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Re-engineering retail for the modern era

Unifying retail operations across a national network

Project Background

New Zealand Safety Blackwoods (NZSB) used a retail system that could not keep up with its growth. With over 35 outlets, they faced disjointed sales, inefficient inventory management, and lacked unified customer data. They needed a modern, connected Point of Sale (POS) solution to streamline operations, offer flexible payment options, and gain real time insights to improve efficiency and growth.

Developing ExpressPOS: A Unified Point of Sale System Connecting 35+ Outlets for New Zealand Safety Blackwoods

Objectives

Unify Retail Operations: Replace disparate systems with a single, cloud-connected POS platform across all 35+ NZSB outlets.
Streamline Transactions & Inventory: Enable fast, accurate sales with real-time synchronization to central inventory systems.
Enhance Customer Experience: Introduce flexible payment options, quick order history access, and personalised interactions for B2B and B2C customers.
Enable Data-Driven Decisions: Provide management with real-time sales dashboards, reconciliation reports, and customer insights for planning.
Support Complex Business Models: Handle promotions, customer-specific pricing, and delivery location management for diverse client needs.

Key Features Delivered

Unified Multi-Outlet Platform: A single system managing sales, inventory, and customer data across all 35+ NZSB locations in real time.
Flexible Payment & Cart Management: Supports multiple payment methods and a customisable cart for complex B2B orders, quotes, and laybys.
Advanced Product Search: Allows staff to quickly find products by name, code, or category, reducing transaction times.
Promotions & Campaign Engine: Enables central management of store-wide promotions, discounts, and campaigns.
Integrated Customer Profiles: Provides one-click access to order history, enabling personalised service and upsell opportunities.
Daily Reconciliation & Reporting: Automated end-of-day reconciliation with detailed variance reporting and sales analytics.

Our Approach

Digital400 used a user centric, agile approach to develop ExpressPOS. We embedded with NZSB staff to understand the retail workflow, from sales to daily reconciliation. Using Figma, we prototyped the user interface, ensuring it was intuitive for cashiers and powerful for managers. Our technical strategy built a robust .NET backend with a responsive React frontend, bridging the modern POS interface and core IBM i and DB2 systems. The solution runs on Azure for high availability and scalability, using MySQL for specific modules.

Results

ExpressPOS transformed NZSB's retail operations, turning points of sale into strategic assets.

Significant Revenue Contribution: The system supports operations accounting for 75% of the company's total revenue.
Dramatic Operational Efficiency: Streamlined processes led to faster customer checkouts, reduced errors, and real-time inventory visibility across the network.
Data-Driven Sales & Marketing: Customer data and sales insights unlocked personalised marketing, customer retention, and upselling.
Seamless Customer Management: The platform manages complex B2C and B2B needs, including delivery preferences and pricing agreements.
Scalable Foundation for Growth: The modern architecture provides a solid base for adding outlets and features as NZSB expands.

Tech Stack:

.NET, React, IBM, IBM DB2, MySQL, Microsoft Azure, Figma