The Rossignol teams explain how the Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking solution has helped them manage their in-store inventory by providing a more reliable and accurate view.
Rossignol, a leading winter sports equipment group established in 1907, owns well-known brands like Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, and Look. With approximately thirty stores worldwide, mainly in Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany) and North America, Rossignol sought to streamline its retail operations.
In January 2017, they switched to Cegid Retail in SaaS mode after experiencing challenges with their previous inventory management solution. Simon Van Der Poorten, Retail and e-commerce project manager at Rossignol, recalls the need for a tool to optimise in-store inventory more effectively.
In June 2021, the IS manager decided to try out the Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking tool, which could easily “plug in” to the Cegid Retail Y2 solution they were already using. This solution makes it easy for teams to inventory all their stock. To ensure the tool did the job required, a POC (Proof of Concept) was carried out in the Chamonix store for a few weeks.
A Cegid consultant accompanied Rossignol for a few days as they familiarised themselves with this solution. After a week of testing, the Rossignol manager was convinced, deciding to implement Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking from November 2021 in all other stores.
Thanks to the Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking solution, we now inventory 100% of our stores, which was not previously the case. It is so easy to use, changing the management culture for employees. Sellers in the stores can get involved, and at head office we really appreciate the improved inventory tracking.
Rossignol has installed the Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking solution in its stores, on Zebra terminals and smartphones. Using these mobile solutions, the in-store teams carry out complete or rolling inventories much more frequently, use PDAs to directly manage goods received, transfers to the logistics platform or other stores, consult stock in reserve, etc.
Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking also helps in-store teams to save time: stores no longer need to close in order to carry out an inventory! Furthermore, the solution interface is broken down around inventories and stock movements in the store. Employees can therefore easily consult stock in real time. This has the additional advantage of facilitating an omnichannel approach and the management of products between stores if necessary in order to provide customers with the best service, whatever the channel.
The process to implement Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking in the different stores was very quick and easy.
The PDAs can be configured remotely, we industrialised this process to apply it from the head office. The store receives the PDA, connects it to the Wi-Fi, and then just opens the application already installed on the terminal.
On site, Rossignol employees are delighted with how easy the solution is to use. The Cegid team have worked to provide a solution that can be adapted effortlessly. The modular solution also offers different access rights depending on each employee’s level of responsibility.
The feedback from sales advisors at Rossignol is glowing:
In the store, we found the tool very easy to use, the solution is much more intuitive than the previous one. Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking removes a technical obstacle. And getting started couldn’t be easier.
The solution is available in 22 languages and can therefore adapt to the teams in the field, wherever they may be.
The main advantage of Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking lies in the optimisation of inventories and their reliability:
“We use it for full and rolling inventories, something we rarely carried out before” states the IS manager. 100% of Rossignol stores are now inventoried, compared with 90% previously. And the most expensive items, such as jackets, also benefit from a rolling inventory.
“Our stores are not large, but there is considerable stock, so it was important for us to know more about it”, he continues. Simon Van Der Poorten tells us that thanks to Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking, the inventory takes just a few hours, or even a few minutes for some stores. No need to close the store for the inventory.
Another benefit is the fact that accurate inventories encourage product transfers between stores and/or from the purchasing centre. This is priceless, ensuring customers are provided with the service they expect given the quality of Rossignol’s products.
With the boom in e-bookings and click and collect, in-store teams can see stock in real time and react accordingly, informing customers whether or not products can be set aside.
These simplifications to inventory management lead to a change in the field: “the inventory management culture is more present in stores, sellers are much more aware of the inventories”, the IS manager tells us happily.
Based on feedback from customers, Cegid estimates that Cegid Retail Inventory Tracking means that inventory management times in stores are reduced by 80%. So much extra time that store associates can now dedicate to their customers!
The tool also incorporates all document management: “We can see all the documents still to be validated at any time, which makes the daily management situation clearer”, states Lucile Cerise, Controller and Stock reliability manager at Rossignol.
In terms of management, we did not have inventories of all stores, which could cause errors between theoretical and actual stock. “Now if we note discrepancies internally, we launch an automatic recount and in the evening it’s resolved, the store reopens with everything in order. The auditors have told us that the inventories were more reliable, which is much better for management”, says Lucile.
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Article 30 November 2022 4 min
