In order to survive and continue growing in a globally competitive market, retailers need to work hard to boost productivity and differentiate themselves from their competitors.
At the heart of any retail outlet lies the checkout. Wincor Nixdorf has particular expertise in this area. We are now applying our skills to retailers’ entire branch operations in response to developments on the customer side. Retailers have relied on our know-how for decades. The checkout generates information which they need to control the sales process, order new products and manage the logistics chain. Other branch solutions, such as reverse vending systems and electronic shelf labels, also require this information. Furthermore, many international retailers have implemented ePOS (Glossary) that link their branches to central systems, thus creating global networks. These are based on standardized products such as our Beetle hardware and a uniform software platform that not only controls the supermarket’s entire systems, but can also be integrated simply into central systems and adapted to meet new requirements, such as expansion in a new country, without incurring major costs.
In addition to our proven expertise in the field of POS systems (Glossary) , we have considerable experience in providing integration services at retailers’ head offices and across the supply chain as a whole. With a view to improving the efficiency of procurement systems and the structuring of product ranges, our subsidiary Wincor Nixdorf Retail Consulting offers a wide range of consulting services particularly focused on SAP and ECR (Efficient Consumer Response) processes.
Making our Customers More Successful.
Our customers' drive to create more efficient processes and differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering a greater range of services leads us to identify four key priorities:
- Shoppers complain about long waits at the checkout, while retailers are preoccupied by high process costs. Intelligent new self-service systems (Glossary) help to improve checkout processes.
- Cash handling at the checkout and in the back office generates substantial costs and presents a security risk. In response, the rationalization of cash processes to control and automate the flow of cash offers considerable potential for savings and a greater level of security.
- As a means of retaining customer loyalty and offering an improved service, many retailers are turning to new ways of attracting customers using digital media, such as displays, that can present customized material in order to generate additional sales.
- Transparent and effective management of branches can be achieved by using information in a targeted manner. This data must be able to flow uninterrupted at both central and branch level, as well as between these levels.
Retailers are responding to these challenges through a number of strategies. These include an increasing automation of their branch processes and migration to self-service as well as an ongoing optimization of their sales processes from the branch through to the head office level. Wincor Nixdorf has designed its portfolio with these developments in mind, placing a particular emphasis on the requirements of international retailers.
To cater to the shift to self-service in the checkout process, we provide a mix of conventional staffed checkouts and static self-service terminals. Our range of POS products is supplemented by our mobile self-scanning solutions. Other examples of self-service technology can be found in the reverse vending and kiosk systems (Glossary) based on our proven Beetle product. Our corresponding software portfolio includes solutions for the sales area and a standardized and internationally accepted payment interface for the processing of cashless transactions.
To automate the processes involved in the inward and outward movement of cash in retail outlets, Wincor Nixdorf has developed an extensive portfolio for integrated cash management within the sector. Our iCash family of products can handle the automatic dispensing of coins and banknotes at the checkout or their secure supply and removal in the back office. The control software communicates with existing POS solutions. The cash management portfolio covers everything from the calculation of cash levels and advice on process design through to installation and support for existing operations.
Within the supermarket, Wincor Nixdorf supports its customers’ efforts to appeal to consumers by offering expertise in the planning, installation and operation of systems (customer-facing technologies). This can also involve integrating kiosk systems, mobile shopping advisers, electronic displays or shelf labels and digital signs or large screens into our customers’ IT landscape, possibly with the inclusion of customer card and loyalty programs.
In response to the growing trend toward internationalization and standardization, we provide software, such as our TP.net branch software, that can be quickly adapted to local requirements. By tracking processes from the branch through to the head office in this way, it is possible to minimize costs and increase efficiency. In addition, Wincor Nixdorf supplies software applications to control checkout and automation solutions, analyze data and manage systems.
Focusing on What Matters Most.
Focusing on What Matters Most. To help retailers concentrate on their core business of selling, we have prepared a comprehensive portfolio of services that includes offering advice on the restructuring of processes, ranging from inventory analysis to the roll-out of new concepts. Our product-related services focus on assuring the maximum availability of all the systems installed at the customer’s site, and thanks to our portfolio of Managed Services (Glossary) , we can take over the complete operation of their systems and applications. In short, we provide the best possible infrastructure for a more streamlined management, assume operational responsibility and optimize the running of everything from individual POS systems to entire IT and communications infrastructures.
