codes at the back of the product’s package, the system automatically calculates the total price of the customer’s purchase. Moreover, there are payment gateway integrations that allow them to have an option if they want to pay cashless.
  • Inventory Management – Businesses can easily track their product stocks in real-time. It would save a lot of time in tracking your inventory instead of manually tracking it.
  • Loyalty cards – By having loyalty cards, which can be used in multiple ways, not just incentivizing their loyalty in your store. They could also document their contact information, purchase history, and buying behavior so that you can thoroughly understand your customers and create better business decisions.
  • Avoid Errors – Using a POS system can help businesses to avoid errors during operation. For example, if a cashier mistakenly scans an item, you can easily control and correct it on the system by just inputting a PIN or swiping the manager’s control card.
  • Personalized shopping – With the use of a POS solution, it can provide a personalized experience to the customers. According to the Mastercard-sponsored Harvard Business Review survey, 8 in 10 respondents said that personalization is a critical driver of revenue and profits. In line with this, a personalized shopping experience could lead to customer satisfaction, loyalty, and increase sales because it matches their taste and preferences.

Lucky for you, Exist offers Anahaw POS system that is a fully integrated POS solution that provides today’s retailer with end-to-end functionality. You can book a free consultation and free demo with us to understand how Anahaw POS system is set up and how we can tailor-fit the product to your business.

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

4 Things Why Implementing POS in Business is Necessary

4 Reasons Why Implementing POS in Business is Necessary

4 Reasons Why Implementing POS in Business is Necessary 800 507 Exist Software Labs

Klaus Schwab said, “In the new world, it is not the big fish which eats the small fish, it’s the fast fish which eats the slow fish. And this is true also in business nowadays. Stores with the most efficient operations and good offerings truly win the heart of their customers. While expanding, POS has an important role to play in day-to-day operations.

Point Of Sales Solutions have so many benefits for lots of businesses especially in the retail industry. From putting different prices on products  to promoting slow-moving SKUs, surely, POS will set your business on the right track!

If you are thinking that your business needs to scale or need to make its operation faster, this is for you. Point Of Sales Solutions are necessary in businesses. Data Analytics, Central Intelligence tool, Faster payment methods are some of its features.

So, here are the 4 reasons why implementing POS in Business is Necessary:

1. Inventory and Merchandise Management

One of the important areas to consider in having a POS system in your business is its inventory merchandise management. It helps your logistics to maximize your stock usage, allocations, and locating where to put it in order. With a POS, you have one central view over your inventory on how your stock runs. Using this, businesses will have an easier time deciding what to restock, what products should not be reordered, and what to offer with promos.

Moreover, having an inventory management system allows you to compile the data of what your customers are buying.

2. Centralized Store Management

The good thing about POS systems is that they can easily integrate different systems and devices like third party apps and hardware. Having said that, it takes away the manual tasks and automates them. A great POS gives you real-time reports, seamless processes, and accurate synchronization of data between business processes and store systems. Businesses don’t have to worry about the operational records since it is automatically put in the POS data. 

Managing your facility with a POS will truly solve all your worries and headaches!

3. Loyalty Programs and Personalized Offerings

See those loyalty cards from other grocery stores and drug stores? The main reason why they are promoting it is, of course, to encourage their customers to buy more and earn points that can be convertible to get products, discounts, and vouchers. But the logic behind it is that it leverages to monitor the customer’s behaviour, trends and the best seller in your stock. In addition, Loyalty programs create a personalized marketing strategy for you that surely helps you in managing your marketing campaigns.

4. Extensible for Online & Offline Business Scaling

As your business grows, a great POS should be future-ready and easily extensible once you scale. It also allows you to adapt to new technology changes and growing business requirements. If not, you have to start from scratch conceptualizing and finding a new one. Looks complicated right? 

With the new powered-technology, POS systems can give you access to your stores both offline and online. So whether there’s an internet interruption, your business can still operate and save your data. 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Having an ALL-IN-ONE Point Of Sale Solution that gives you seamless work operation and increases your business profitability has a big impact on retail businesses. There are right tools and software with great features that you need to implement in expanding your business and being prepared for the future changes.

