Global Retailer Empowers 34,000 Employees with Real-Time Product Data
Challenge
A major retailer operating 3,640 stores across 12 European countries faced a persistent challenge: store associates could not access product and inventory information in real time on the sales floor. When customers asked about specific products, staff had to return to back-office terminals — creating delays and diminishing the customer experience.
Solution
Deployed smartphones to all staff with SCANDIT barcode scanning integrated into the SAP ERP system. Associates can now scan any product barcode from anywhere in the store to instantly view inventory status, pricing, and detailed product information. The solution also enabled scanning of small barcodes that were previously unreadable.
The core objective of this initiative was to transform every store associate into a walking product expert. A single barcode scan surfaces all product information instantly, enabling any staff member to confidently assist customers on specialty products such as vitamins, cosmetics, and supplements — categories that previously required specialized knowledge.
The organization is now evaluating MatrixScan for back-office inventory management, exploring AR-powered customer self-service for product discovery, and planning expansion into Object Recognition for automated shelf management.