Modernization of the Cash Register System
The Swiss fashion retailer Bollag-Guggenheim Fashion Group operates mono and multi-brand stores throughout Switzerland and, as a wholesaler and retailer, is one of the country's most important fashion companies. When the transition to a more modern POS system was imminent in his fourteen branches, ongoing operations were to be affected as little as possible. The example shows how the joint strategic preparatory work with the technology partner facilitates a system change and how fashion retailers benefit from the latest retail technology.
The Bollag-Guggenheim Fashion Group stands for selected branded fashion and imports international brands exclusively for Switzerland. In the heart of Zurich, she runs the elegant multi-brand concept store "The Gallery" - one of a total of fourteen of her own stores, including eight Marc O'Polo, one closed, two multi-brand concepts and three outlets. The traditional company has been a constant in the Swiss fashion world for 70 years and has been a customer of REMIRA for fifteen years when it comes to retail technology, then still "Futura Horgen". When it was announced that the POS system used in the company's own branches would no longer be technologically developed and maintained, the goal was to position itself for the future in the event of a system change and to influence ongoing sales operations as little as possible through a changeover. The management decided to continue on the path with REMIRA - and planned the changeover for the beginning of March 2020. "It was important to us that we keep REMIRA as a provider and contact for merchandise management and POS solutions in a demanding economic environment in order to continue to benefit from the to benefit from the already well-functioning cooperation," says company CFO Gaby Vock.
Start with an Intensive Workshop
After an intensive workshop with the project managers on both sides, the procedure was also clear: The start of the renewal of the retail technology was the switch to a current version of the SQL database, on the basis of which the new merchandise management and cash register system will also be operated. As the inventory management system, REMIRA installed the latest version of the REMIRA merchandise management system. Because the new cash register should also access the merchandise management system again and thus access goods movements and stock levels, sales or customer data. The POS hardware was also upgraded and new models with more RAM were purchased.
Then came the actual change to the REMIRA POS cash register software. The functions and configuration options of the new POS system had already been presented to the Bollag-Guggenheim management in the workshop. The advantages of the omnichannel checkout compared to its fifteen-year-old predecessor were discussed, and Bollag-Guggenheim decided which new functions the company wanted to activate and use in its future checkout and which not. For example, the new option of sending customers a sales receipt by e-mail should be used. The company has also had another possible standard of cash register software adapted for itself: the sales staff at Bollag-Guggenheim should be entitled to give a small discount at the cash register. If a customer believes that they are entitled to a higher discount, or if the sales employee believes this, the branch management is called in. This can enable a higher discount with their password - but also up to a fixed upper limit.
"The new POS software is easy and clear to use, and it was very easy for employees to get back into work, even after the eight-week unwanted break caused by the lockdown. The solution offers store managers good evaluation options an anables team members to set up clearly structured role assignments and authorizations." - Gaby Vock, CFO
Smooth Rollout
Based on such user requests, REMIRA configures a test register. The Bollag-Guggenheim team, consisting of the IT manager, the retail manager and two branch managers, runs through all sales and checkout processes intensively and collects the experiences as feedback for the REMIRA project manager. With the help of this feedback, REMIRA can revise the system so that there are no longer any major complaints with the test system in the next run. Therefore, the test run and the user training are carried out simultaneously on the second POS prototype according to the train-the-trainer model. This has the advantage that the time planned for the second test phase is used twice and the training effort is reduced. Upon completion of the training, a smooth system rollout will occur. Gaby Vock:
„Our joint, structured preparatory work has paid off. We had great support from the project manager Andreas Fritschi. And the system change to REMIRA POS worked smoothly on the key date. Within two weeks we were able to replace the cash register hardware, train the employees and carry out the software changeover in all fourteen branches two days before the lockdown."
In addition, Bollag-Guggenheim also opted for the REMIRA Dashboard as part of the system change, in order to be able to access the company data online and on the move. In this way, the key figures for all branches are available live at any time, in an attractive format. Overall, Bollag-Guggenheim is satisfied with the IT modernization.
REMIRA-System used for Bollag-Guggenheim
POS software
The REMIRA checkout software optimizes and accelerates checkout processes. Central management automatically synchronizes all changes in the system. You can use live monitoring to check whether the changes have really reached all stores. REMIRA POS software also tells you who your customers are and what they have already bought in other stores. This sets the course for omnichannel, because the software provides real-time data - important for the connection of a webshop. Another plus of REMIRA POS is the variety of connected payment service providers.
Benefits of the POS software:
- Cross-industry: Use everywhere in retail (non-food), whether in one or hundreds of branches
- International: Expand worldwide with different languages, currencies and fiscalizations
- Customer-centric: Retain customers with gift cards, vouchers, couponing and loyalty systems