Lucky for you, Exist offers Anahaw POS that is a fully integrated solution that provides today’s retailer with end-to-end functionality. You can book a free consultation and free demo with us to understand how Anahaw POS is set up and how we can tailor-fit the product to your business.

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Anahaw POS Version 3 - Enhanced for a Future-Ready Retail Management, Java, Java Philippines

Anahaw POS Version 3 – Enhanced for a Future-Ready Retail Management in 2021

Anahaw POS Version 3 – Enhanced for a Future-Ready Retail Management in 2021 768 487 Exist Software Labs

Exist Anahaw POS Version 3

Six years have passed since we developed Exist Anahaw Retail Platform and pushed it into the market. The goal was to build a system that will enable retail businesses in understanding their customers, have an efficient operation, and be steadfast in a fast-changing retail environment. Today, we are proud that Exist Anahaw achieved this and is continuously improving.

This 2021, we released Exist Anahaw POS Version 3. This newly updated system will continually push the platform’s boundaries by adapting modern technologies to further enhance technical capabilities by making it more customizable, providing more hardware support, and improving overall performance. By using Anahaw Version 3, both clients and those who are looking for a new platform will be able to use and check the right technology to improve their overall business operations.

Designed for medium to large retail enterprises, Anahaw is a fully integrated retail solution that provides today’s retailers with end-to-end functionality. But the journey is not done in innovating and giving a better experience to our clients.

Exist developed Anahaw Version 3 that serves as the upgraded and future-ready POS system.

Introducing Anahaw POS Version 3:

The old version was a browser-based software which is limiting and dependent. Our team decided to build Anahaw Version 3 using Java and upgraded it as a robust software that performs better memory handling and processing, can easily connect even with new POS peripherals, and can flexibly integrate APIs. 

We have also upgraded its local document database enhancing its performance. Now we also have local reports that you can use to check transactions made daily, from your sales, items sold and tenders accepted. This also includes BIR-required reports. 

POS software is now easier for everyone to audit and inspect. It has been updated with the latest BIR Requirements, and we can easily comply with the latest memorandums. By the way, we’ll have an “Athlete’s Discount” available soon.

Anahaw POS Version 3 is now more intuitive as its interface has a cleaner and lighter feel so the person who operates it can easily navigate the POS application. POS functions are easily accessed with button selections. Users can perform transactions like scanning items, applying discounts, and tendering payments making it faster for the cashier to do the transaction. Buttons can easily be activated with the use of mnemonics or alt-key combinations. No more labeling of keys, no more memorizing of shortcuts. 

We have added a customer service feature to facilitate returns and replacements properly. This feature clearly defines the separation of POS transactions from your Customer Service transactions. As for your IT or DevOps, they can use Anahaw POS Version 3’s Command Center, to have updates or patches installed right from your headquarters, view the terminal’s current build number, and check the logs on transfers made between stores to headquarters and vice versa.

With the introduction of Exist Anahaw POS Version 3, our team is delighted to introduce this newly upgraded platform to all of our clients as we start our transition to fully deploying the new version this year. Exist will continue to support Anahaw Version 1 until this year and will then be tagged as a Legacy System by 2022 thus ending its lifecycle.

We are excited to see Exist Anahaw POS Version 3 rolled out to our clients and experience the difference! 

Update to ANAHAW POS VERSION 3 Today!

BIR Accredited Anahaw Ver. 3 sets sail in 2021, Java, Java Philippines

BIR Accredited Anahaw Ver. 3 successfully sets sail in 2021

BIR Accredited Anahaw Ver. 3 successfully sets sail in 2021 768 487 Exist Software Labs

Exist Software Labs takes off 2021 with now Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) accredited Anahaw Point-of-Sale (POS) System Version 3 (Anahaw Ver. 3). The said recognition was awarded last January 11, 2021, and is now available for Anahaw users.

