Internal Applications to Enhance Shopping Experience at Tesco

Background

Tesco recognized that the store and the warehouse floor are inter-connected and so, for them, improving back-end operations was an integral part of enhancing the overall shopping experience.

An accurate picture of warehouse inventory was essential to keep the store properly stocked, and employee tasks needed to be completed in a regular, timely manner to provide shoppers with a positive shopping experience. However, while data on each item was available, it was not aggregated, and finding items in their huge warehouses, checking availability and product details was a difficult task. Similarly, routine tasks, checks, and reporting needed to be completed in a systematic manner to ensure that the stores offered a clean, secure, and safe place for shopping. Tesco was looking for a solution that would help them make their warehouse operations seamless and efficient.

Why Adastra?

Adastra had a long-standing working relationship with Tesco and we had previously proven our expertise by developing and implementing customer-facing applications for them in the European market. In 2018, Adastra also won the Tesco Hackathon, a competitive event where they call for ideas to help them elevate their customers’ shopping experience, with our AR application proposal to “gamify” the way people shop in-store. The following year, we proposed an AR Scanner which made it easier for employees to maintain store shelves using barcodes to check product information, expiration dates, etc. These proposals aligned with Tesco’s vision and Adastra was brought on board to build internal applications to increase the efficiency of back-end operations, enhance employee productivity, and create a seamless shopping experience for Tesco customers.

Adastra’s Approach and Solution

The Adastra team started the project by gathering business requirements from the client’s users and technical requirements from their IT department. To ensure that we delivered the best possible result, we spent time understanding their existing processes, and evaluating how our solution could help enhance them.

We developed and deployed the Stockeero suite of applications for Tesco. Stockeero is a package solution for back-end processes that encompasses a range of different applications that can either be used as standalone solutions or integrated together for an immersive end-to-end experience. The overall functionality of the solution allows Tesco employees to understand and enhance inventory management, increase employee efficiency, and make it easier to get product information, directly on the users’ mobile devices.

Some of the Stockeero applications that were deployed at Tesco include:

Scanner

Our AR Scanner app allows employees to scan a product barcode to see detailed product descriptions, including the item location in the warehouse, previous and upcoming delivery dates, shelf details, sales numbers, stock details, expiration dates, and planned product-related events such as promotions or scheduled returns. Where most barcode scanners provide only a static screen, our application takes employees to a dynamic AR pop-up window, which makes it easier for users to read the information on the screen and get more details.

Planogram and Navigation

The Planogram functionality allows employees to check the location of products via virtual route, to make navigating to the right shelves easier and faster.

Checklist

The checklist functionality allows individuals to modify categories based on their needs.

Inventory

This application shows a description of the inventory and allows employees to drill-down into specific product categories to get a quick view of available stock.

Store Walk

This application helps employees keep track of their daily routine store checks and essential store front tasks to provide in-store customers with a clean, secure, and safe shopping experience. Employees can check off completed tasks, add comments, and send out reports, right from the application interface.

Adastra’s experts configured the application components to work with Tesco’s environment, implemented connectors, and customized the user interface to meet their needs. Our support staff continues to monitor usage and performance of the Stockeero application suite, so Tesco’s IT team does not have to worry about maintenance.

Impact

• Increased employee efficiency
• Real-time information and reporting

Our Stockeero solution is currently used by 6000 Tesco employees across Europe. The application suite has helped streamline the working process for employees, by creating a central repository of information containing all relevant product information. This data can be easily accessed by employees, using their mobile devices, bringing convenience and transparency into their day-to-day tasks.

Stockeero has helped improve employee efficiency and inventory management, by giving employees insights into stock volumes, product availability, and placement. The Store Walk capability makes it easier for them to keep track of their to-do list, so that regular tasks are completed on time and thoroughly. Store Walk reports can be sent to supervisors and store managers on a regular basis to keep them updated on task status.

Efficient back-end and warehouse operations are crucial for accurate inventory management, ensuring product availability, and preventing over- or under-stocking of items. By implementing Stockeero, Tesco was able to elevate their customers’ shopping experience and provide a novel way of shopping.

Stockeero’s digital interface eliminated the need for paper records and checklists. The data collected via the applications could be collected directly and used for AI/ML-driven analytics. Unlike with paper forms, there was also no risk of modification or loss of data, and accurate records can now be maintained for various aspects of store operations.

Since Stockeero is a suite of applications, it is an immensely scalable solution. Organizations can choose to start with one or more functionalities and later expand to additional applications.

Want to streamline your retail operations with internal applications? Schedule a meeting with our experts to learn more.