BAS Group chooses intelligent e-POS sales receipt printers

BAS Group is the largest electronics retailer and e-tailer in the Netherlands. The three store formats, Dixons, MyCom and iCentre, have national coverage with 200 stores in which 1,300 employees work daily to achieve the ultimate customer experience. Epson's TM-i technology forms an essential part of this unique and customer-focused commercial operation.

"Treat the customer as you would like to be treated" is the motto of Steven Bakker, CEO of BAS Group. BAS Group's stores offer a hands-on experience where consumers can try out the latest products themselves and where the integration of online and offline plays an important role. The counters and tills have disappeared and customers can pay the staff directly; the employees become hosts and hostesses instead of sales people. A lot of work is also put into creating a pleasant atmosphere, there is a scent machine in-store, and customers are offered a cup of Fairtrade coffee. Epson's TM-i technology forms an essential part of the group's customer-focused commercial operation.

BAS Group has worked to achieve operational excellence in every facet of the business . Optimum customer satisfaction goes further than providing the best product at the lowest price, the company believes you must think ahead and put vision into practice. The heart of the business is the solution called Ceyenne WPOS. The purchasing and stock systems, logistics, business intelligence, content system and customer database are all packaged into one solution. Due to this integration and its functionality, the customer can approach this platform at every touchpoint in-store. The solution makes it possible to offer a customer the same experience via all channels.

"We want to take down the barriers between online and offline. There is no longer any difference between the c. 900 products in our stores and the c. 100,000 products that we store in our central warehouse," says Lub Ten Napel, CIO of BAS Group.

" It goes without saying that BAS Group is always on the lookout for new ways to surprise its customers and to enhance their shopping experience . Thanks to the WPOS platform, it doesn't matter if the customer is based online or offline – the content is always the same. If a product is not available in store, the customer has the option of having it delivered to their home address or collecting it the next day in-store."

Naturally, when implementing a new store concept, new technology is required. BAS Group's store employees no longer have access to a counter or an actual till. They now walk around with iPads through which they can access the Ceyenne WPOS platform. As a result, the iPads become a mobile till system for store employees, they can display product details, specifications and possible alternatives immediately. In addition, employees have access to the correct stock data, which is automatically updated following a sale. When the customer chooses a product, the employee enters it at the push of a button in their virtual shopping basket and the receipt is printed by the store's TM-T88V-i printer. The intelligent TM technology is simple and flexible to use; you don't even need to have external hardware in the store. If a till receipt or invoice has to be printed, the TM-T88V-i printer can be controlled via the internet. Thanks to the omni-channel concept, the iPads can perform the same functions as a desktop would when connected to the platform . A store employee can control the WPOS platform via the iPad in order to allow the TM-T88V-i to print. The iPad can even be used to select the printer in the store. The infrastructure for each branch can also be set digitally via the WPOS solution.

In each BAS Group branch there is now a TM-T88V-i receipt printer, controlled via XML. Because these printers can configure a small, local network independently, no extra computers, that would function as printer hubs or web servers, are required.

The use of XML as a means of communication between printers provides increased flexibility and simplicity. XML is supported as standard by most programmes and by all HTML5-compatible browsers, so you only have to write the web service once to be able to print invoices, till receipts and discount vouchers. A special data transfer connection is also no longer necessary.

"The communications now go via the Internet. This means that we no longer have to worry about transferring data," states Ten Napel. "Much less maintenance is required thanks to the new solution. Printer communication via XML ensures that no driver updates are required, and because no permanent connection to a PC or server is needed , the detection of faults becomes easier. Furthermore, less equipment means less electricity consumption and therefore lower bills and less harm to the environment." Savings can also be made on store maintenance. At worst, replacement of hardware means only having to replace a printer.

The WPOS solution ensures that the ordering process for stores and customers is streamlined. Because the WPOS makes no distinction between the appliances, connecting to Epson's intelligent printers is simple. "Thanks to this user-friendly solution, our employees no longer have to contend with equipment that doesn't work properly and can instead concentrate on providing the best possible service to the customer," says Ten Napel. "This ensures that our service provision is optimal, and both the customers and staff have a good experience in our stores."

• Printing takes place over the internet, so dedicated lines are no longer required
• The integral print server means that no extra hardware is required
• Communication is controlled via the cloud through XML, therefore control software only has to be written once.
• Greatly reduced driver maintenance, simpler management and huge time savings.