Such accreditation indicates that Exist is now a trustworthy partner of BIR as a POS solutions provider. This means that the company is compliant with the BIR guidelines and the system operates in accordance with their specifications.

According to Mr. Julius Cutaran, Anahaw’s Project Manager, this accreditation is important because it proves that our system gets updated.

“Typically, an issued accreditation would last for five (5) years from its issuance or effectivity. Unless a memo from BIR would allow it to be extended, it is a checkpoint that we are compliant with BIR regulations.” Mr. Cutaran also affirmed.

Compliance with BIR regulations also allows accurate reporting of the retailers’ sales and lets them issue sales invoices and official receipts. With Anahaw POS, clients can easily create the report for BIR’s ESales. Clients can now easily attain customizations or integrations as well with Exist as their go-to provider.

Anahaw makes headway despite trials.

Acquiring this recognition did not come easy for Exist’s Anahaw team. The team underwent some challenges like lapses in the accreditation guide and miscommunication matters for concerned parties. Additionally, the pandemic magnified the struggles during the process.

Mr. Cutaran mentioned that “The 2nd presentation was conducted online. Submission of documents was also tight where every document needs to be sanitized. Luckily, we were able to capture their instructions and comply very well. We were able to pass within two (2) presentations.”

Exist’s Anahaw Ver. 3

The new Anahaw, along with this recognition, can better support new hardware requirements, customization requirements following BIR guidelines, and integration requirements.

Exist President and CEO Michael Lim expressed his delight as the company continues to achieve milestones and move forward as technology innovators.

“Having Anahaw Ver. 3 BIR Accredited is a HUGE milestone for us. It’s what the whole Anahaw team has been working on for close to two (2) years. It is a big technology jump from version 1 and there’s a lot of functionalities, process, and performance improvements. I am sure that our existing Anahaw version 1 clients will see and feel the difference once they transitioned to Anahaw version 3 and I am sure that our upcoming clients will feel the same moving from their old POS to Anahaw.

Kudos to the whole Anahaw team. They’ve done a great job! It was not easy but they pulled it off! Congratulations!”

Michael Lim

President & CEO

Retail. Java. Java Philippines.

Importance of Online Payment in Retail

Importance of Online Payment in Retail 768 487 Exist Software Labs

The pandemic has drastically changed the tone of retailing. As a result, retailing businesses have suffered principal losses. The health crisis became a roadblock that leaves retailers, mainly medium and large, with only two options: to take a detour or injure themselves.

In previous years, one of the primary movers of digital transformation in retail is the rise of a more digitally inclined population, accompanied by fast-evolving technology that displayed a threat to traditional, physical retailing. This threat was later on called the “retail apocalypse” which is signified by a rapid hike of sales in online retailing.

The Retail Industry

If we observe, data from 2019 shows that around 9,300 physical retail branches were closed due to excessive numbers of them being built instead of going for online sales (Forbes). Such is just one of the numerous proofs that retailing has already been going online.

We are way past the introduction stage to digital retailing. However, the global health crisis has created a higher demand for change to retail businesses, particularly from customers. 

A tremendous change in consumer behavior, the digital transformation that the pandemic called for is on a bigger scale. There is pressure for retailers to deliver their products through other channels, and still offer the most efficient service they could provide.

Nearly 50% of global shoppers are using digital payments more than pre-COVID. The majority of whom plans to continue doing so even after the numbers depress. E-Wallets and contactless cards are the top payment methods benefitting from this change, as consumers use less cash and make more purchases online (Global Online Payment Methods 2020 and COVID-19’s Impact Report).

The term “dirty money” pertains to not just unlawfully obtained money but to its by-the-book definition – unhygienic. In the United Kingdom alone, the use of cash was cut in half ever since their government banned its usage following the ascent of COVID19. Retailers are obliged to render contactless payments only, creating a cashless economy.

