Middle East Electronics Retailer Sharaf Steps up Omnichannel With Openbravo
Since opening its doors in 2005, Sharaf DG has become a leading electronics and electrical goods in the Middle East, with 32 stores and online stores in the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, and Oman.
To continue growing and deliver the first-class experience its 1.5 million-strong customer base has come to expect, Sharaf DG recognized that it would need to upgrade to a new POS software solution.
Choosing the technology to fit the omnichannel strategy
Sharaf DG needed a solution that would allow it to unify itsmobile POS and desktop solutions, integrate with its SAP central back office system, and move forward in its omnichannel strategy.
The company wanted to simplify POS roll-out in new stores and lower time-to-market when introducing new products, promotions and prices changes. It also wanted to support omnichannel scenarios to enhance customer satisfaction.
New POS solution yields enterprise- and customer-centric benefits
Openbravo has been implemented in Sharaf DG’s 24 stores in the UAE, which comprise more than 250 POS terminals. The implementation also included integration to Sharaf DG’s central SAP system with the Openbravo’s SAP ECC connector, which was implemented over six months.
Openbravo’s SAP ECC connector made it easier to converge the POS and back-office SAP systems, thus ensuring data held by the POS, store and headquarters is synchronized and up-to-date.
The new POS system simplified the overall in-store IT infrastructure. The integration helped Sharaf DG gain the business agility it needed to introduce changes faster and more consistently, and reduce the maintenance efforts required to manage more than 20,000 discounts and promotions for more than 60,000 products.
Sharaf DG can now support new omnichannel scenarios such as Buy Online and Pick up in Store (BOPIS) with the ability to prepare online orders from stores and manage and optimize deliveries from the warehouse, the supplier, or other stores.
Ultimately, Openbravo’s POS solution empowers Sharaf DG staff to focus more on customer service and deliver a faster check-out experience with flexible payment options and omnichannel delivery options. With the new POS solution, checkout lines are already moving faster and the time it takes for transactions to be completed has improved dramatically.
Ready for future growth
Sharaf DG’s new solution is built on a flexible platform that makes it easier to roll out new terminals, mobile POS, and expand with new stores. It will also make it easier to introduce new products and promotions for its customers.
After initially focussing on stores in the UAE, Sharaf DG wants to roll out the Openbravo solution to stores in all the territories where it operates and it plans to introduce mobile POS in all UAE stores before the end of 2018.
For Openbravo, the Middle East represents a huge growth opportunity as the new business climate in the region obliges retailers to renovate their retail management systems to meet the requirements of business digitalization, innovation and omnichannel transformation. Openbravo recently opened an office in Dubai to get closer to customers in the the region.
To find out about Sharaf DG’s omnichannel solution in more detail, please read their Customer Story.
