Case study: Autobarn, Bundaberg
“The whole system was set up and fully running in 2 days.”
Background
Autobarn is Australia’s leading automotive parts retailer, with more than 135 stores nationally. A franchise company, we worked with Bundaberg, to implement the first Electronic Shelf Label solution in their network.
Reasons for implementation
Autobarn prides itself on providing exceptional service and advise, paired with quality products, at low prices. An excellent proposition for customers but one that can be tricky to implement from a retail operations perspective.
The focus of this initiative was on:
Timely implementation of price changes and offers.
Quick roll out of catalogue changes.
Price accuracy and compliance.
Freeing up the staff in-store so they could spend time understanding customer needs and finding the right solution for them.
Optimising other operational tasks, including stock management and on shelf product finding.
Continuing Bundaberg’s mission of being the leaders in innovation.
Solution
Working in collaboration with Last Yard (an in-store marketing automation platform), FutureShelf implemented an automated solution, that connects with Autobarn’s existing POS system. All relevant updates in the POS are pushed to the e-pricing system, and automatically rolled out at the shelf edge, via the Electronic Shelf Labels.
The entire store was fitted with medium sized Red/Black/White electronic shelf labels, as well as some larger screens, for key promotional activity. All installed using accessories to fit the labels onto the shelves and product displays.
A suite of templates was designed to highlight different offers, promotions and price drops. The red colour display is utilised for products on offer, otherwise plain black/white price labels are shown.
Outcomes
For Bundaberg the Digital Pricing Solution has provided one of the most important things - peace of mind. Implementing a new promotional catalogue used to take 3-4 days, now offers are updated at the shelf edge instantly! Management now know that pricing accuracy is a constant, that cannot be affected by staffing changes and other factors outside of their control. Having this peace of mind, has allowed them to focus on their core business, which is providing expertise and leading customer service.
Visually, Management and customers are delighted. The electronic labels present a modern, innovative aesthetic to the store. Customers can now clearly see which products are on offer, and know that they are getting the best price.
With thousands of products in store, staff are now assisted in finding the exact part required, via flashing LED lights on the labels. Of course, this has meant efficiencies in staff time, but they’ve also found that customers are enjoying the innovative experience as well.
Lastly looking at stock management, products now automatically show an out-of-stock message on the shelf edge, as soon as the stock count hits zero. Products with no stock on the shelf and no out-of-stock message are then replenished.
“The whole system was set up and fully running in 2 days, which is especially impressive, given that it was done the week before Christmas! We received great responsiveness and support in setup from the FutureShelf team.”
Stephen Browning, Autobarn Bundaberg.