Before-mentioned synopsis emphasizes the pressure for the retail industry to provide more payment options. Retailers, therefore, should anticipate further developments from this point forward. Aside from its timely relevance of diminishing the need to do physical transactions, online payment has more to offer to the different stakeholders of retailing, which includes the following:

Faster transactions

Since it can be done by using the user’s mobile device, capacitating your business with online payments will make way to faster transfer in comparison to a card or cash payment. With the technological upgrades that mobile devices have nowadays, executing the transfer can be seamless and can only take a short while. 

Security

Online payment gateways have now evolved to address security issues that worry the users. They are encrypted, with several layers of security, which include protecting the information of both the sender and the receiver.

Personalized customer experience

It lessens the necessity to wait in long lines and the inconsistency of each transaction time, which is influenced by human factors. It also allows the business to acknowledge customers’ needs in real-time, regardless of their category or level of priority.

Affects buying behavior

The possibility of customers to retreat from purchasing a product may be affected by the unavailability of the payment method that they prefer. So, if a good number of the retail market will go for online payment if it is in place, it will be a grave move not to equip your business with this ability.

As the global health crisis pushes the retail industry to change the ecosystem, shaping your business fit for online payment is a step towards survival.

Get to know ANAHAW, our retail solution specially built to adapt to modern retail business requirements, and to specifically work on providing you an edge over the rest.

Technology Innovation. Java. Java Philippines.

Exist Technology Innovations: Adapting Tomorrow’s Technology In Today’s Retail Business 2020 Webinar Highlights

Exist Technology Innovations: Adapting Tomorrow’s Technology In Today’s Retail Business 2020 Webinar Highlights 768 487 Exist Software Labs

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

According to Forbes and Microsoft, these are the main technologies in retail in 2020:

      • Chatbots
      • Mixed Commerce (e-commerce X in-store)
      • Loyalty on Mobile
      • Blockchain
      • Data-driven Business
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Augmented Reality

Technology innovation is a key parameter for innovating your business right now. KPMG, a multinational audit firm, recently illustrated a graph of three (3) options to drive retail businesses.

Keeping the business-as-usual model means that you are a legacy type of business. You are comfortable with the tried and tested model that you have right now that has worked in the past but is uncertain to work in the future. It is like ignoring the changes that are happening around you and how the consumer behaves. Remaining in this grey area despite all the shifts that are happening in the industry will lead to becoming irrelevant over time.

However, if you are thinking of leveraging or being the platform for retail, you are responding to the changes, and to different consumer behaviors. That is leveraging technology to respond to new demands, and anticipate those that might occur in the future, making sure that you are still at the growth path.

One example is how Jollibee dealt with the changes engendered by the pandemic.

Jollibee has been opening a lot of stores locally and globally. They have been doing the same growth strategy for decades with less integration of technology on their operations compared to what they developed right now.

Jollibee built “cloud kitchens” to offset the losses that they had during this period. They have invested 7 billion pesos to set up these “cloud kitchens” to continue to bring their products to their customers without the need to build the usual dine-in, brick-and-mortar facilities. Instead, they built delivery outlets located in discreet, low rent sites that serve as hubs. Cloud kitchens are now available in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore. This presented how important it is to be on the lookout for opportunities to innovate and adapt to the possibilities in the market using technology.

When you talk about innovation, you should not only talk about how you can provide your services online. Your business should be encompassing three (3) fronts and is able to empower these three. You have to be smart and have a data-driven strategy. Bringing your business online is just one part.

Customer

      • Seamless Online and In-Store experience (Web-mobile platform, In-store tech hub)
      • Data Source (I.e. CRM – Know your customer, Loyalty Engine – Reward your customer, A.I. – Understand your customer)

Employee

      • Empower your employees with the information. 
      • Seamless Online and In-Store experience both customer and business
      • (Mimic online experience in-store)
      • Data Source (I.e. Real-Time Inventory, Inventory Projections, Smart Suggestions, Special offers for targeted customers)

Partners

      • Engage and enable your partners
      • Data Source (I.e. Supply Chain Automation, Vendor Management System)

Technology innovation does not only cover how you can provide for your customers. It has to be perceived holistically.

