Staples Canada — iPhone Replaces Legacy Scanners Across 298 Stores
Introduction
Staples Canada, founded in 1991, is a privately held retailer based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, operating 298 stores across Canada. Serving businesses, educators, students, and consumers, the company embarked on a digital transformation journey to modernize store operations — replacing outdated dedicated scanners with Scandit-powered iPhones that put enterprise-grade scanning capability in every associate's hand.
Challenge
Staples Canada's 298 stores relied on expensive dedicated scanners with limited availability, preventing associates from performing accurate price audits and causing customer dissatisfaction. Legacy hardware was incompatible with new digital transformation initiatives, and the company lacked tools to enable upselling, product training, and omnichannel fulfillment — limiting associate effectiveness across inventory management, customer service, and order processing.
Solution
Staples Canada replaced legacy scanners with iPhones and developed a custom app powered by three Scandit products: Barcode Scanner SDK for fast, accurate scanning; MatrixScan AR for multi-barcode capture with real-time augmented reality feedback; and Price Label Capture for automatic shelf-to-system price comparison. The rollout began with a three-store pilot, scaled to a district, and deployed across 1,200 iPhones in all 298 Canadian stores.
Why SCANDIT
Scandit's combination of three products — Barcode Scanner SDK, MatrixScan AR, and Price Label Capture — delivered capabilities that no single legacy scanner could match. The ability to scan multiple barcodes simultaneously with AR overlays, automatically compare shelf prices to system records, and perform all operations on a standard iPhone gave Staples Canada the flexibility and cost efficiency needed for a nationwide rollout across 298 stores.
"The new Scandit-powered app is going to change how our store operates. We wanted to unlock the power of associates with better tools — and since using Scandit, we've seen huge increases in engagement."
— Lance Martel, CIO, Staples Canada
Impact
The Scandit-powered iPhone solution has transformed Staples Canada's store operations, saving 18,500 associate hours weekly on pricing audits alone while reducing hardware costs by 45%. With 200,000 weekly app interactions across 20,000 sessions, associate engagement has surged. The company is now expanding the platform to include omnichannel order fulfillment, cycle counting, and receiving capabilities.