The second day of Retechcon 2013 started with an engaging presentation by Mr Sandeep Dhar, CEO, Tesco HSC. The session takes virtual tour through some innovative application of technology that has ensured convenience for the retailers and sales growth for the retailer. Mr Dhar brought forth a few examples of right combination of technology and people that’s doing wonder to the Tesco sales.
Bringing store to the people
The Home Plus store (as Tesco is known in South Korea) made significant impact in sales growth without expanding number of physical store. They installed virtual store at a subway station that has display and merchandise similar to any physical store. What does a commuter do? He simply scans the QR code with his smart phone and places the order and the product gets delivered at the customer’s convenient time.
People-Technology combination in a warehouse
A department store like Tesco houses a wide range of products. The next example was on how supply chain is managed for online order that includes products from cosmetics to daily needs. A mounted terminal, which a worker at the warehouse can wear, enables him/her to pick products from a particular zone in sequence. This terminal guides him/her to the particular area where the stock is hoarded. Then all the items are loaded in a particular basket for that order. The basket goes to the loading bay by a automated conveyor belt and loaded to the truck. However, the quality of each product is checked manually. A superb example of people-technology combination!
Trailer for a DVD!!
Tesco has come up with an application that scans the barcode of a DVD on shelf and plays the trailer so that the customer can get a right idea of the content and select something of his preference.
Shopping list mobile application
Taking into consideration the shoppers’ convenience, Tesco has come up with a mobile application to make shopping list the moment there is a need. Before you throw away your milk carton, scan the barcode and add it to your shopping cart. Thus the items getting added, by weekend a customer knows what are the requirements for the next week, and accordingly does the weekly shopping. There’s no need to check your refrigerator or hassle of remembering what you need actually, saving your time and effort.