So, How do you do it?

There are five (5) stages of an organization’s journey.

Business as Usual (No changes at all)

This is when you are not adopting any changes right now. You might be trying to get by with the tested business model. This puts your business into the risk of being forgotten, of failing, or of suffering drastic losses.

Experimentation (R&D)

You want to learn more and test something to see what fits your business.

Strategic Planning

It is when you are laying out a strategic plan that will fit your business from the data that you have gathered for the past months.

Organizational Roll Out

When you already have a strategic plan, you have to roll it throughout your organization to align every aspect of your digital strategy to every section of your organization.

Full Adaptation

Continuously innovating to see where else can you improve.

Five-step Iterative process

These are the processes to help you out with your journey of being part of the digital economy.

      1. Strategic Intent – you want to inject a digital strategy as part of your objective
      2. IT Feasibility Validation – checking if it is feasible to do in your organization in an IT perspective
      3. Business Unit Engagement – getting everyone on board
      4. Organization Injection – execution, making it part of your business culture
      5. Rapid Release of the Next Generation Business Services

It does not have to happen in one go. Even after releasing your first digital milestone, you may go back to the first step to see what else can be improved.

Case Studies and Insights

Walmart

(in an interview with then CTO, Jeremy King)

      • In 2018 Walmart and Microsoft announced a five-year partnership to drive digital transformation across Walmart, boost shopping speed, and empower retail associates.
      • Customer-facing technologies are in Microsoft’s Azure cloud
      • Machine learning as one of the most important technologies Walmart is using. 
      • Predictive Inventory accurately addresses one of the biggest consumer complaints, which is accurately providing the right availability of items that they have.

Starbucks

      • They incorporated Data Analytics into their Marketing and Sales efforts.
        • what kind of coffee their customers are ordering and adjust their offerings accordingly.
        • Personalize offers and marketing materials.
        • Increase sales and cut costs of ineffective ads and marketing
      • Starbucks Mobile app: Starbucks has been using reinforcement machine learning technology (ML) to provide a more personalized experience for customers who use the Starbucks mobile app
      • IoT – measure consumption of coffee beans in partnership with Microsoft
      • BlockChain – trace coffee beans from its source

Domino’s Pizza

In the mid-2000s, Domino’s was struggling with both brand image…they recognized the need for rock-solid digital strategy to improve customer engagement and overall brand image

      • Marketing and IT  aligned to communicate Domino’s digital transformation story to the users (consumers). This led to the social listening platform Think Oven, a social listening platform which allows Domino to get real-time feedback from their customers. This was launched in the mid-2000s, back when social media is starting to gain dominance.
      • After a successful rollout of their mobile app, they introduced Domino’s Anywhere: customers can order from a plethora of devices including Amazon Echo, Google Home, Siri, Smartwatches, Smart TV’s, Slack, Facebook Messenger, Twitter and more
      • Extensive use of Cloud technology via MS Azure’s PaaS, all of their core systems – digital ordering systems, ERP, back-office operations, and supply chain systems in the cloud.
      • Domino is planning to invest in conversational AI and cognitive technologies (NLP) to further enhance the user experience.
      • In 2017, Domino Pizza overtook Pizza Hut to become the largest pizza company in the world generating $12B in global revenue.

IKEA

Cultural Transformation (Interview with Chief Data Officer, Barbara Martin Coppola)

This is how they achieved a digital mindset:

      • “In order to be successful, digital needs to be embedded in every aspect of IKEA. Digital is a way of working, making decisions, and managing the company.”
      • “At IKEA we’ve divided our digital transformation into four main areas:
        • Meeting the customer
        • Empowering co-workers
        • Digital Foundation
        • Digital DNA”
      • “When speaking of digital transformations, it is imperative to think of it as a strategic paradigm shift, and culture can either enable that transformation or it can severely hinder it.”

Technologies per Business Size

Companies or people before put up a small store, and they were only using cash register machines and accepting cash as payment. Now, this CRM is now being replaced by POS. Along with this, people are also changing and tend to use tools like GCash or PayMaya. 

