www.martinmccoll.co.uk
Product: Nordic ID RF651
Text: Carl Michener / ID BBN Image: Shutterstock & Nordic ID
With more than 1,250 stores trading throughout
England,
Scotland
and Wales, Martin McColl is the UK’s
number
one
independent
neighbourhood retailer. The chain of
convenience
stores
maintains
their pole position through shrewd management aided by technology. Like most retailers, Martin McColl neighbourhood
re-tailers,
known
variously as ‘McColl’s’, ‘Martin’s’ and ‘RS McColl’, face a relatively high staff turnover. This means that systems— everything from cash registers to barcode scanners—have to be kept simple and very easy to use.
POINT OF SALE SYSTEM INTEGRATION In 2009, Martin McColl stores raised the bar on efficiency with a wholesale switch from manual pricing and stock keeping to Torex’s Power PoS, a point of sale system designed specifically for convenience stores. Power PoS enables central control of pricing, promotion, various stock keeping functions, and more. Part of that move involved the adoption of handheld barcode readers. A HIGHLY USABLE HANDSET The Nordic ID RF651 is a Bluetooth-enabled handheld terminal used to check current stock information, orders placed and other detailed product information in a secure, encrypted fashion. The barcode device uses thin client technology, which means that information is stored on a server and not on the device itself. This makes the RF651 quite tractable: additional handsets can be added to a store network with a minimum of delay. Using the RF651 requires a bare minimum of training—it’s really as simple as picking
Handhelds deliver efficiency
MARTIN MCCOLL one up and using it. Up to seven devices can easily be connected to a PC or a PoS system, making collecting and transmitting data on the move very cost-efficient. The RF651 comes with a large, illuminated display that’s easy to read even in poorly lit areas. It also operates all day long on a single charge. PUSH MESSAGING AND WIRELESS PRINTING Because the RF651 runs on Bluetooth technology rather than Internet Wi-Fi, it gives Martin McColl staff the ability to engage customers’ mobile devices with push messaging over the in-store radio frequency (RF) network via Bluetooth. The retailer is one of the first in the UK with the ability to send promotions or coupons over Bluetooth messaging, giving it an advantage over competitors. Martin McColl is also pioneering the use of wireless printers in the retail environment. The wireless printing option saves time by permitting employees to print labels from wherever they are; in the stockroom, for example, while they are faceto-face with goods in need of labelling.
STRONG RESULTS To date, Martin McColl administrators have been pleased with their choice. “Part of the
reason we chose Nordic ID is their ability to provide a total solution,” says Neil
Hodge, General Manage for IT at Martin McColl. “That means project management, installation, service and maintenance, onsite engineers when required, as well as remote monitoring and ongoing support. And support’s been very good. We’re definitely happy with them.” Results have also been very good. The implementation of Bluetooth-based stock keeping, which is inherently a more secure as well as a simpler protocol than Internet Wi-Fi, has had a tremendous positive impact on many of Martin McColl’s key performance indicators. Deliveries are more quickly integrated into the system, prices are adjusted with a minimum of delay and a quick scan reveals what is missing on shelves, and in what quantities.
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