Data strategy & digital platform immediately increases turnover by 6%

PE-backed trade retailer

Value Highlights

A private equity backed acquisition strategy resulted in four technologies and processes used by previously disparate companies coming together under one group. Trading in a market with an immature technology starting point, Panamoure was asked to create and implement a data strategy and digital platform that would provide them with a competitive advantage.

What were the challenges?

One company had no technology basis e.g. punch in / punch out time keeping was still in operation, and manual stock counts and paper delivery manifests were prevalent
There was no single “source of truth” for reporting across the group
Most of the on-site workforce were not technically savvy in any way – mobile technology was, to some, an anathema
Small centralised IT team had little experience other than desktop support and some in-house system knowledge
Inefficient manual processes were creating a value drag and hindering growth
The group IT Director had vision, but did not know where to start, being tethered to an ageing ERP
Many of 30+ proposed and in-flight IT projects had not been aligned strategically to the immediate or longer term needs of the business

So, what did we do?

Defined the overall data strategy and digital implementation plan, prioritising the areas that were fastest to market and thereby generating the most rapid ROI
Created apps to automate delivery, stock counting, picking and receipting that were mobile based, user friendly and efficient
Defined and built a Data Warehouse / Azure Data Lake with Power BI reporting across the group
Redefined processes to minimise manual effort
Introduced ML for stock counting – recognition based straight to inventory
Implemented e-commerce platform, linking to Azure Data Lake and smoothing customer journey
Created a working technological environment more efficient than competitors, reducing overall costs and increasing service levels
Readied IT infrastructure and applications to efficiently integrate with forthcoming acquisitions, anticipating new branch openings and launch of “one stop shop” products and services platform

Data strategy & digital platform immediately increases turnover by 6%

PE-backed trade retailer

Value Highlights

What were the challenges?

So, what did we do?

Let’s discuss what we could achieve for your business

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Richard Hamerton-Stove

Partner, Data Strategy