On another part, people who are not able to put up a physical store make use of e-commerce platforms, like Lazada and Shopee, to make it available to the public.

During the pandemic period, people had to adapt and be more creative. They are utilizing Facebook as their channel. People who are doing transactions here usually start with a COD payment method until they have established their customers’ trust, but definitely switch to utilizing mobile wallets.

With all these models of small enterprises, inventory is done manually.

Physical stores become more scattered within the city, across the city, or all over the country. With the utilization of POS, companies are able to control these brick and mortar stores and to communicate with applications in the headquarter. 

Some companies start as e-commerce. But eventually, these retailers would want physical presence and put up physical stores, putting up brick and mortar, and e-commerce to form their mixed channel of selling.

For databases, the structured data will require the use of SQL technologies, while document databases are used for non-structured or semi-structured data.

Examples:

      • SQL Technologies (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, MS SQL Server)
      • Document Database (MongoDB, CouchDB, CouchBase)

The large enterprise model is similar to medium, but it presents more potential for the company to do more, and utilize more technologies. There will come a point in time that the company will need to use corporate applications/ERP. It handles all of the operations of the business.

In 2019, more brick and mortar stores adopted the use of kiosks to perform other functions.

Large enterprises also have plenty of vendors and need to have applications to manage their operations.

It is expected for such a size of businesses to have an executive information system in place, basically like business intelligence already. When a variety and volume of data come in, Big Data also does because it already has so much data to consider.

There are three (3) types of data analytics:

        • Descriptive (under business intelligence)
        • Predictive (statistical models; used for forecasting)
        • Prescriptive (artificial intelligence; machine learning; draws up specific recommendations)

Greenplum fits best if you want all of these. It is a data hub, a repository for all your data. It has AI and machine learning libraries.

If your system is future-proof, it is capable of putting all of these technologies together.

DevOps should be in place if you are undergoing a digital transformation for a more seamless deployment.

Current to Tomorrow’s Technologies:

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Allows visual recognition or customized image recognition to fit the business needs, It detects and identifies people, emotions in images. In Amazon Go, a person can pick up an item from the store and immediately leave with it. The payment is automatically deducted from the person’s bank account. The same concept is also a running idea for hotels.

Retail use cases:

      • Amazon Go
      • Cardless Membership

Internet of Things (IoT)

A system of interrelated, non-traditional computing devices with unique identifiers, usually IP addresses. It also has the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

Retail use cases:

      • Amazon Go’s IoT sensors
      • AWM Smart Grocery
      • Smart Shelves/Shelf Tags
      • Thermostat Control
      • Flonomics’ counting system and retail analytics technology help retailers determine optimal staffing levels for different dates and times, improve marketing strategies, gauge traffic flow, enhance customer service, and more.

Chatbot

A software application used to conduct online conversations, like Alexa, Siri, and more. It provides live contact with a human. An example of this is Globe’s Dude, a chatbot to monitor employees’ health launched during the enhanced community quarantine.

Retail use cases:

      • Tommy Hilfiger Chatbot
        • recommends client based on the information provided
      • Support use
        • Answering queries – FAQs
        • Respond to customer concerns and informing the support team
      • Globe’s DUDE – monitor employee health

Augmented Reality

An interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-generated perceptual information.

Retail use cases:

      • IKEA Place
      • Fitting Rooms App

Blockchain

Is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data (generally represented as a Merkle tree).

      • Retail use cases
      • tracking shipments, 
      • centralizing databases
      • stopping fraud and counterfeits
      • and increasing transparency

Key Takeaways:

      • Business strategy must include the ability to adapt/embrace change
      • Technology adoption is a major contributor to long term success
      • Digital Transformation will help define and execute the digital strategy road map
      • Choose the technology that best fits your strategy

Get to know ANAHAW, our retail solution specially built to adapt to modern retail business requirements, and to specifically work on providing you an edge over the rest.