Supermarket chain ADM Londis’ €5m five-year strategy to shift to e-tailing will now see every retailer equipped with an Apple iPad to enable them to access its supply chain in the cloud system.
The move will dramatically transform the operation and management of Londis shops across Ireland, putting the entire store operation at the retailer’s fingertips, seven days a week, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world.
Using their new iPads, store owners will be able to access Londis’ e-wholesaling platform, ISIS (an intelligent ordering portal that delivers customised real-time data about a store’s stock, relevant promotions and suggestions to improve margin mix), while on the shop floor or remotely.
They will be able to access their category plans, review stock and place orders using relevant data, thereby improving on-shelf availability and ensuring the offering matches consumer patterns in-store.
The iPad will be able access the store’s Epos (Electronic Point of Sale) system and manage back-office functions – the retailer has full control of the store’s back office in the palm of their hand – including: managing price changes, new product setup, electronic invoicing and point of sale development.
As well as this, they’ll be able to oversee store standards and track improvements relative to their peers through the Londis eStore Visit Book application. This breaks down the full dynamics of a successful store operation and scores each Londis store against a peer average.
The future of e-retail
The iPads will allow retailers to access eAssist, Londis’ customer relationship management (CRM) portal, to track claims and other store queries, oversee regulatory compliance in store with full access to the most up-to-date HR, food safety, alcohol trading and other retail industry regulatory requirements.
And shop owners will be able to manage email and social media updates, complete banking transactions and even view live, in-store feeds from security cameras.
All of these functions can be performed any time, anywhere, from one single device.
Retailers who attended the Group’s Annual Conference in Killarney, Co Kerry, on Tuesday, 27 September, will be the first to experience a new dawn in retailing, one which is truly interactive, intuitive, mobile and instantly accessible.
“Today is a landmark in Irish retailing; e-retailing is the key to future retail growth and we are very proud at ADM Londis to be pioneering this development,” said Stephen O’Riordan, CEO of ADM Londis plc.
“This is not simply another IT investment; it is the key to drive greater efficiencies in retail management. Our vision brings greater intelligence and efficiencies to the supply chain between wholesaler and retailer, ultimately leading to a stronger in-store offering, lower prices for consumers and sustainable profit margins for our retailers. This gives Londis retailers a competitive edge in a very difficult market environment.
“E-retailing is evolving at a pace and Londis retailers are now leading the way. Londis retailers have already embraced the group’s e-wholesale offering, ISIS, with very positive results. Our e-wholesaling capabilities make ADM Londis a very suitable wholesale partner for retailers across Ireland, and we aim to realise this potential in the coming months and years.”
Chris Donnelly, head of IT at ADM Londis, explained: “When you combine all of Londis’ business intelligence with market-leading IT infrastructure, and add in the accessibility and functionality of the iPad, it fundamentally changes how each of our retailers will conduct their business. The new way of doing business is now more efficient, effective and responsive.”
