Lockdown, shopping by appointment, or click-and-collect – carefree shopping has been unthinkable over the last year. Lifestyle brand Butlers is among those who, despite the pandemic, improved their shopping experience through the use of digital technology.
In the midst of the crisis, many retailers dared to try out new, creative methods to avoid losing their customers. Despite the pandemic, well-known lifestyle brand Butlers also decided to invest early on to guarantee its own resilience. For Butlers, the payment process was the key factor in ensuring greater customer satisfaction. Long lines at cash registers are a great annoyance for customers, which is why the company converted to a digital point-of-sale system in its stores. The goal: Faster payment processes and therefore a better shopping experience for the customer.
As a brand aimed at guests and hosting, Butlers sells tableware, home accessories, decorations, and gifts in around 120 stores in Germany and abroad. Like all companies, Butlers’ stores were also impacted by the lockdown and the need to offer shopping by appointment and click-and-collect options. Only few customers were allowed in shops at any time while the strict access rules were in place during the pandemic. This always resulted in lower revenue, too. That made it all the more annoying that the old checkout system with traditional computers and Java clients was holding them back from processing payments quickly. In order to minimize customers’ dwell time at the checkout and in the shop and therefore shorten the waiting time for new customers at the entrance, the management moved quickly to adopt the right measures.
With a digital checkout system, Butlers was able to make a successful investment in the company’s resilience. Deutsche Telekom was able to win the company over with support services and delight them with its innovative MagentaBusiness POS checkout system. One major advantage of this system is that it already includes the certified technical security installation (“TSE”) as legally required by the tax authorities. The new system allowed the retailer to become more agile and simply serve many more customers than before. Payment processes on the checkouts have been accelerated by around 50 percent. The checkout system is made up of numerous stationary and mobile POS terminals which are all interconnected.
Another advantage: even if a store’s internet is disrupted, Butlers can still continue processing purchases thanks to an integrated LTE backup. This also increases the company’s resilience and helps to safeguard its future.
The interlinking of online and in-store retailing is becoming more and more important
Now with the pandemic, many retailers have learned that simply having a digital presence is not enough to enable customers a pleasant shopping experience during a lockdown. This has made the interlinking of online and in-store retailing all the more important. Companies therefore need to invest in digitalization, especially in time of crisis. It really pays off. Butlers can now offer its customers quick, contactless payment thanks to the state-of-the-art POS solution. The system also makes things easier for employees since Butlers can handle the online shop and overall inventory management via the new POS system as well. Sales can now be transmitted seamlessly to the warehouse and subsequent deliveries of goods to the stores can be initiated in an instant.
The digital point-of-sale checkout system MagentaBusiness POS includes stationary point-of-sale terminals with an integrated receipt printer and customer display as well as POS terminals with an integrated scanner for barcodes, coupons, and customer cards. All devices are interconnected via VDSL, Wi-Fi, and an integrated M2M mobile communications solution. MagentaBusiness POS can be easily integrated into existing systems and processes. Get in touch for a consultation.
What does resilience mean for companies? Every week you can find new articles on our special page about resilience through digitalization.
