New Zealand department store selects new centralised signage system to improve the delivery of customer-facing branding and promotions

New Zealand department store selects new centralised signage system to improve the delivery of customer-facing branding and promotions

The Warehouse, one of New Zealand’s largest department stores, is implementing Retail Enterprise Suite from Episys to manage and drive its in-store communications.

The solution, which will be implemented in conjunction with Episys partner, SPOS will enable The Warehouse to increase sales, deliver significant efficiencies around the signage process both at its support office and in the stores and improve its compliance with trading standards regulations. As part of the initial engagement, Episys carried out a retail efficiency survey, which evaluated The Warehouse’s signage process from both the support office and store perspective, on which Episys’ recommendations were based.

Efficiency and clarity of messaging

Ian Morrice, chief executive at The Warehouse, said: “‘It is very important to us that our customers understand the offers we are presenting, as we know that customers who are confused by what’s on offer, are less likely to buy.

“Our own research has shown that we needed to make improvements in this area both in terms of operational efficiency and the clarity of our message. In retailing there must be a bond of trust between what is shown on the shelf edge and what the customer pays at the till. Retail Enterprise Suite will help us build this bond as well as providing richer information to help our customers make informed decisions.”

Owen McCall, chief information officer at The Warehouse added: “When we looked at our options to deliver our vision for improving customer communications, we looked at the market and also at developing a solution in-house.

Relevant experience and skill essential

“It was clear from our investigations and from talking to other retailers around the world that Episys is a world leader in this area and had both the product and experience to help us with this vitally important project. Their team demonstrated an excellent understanding of our technical architecture to ensure that existing data can be utilised to ensure that the whole process is more efficient and requires no re-keying of data.”

McCall continued: “The fact that Retail Enterprise Suite is a proven, packaged solution that can be configured to meet our specific requirements. It will also provide us with an excellent platform for the future so that, should we wish, we can implement technologies such as electronic and digital signage, guided selling kiosks and even provide information to our web site ensuring that we present our customers with one version of the truth.”