Zebra Technologies Corporation, a global leader in digitising and automating workflows to deliver intelligent operations, recently announced that it has helped leading retailer JD Sports to achieve 98% on-shelf availability and 20% faster replenishment, so high-demand sizes move from the storeroom to the shelf when and where customers want them.
JD Sports is a leading specialist retailer of trainers, sportswear, and apparel from brands like Nike, Adidas, and New Balance, with nearly 5,000 stores across 46 countries. However, as it scaled, inventory visibility in stores remained a challenge. To reliably offer one-hour click-and-collect or 30-minute delivery, the stock count needed to be accurate.
Intuitive technology built for fast deployment and high adoption
The retailer sought a real-time inventory visibility solution that could support omnichannel retail, was easy for retail assistants to use and fast to roll out across stores. A pilot across five stores highlighted the capabilities of Zebra’s TC2 Series mobile computers paired with Zebra RFD40 UHF RFID sleds to read tags faster and at greater range. JD Sports also selected Zebra OneCare™ which allows its store associates to address everyday wear and tear and accidental damage by simply swapping devices at no cost if something breaks.
Alongside Zebra, JD Sports worked with Renovotec, a Zebra Premier Solution Partner who led the Zebra device deployment, and Checkpoint Systems, a Zebra Registered ISV who integrated its ItemOptix™ software, giving a single view of inventory data across the retailer
“What Zebra gives us is the ability to scale with trust,” said Daniel McGrath, Head of Customer Operations, JD Sports. “Things just land and work. Colleagues open a box, turn it on, and they are up and running. That lets our teams spend their time where it matters: with the customer”.
The first store went live in only 76 days, with rollout at 26 additional stores a week on average, reaching 414 locations across the UK and Ireland in roughly three months.
Empowering frontline teams to elevate the shopper experience
The new solution has transformed the retailer’s approach to inventory. An associate simply clips the RFID sled onto the mobile computer they already use for daily tasks and walks the floor and stockroom, sweeping rails and shelves as the reader logs every tagged item in range and builds a live count on screen. In some cases, a whole store can be covered in a single pass.
Store associates now move 95% more inventory from the storeroom to shop floor and spend less time on stock counting. Stores can run this process from twice a week, or even daily, allowing them to keep shelves and the inventory management system in sync. This translates into a better customer experience, helping ensure products are available when shoppers expect them.
The same visibility is also helping JD Sports proactively tackle loss, as teams can identify and investigate issues much sooner. They can see where loss is happening rather than waiting for a 90- or 180-day audit.
“Retailers like JD Sports demonstrate the effectiveness of Zebra’s Modern Store framework, and the outcomes we and our partners deliver for both retailers and their shoppers”, said Mark Thomson, Retail Strategy Director EMEA, Zebra Technologies. “Together, we’re making work better every day for retailers and their frontline workers”.
Image Credit: Zebra Technologies
Source: Tahawul Tech