In early 2014, Weber opened the world's first Weber original store in Berlin. The store offers a complete Weber brand experience, showcasing the full range of products and featuring the integrated Weber Grill Academy Original. Visitors can learn from experienced grill-masters and immerse themselves in the world of Weber.
First time into direct sales
Entering the world of direct sales was uncharted territory for Weber, the leading brand for charcoal, electric, and gas grills. With the opening of their flagship store in Berlin, customers now have the opportunity to purchase the entire range of Weber products directly from the manufacturer. This new venture into retail required the expertise of Microsoft Dynamics and LS Retail partner Kumavision, who implemented LS Retail's retail management ERP and POS software. Weber chose Kumavision for their practical retail knowledge and ability to meet the specific requirements of this flagship store. With Microsoft Dynamics already in use at Weber sales points worldwide, LS Retail software was the natural choice for the new store's retail management and POS system.
A challenging implementation
"There have been two major challenges in this project,” says Günther Grimm, project manager operations at Weber. "Firstly, Weber has no experience in retail. Secondly, there was only a very short time period before the opening of the flagship store.” And this was no understatement: There were just eight weeks between the first workshop and the go-live of the flagship store. So priorities had to be assigned, regarding which functions and features would be necessary by opening day, and what might be postponed to be implemented later. "Because of this challenge, it was very pleasant for us that Kumavision responded with flexibly to meet our specifications, especially when the Weber team came up with new requirements only a few days before the opening," Grimm says.
External stocking warehouse
Stock control was one of the indispensable requirements from the start. The store in Berlin Mitte has only a very small amount of stock due to limited storing space (around 20 m²). So only the most necessary items are kept there. Furthermore, as Grimm says, "Customers don’t want to carry one of our larger grills through the pedestrian zone. Therefore, the availability of all items is ensured by a buffer stock outside the city area of Berlin.”
Great benefits with LS Retail software
Mobile POS giving real time access
With the help of mobile POS devices, the Weber sales staff can check each item's availability in real time both in-store and in the buffer stock. The staff can also easily initiate the delivery process after customers make their on-the-spot order. Each item can then be delivered directly to the customer’s car or sent to their home address.
Guided sales
LS Mobile POS offers even more significant value to the retailer: during the sales process both the customer and sales staff can access additional information like product details or images. The store also features a large video wall system displaying product versions and specs to support the sales staff. No matter what the customer needs, each item can be easily found, reviewed and added to the order. "So there is much flexibility and fluidity during the selling process, without any disturbing break to find the necessary information, while the staff assists each customer," says Grimm.
Continuous replenishment
The LS Retail software solution is more than a POS software. It covers and simplifies all typical retail store operations. Weber is planning to implement the LS Retail software Replenishment feature, so that continuous restock can be guaranteed directly out of the system. For this purpose, the system not only has a connection to the buffer stock and the central German stock, but it is also synced and connected to the ERP system at the German headquarters, giving them a complete overview of their business. The clear structure of the LS Retail software back office solution gives Weber the ability to centralize data management. For example, new items or price changes are automatically decided and sent to all POS devices directly from the headquarter office. Reports offer an analysis of sales data which helps management identify trends in a timely manner. In the near future, administration of customer data will be used to establish the integrated LS Retail Loyalty system.
