WEI designs and implements store-wide POS and customer wireless connectivity, centralizes control of supermarket retailer’s 80 store locations to primary and secondary data bases
Retail Case Study
CHALLENGE
Stakeholders at a large, nationally recognized supermarket retailer were frustrated with the wireless solution in place across all of its stores. The solution was not robust, lacked the security the company needed, and failed to support tasks essential to checkout and in-store operations. Improving its point-of-sale (POS) system was a corporate goal, and the company’s most pressing issue, and this provided the spark that drove management to consider alternative wireless solutions.
Updating the systems across the 80 stores seemed like an expensive project, but the company knew a wireless POS system would be more flexible and cost-effective in the long-term and would support Apple Pay, Google Pay and other modern payment platforms. The deployment of a new POS system presented a major challenge: the supermarket retailer needed to replace 600 network switches in 80 stores within a four-month timeframe to support the new solution.
Based on a history of success with WEI, the supermarket retailer turned to WEI for a timely and cost-effective solution to this problem. WEI agreed to work within the four-month timeline and highlighted the cost offset the company would achieve with the new wireless POS, solidifying its role as the company’s IT partner on the project.
SOLUTION
The 80 stores varied in size from small to large, so WEI’s wireless team conducted an assessment of each store to determine the most effective solution. Through consultation with the company’s stakeholders and store management teams, WEI prioritized front-of-store connectivity to ensure 100% dependability for the cash registers and POS system.
To start, WEI’s team provided up-front design services—studying the store layouts, identifying optimal access point (AP) locations, designing the framework, creating heatmaps and configuring the equipment that would support consistent connectivity. WEI provided two teams that worked outside of business hours, avoiding any client downtime.
After testing connectivity across these environments, WEI proposed the HPE Aruba Instant Access Point (IAP) solution with up to 15 access points per store. The Aruba IAP solution provides high availability thanks to a virtual controller built into a single Aruba IAP 315; if an AP fails, the virtual controller ensures the POS systems remain connected. This guarantees a seamless check out experience for both in-store personnel and the end customer.
OUTCOME
All of the company’s POS devices, including cash registers and self-checkout kiosks, are now wireless enabled, and WEI’s team successfully delivered the wireless solution within the 4-month window required by company stakeholders. What’s more, all 80 stores connect to the company’s primary and secondary data centers. Managers can leverage that connectivity to configure each store centrally, as an alternative to incremental updates on a store-by-store basis.
The solution provides an added benefit: Wi-Fi connectivity for customers! This customer experience boost does not interfere with security, performance and store operations, making it an ideal and cost-effective add-on. The company is more connected and secure than ever before, and its stores have become a more desirable destination for shoppers and patrons of its in-store cafés.
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Wireless connectivity is a requirement for the retail shopper today. How will you leverage a wireless solution to gain competitive advantage? |
