07.02.2013
6 min read

New Horizons for Retailers – GK SOFTWARE AG Presents Pioneering Solutions and Technologies at EuroCIS

Schöneck, 7. February 2013 - GK SOFTWARE AG will be offering retailers a glimpse of the future based on the latest solutions from the GK/Retail Business Suite at EuroCIS in Düsseldorf from 19 to 21 February 2013 on Stand C 48 in Hall 9. On the joint stand with SAP, the spotlight will be on the topics of omni-channel retailing, cloud and mobility. Furthermore, the company will be presenting complete end-to-end processes from the central server right down to individual devices at branch level.

 
At EuroCIS, the leading European trade fair for retail IT and technology, GK SOFTWARE AG and SAP will be presenting their entire retail product portfolio on a shared stand. By combining their two worlds of fully integrated solutions, both partners offer a complete range of applications for managing every process within a retail organization. The seamlessly interfacing solutions enable sustainable cost reductions, fast and highly accurate processes and better customer service. No other supplier in the world offers such a complete range of fully integrated branch-level solutions which have been developed in collaboration with SAP.

Futureproof: new applications for omni-channel retailing

This year, GK SOFTWARE's presence at EuroCIS will focus on the topics of omni-channel retailing and mobility. The company has adapted its portfolio in order to provide retailers with precise and flexible solutions to help them meet these challenges. The market-leading, platform-independent GK/Retail infrastructure includes core and enhanced retail processes which can be individually combined per channel and device as required. Furthermore, at the level of enhanced retail processes, partner components can also be seamlessly integrated, such as SAP for connecting online ordering processes with branch processes (e.g. collection, payment, returns). These new applications enable the company to offer complete solutions for various sales channels - e.g. individual stores or mobile shopping - and direct process integration with other channels such as webshops, home delivery or social media.

Cloud and in-memory computing: the basis for real-time channel integration

Omni-channel retailing requires complete and real-time information to be available at all times and on any device, from smartphones to POS. To meet these modern-day requirements within a retail environment, GK SOFTWARE has configured essential aspects of its technology so that applications and services are stored in the cloud and can be used with in-memory systems such as SAP HANA. This has created a solid foundation for central management and real-time processing of big data within retail.

Retail mobility

In the area of retail mobility, GK SOFTWARE will be presenting its latest solutions for various types of device which offer retailers maximum flexibility and choice when equipping their stores. One of the highlights is the iOS-based ERP solution which allows all branch-level processes, from replenishment to inventory, to be performed via a direct connection to the ERP system. This brings the same easy-to-use and unlimited SAP functionality currently available on classic MDE devices to branch employees' iOS devices. Further highlights will be the mobile POS native on the iPad, which makes optimum use of the unique possibilities of this kind of device, and another example of a thin client/cloud architecture which can fully exploit the opportunities presented by any type of end device.
Together with its partner valuephone, GK SOFTWARE will be demonstrating a comprehensive range of solutions for mobile interaction with customers in the context of an omni-channel concept.

Management reports on the iPad in real time

The new KPI dashboard, which will be presented for the first time at EuroCIS, is an example of an application using SAP HANA. It brings together various relevant key performance indicators such as sales, data about promotions or performance-against-target figures per branch, per region or companywide in real time on a manager's iPad. This enables a proactive rather than reactive approach, and ensures that management decisions are made based on the most accurate information possible.

Platform for product innovations and advancements

As always, EuroCIS represents the ideal platform for innovative solutions and further advancements. Hence, in addition to its latest solutions in the GK/Retail Business Suite, the GK/Retail Self Checkout will be on display for the first time. This offers retailers an affordable way of extending their POS landscape by fully integrating individual self-checkout solutions on freely configurable standard hardware. GK/Retail Open Scale, the hardware-independent standard software for all open PC-based scales, offers similar advantages.

Complete service offering for retailers

For the first time at EuroCIS, GK SOFTWARE will be presenting its retail customers with a complete after-sales service offering covering all aspects of branch-level operations, from customer hotline and on-site maintenance to high-quality developer support.