TRAFICON TOBACCO RETAIL s.r.o. operates a network of more than 160 shops with tobacco products, newspapers and magazines. The network dynamically expands with new stores.
A large retail network brings with it high demand on the speed and accuracy of stocktaking, particularly for tobacco products, newspapers and supplementary products. TRAFICON's existing stocktaking application by NG Retail was developed for the Windows CE operating system, which is no longer supported by Microsoft. TRAFICON needed to replace the solution with a next generation stocktaking app, ideally for Android operating system.
What needed to be done?
Replacement of the MobileFlow app with a next gen version in the Windows CE environment
Replacement with a next gen application in the Android environment
Online communication with the ERP system
Replacement of existing HW running Windows CE with new HW running Android OS supplied by ZEBRA
Major time savings thanks to easy searching for items
More efficient stocktaking
Maximum comfort without any limitations to sale
Solution
To meet TRAFICON's expectations, we chose the NG PDA app, which is built natively on Android and includes a basic kit of logistical documents and features for working with goods in shops and in stock.
Each document provides detailed information about goods and stock including the option to view an image of each product. NG PDA is capable of online communication with the central ERP system and all documents created in the app are immediately saved in the central database. In addition, the NG PDA enables a comfortable search for articles, also printing of labels with EAN or QR code on a printer connected via bluetooth. A welcome feature is also price checking - comparing prices on the shelf label with the price in the central ERP database.
The story of the implementation
The NG PDA project was realised through the collaboration of NG Retail's team and TRAFICON's inventory team. The first step was specifying the functional requirements on the NG PDA app, with particular focus on stocktaking.
After thorough user testing on a new PDA terminal supplied by ZEBRA with Android OS, the complete solution went live. Data about goods for document creation is provided by central ERP system TPOMM and finished documents are saved online into ERP system’s database. The application also enables work in off-line mode, which is not preferred, however, it enables making of an inventory or other logistics document even with limited availability of information from the central (e.g. the current stock state). Documents are temporarily stored locally in NG PDA. Once the connection is restored, they are automatically transferred to the central ERP database.
Main benefits
Immediate checking of sale prices
NG PDA gives the user immediate access to as much information about goods as possible so that there's no need to search elsewhere, such as in the sale terminal or ERP system
Improved stocktaking process, option to park documents and finish them later
Option to use NG PDA for additional work with documents in the future – e.g. receipt of goods, transfer of goods from/to shops etc.
Online communication between NG PDA and TPOMM eliminates the need to use a sale terminal to load inventory documents – no risk of losing data by accidentally deleting or forgetting to save a document
More comfortable stocktaking that does not interfere with sale at the sale terminal
Result
NG PDA was prepared for needs of inventory clerks in the field and for the needs of TRAFICON.
“Stocktaking using NG PDA enables improved and faster loading/scanning of goods. If needed, goods can be searched for quickly and easily using either fulltext searching or EAN. Online communication makes transferring files faster and there's no need to connect the PDA to a sale terminal by a cable, which would limit the customer. We also appreciate the compactness and ability to charge the PDA via a classic USB cable. A further benefit is that the PDA functions similar to a mobile phone and thus offers additional functions such as a calculator or a web browser.”
Lenka Hofman
manager of the inspection department of TRAFICON TOBACCO RETAIL s.r.o.
NG Retail s.r.o. is a young company building on a 30-year tradition of supplying specialised software solutions for retail. Thanks to a
team of experienced senior consultants, the company aims to
bring existing and future clients user-friendly solutions that are
tailor-made for their business, help accelerate its running and
grow it further so that it is ready for any changes that come
hand-in-hand with modern retail. Its latest product is the
POS NG cash register, which is currently the most modern
solution of its kind on the market and is capable of serving both
the non-food segment (fashion, toys, sports, tobacco...) as well
as the fast food sector.
TRAFICON TOBACCO RETAIL, s.r.o.
TRAFICON TOBACCO RETAIL s.r.o. is a Czech network of more than 160 modern shops selling tobacco products, newspapers and magazines and lottery services. It has been in the market for over 25 years and is part of the Czech investment company DT-holding a.s., which has a range of successful and promising companies from numerous fields in its portfolio. TRAFICON TOBACCO RETAIL operates on a franchise basis, so retailers have a fully equipped shop available and can fully profit from the size of the network, strong brand and know-how of the company.
