Cornetts owns 33 IGA stores in Queensland. The business identified a need to update its IT environment, and better integrate its finance and point of sale (POS) equipment.
The technology that supermarket groups depend on must be absolutely reliable so that it does not intrude on the customer experience. For Graham Booysen, CEO of Cornetts IGA, the focus is on making purchases quick and easy.
“You don’t want technology to affect the customer’s thought process too much,” said Booysen.
The existing POS equipment was difficult for staff to use, which impacted the swift service Booysen wanted to deliver.
“Today’s customers shop more frequently, and because they want to buy fresh, they are buying less in a single shop. They need to get what they want efficiently.”
The lack of integration between systems also impacted customer experience, and Booysen knew that more efficient systems would mean greater availability of products in every store.
“We had an antiquated finance system and an old POS system, and there was a massive discrepancy between the two,” said Booysen.
“We had to wait 12 hours to know what was selling.”
In the fast-moving supermarket business, 12-hour delays can affect stock availability, meaning customers may be disappointed.