Maximum stability at the checkout

Byggmax opened its first DIY store in Sweden in 1993. The group has grown rapidly in recent years, partly thanks to its flotation on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 2010. Growth has not only been achieved organically; in 2015, Byggmax acquired Buildor, and then Skånska Byggvarorin in 2016.Byggmax focuses on the heavier DIY materials. With the new Byggmax 4.0 store concept, the range on the shop floor has been expanded to approximately 5,000 items. But that’s still about a tenth of the entire range offered online. “Our omnichannel strategy puts flexibility first.

We guarantee maximum availability of items, regardless of time, place and sales,” explains Oskar Röös, Chief Information Officer at Byggmax Group. “It doesn’t matter whether a customer visits a store and wants to take the products home there and then or have them delivered. They can also choose to shop online and collect in-store. We offer every combination of possibilities – that’s what we mean by flexibility.”

Too much downtime

The core component in the omnichannel strategy is the point-of-sale (POS) process, yet Byggmax was forced to switch to another system. “We had a POS solution with a lot of downtime that was no longer supported. So, we sought a new solution that was not only stable, but could also be linked to our ERP system, IFS. And the solution that ticked all the boxes was Centric’s inPosition.

Another bonus was that Centric was a dedicated and solution-orientated partner available locally. “We needed a complete solution from a supplier that could handle the entire implementation, including setting up, testing and rolling out the solution to the stores. Centric has proven itself as a supplier with a great deal of expertise in DIY and the retail market in Scandinavia. What’s more, Centric was able to provide impressive references and the value for money was much better than other vendors’ solutions.”

Oskar Röös is particularly full of praise for the high user satisfaction with inPosition. “At first, we had our doubts because the graphical user interface looked so simple, but over time it proved to really increase user-friendliness and stability. The interface is different from other providers’ solutions. It felt a little strange initially, but eventually turned out to be a strong point.”

Pilot in Uppsala

Byggmax and Centric set up a project team to implement the solution. The new POS solution was first tested as a pilot in a store in Uppsala, near Stockholm. Less than four months later, the project team decided to roll out the solution within three months to all stores – first in Norway, followed by Sweden and then Finland. There are now 169 stores working with the solution: 116 stores in Sweden, 43 in Norway and 10 in Finland.

Filip Liljelyck – Store Manager in Uppsala – was closely involved in the roll-out of the pilot. As a precaution, the store worked with two POS systems, inPostion being the primary one. But if that should fail, Byggmax could still rely on the old system as a back-up. “It was a little nerve-wracking to be chosen for the pilot, but the collaboration with Centric was excellent. Any incidents that cropped up during the pilot were resolved quickly and easily.”

Centric was on-hand at the store and had direct contact with users. Filip Liljelyck also noticed that Centric listened to the experiences of staff on the shop floor. “During the pilot, we practically had an access-all-areas pass to the software. We were able to see all the features at work, including those that we’ve decided not to use going forward.”

Improved stability

For cashiers with less experience, the straight-forward interface is very beneficial. But for the more experienced POS staff, the interface has been slightly modified at Byggmax’s request. The keyboard shortcuts that Centric has built in have sped up the checkout process for these users. “Centric saw what we needed and developed adequate solutions for it,” says Filip Liljelyck. Now that the system is up and running in all our stores, the experiences are certainly positive. The investment will pay for itself, but that’s not as important as the much-improved stability. After all, no cash registers means no sales. “inPosition is incredibly good in that respect,” says Oskar Röös.

Oskar Röös looks back on the project with satisfaction. “Centric has brilliant people who actually create value for our company. One example is the Covid-19 pandemic. To make the store contactless, we wanted to start serving customers in their cars. Centric took rapid action and provided a solution in the form of the inPosition

Mobile POS, with an integrated mobile PIN terminal and receipt printer. An ideal solution to keep the virus out of the store and continue to serve our customers. Technology is important, of course, but in situations like these, it’s Centric’s people who really make the difference.”