Author: Detego

Enso Detego, the leader in business intelligence for fashion retailers, today welcomes two new members to its advisory board: Steve Gray and Torsten Strauch.

Steve Gray, an experienced CEO within FMCG, retail and marketing services, joins as a non-executive director. Gray brings knowledge of customer loyalty and CRM systems in the retailer sector. His experience will enable Detego to further develop its consumer engagement strategy.

Torsten Strauch, senior VP Retail at Smartrac Technology, based in Cologne, also joins as a non-executive director this month. Torsten has over 10 years’ experience in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Detego will benefit from Strauch’s knowledge in new technologies as the business continues to develop through technology innovation.

Uwe Hennig, CEO, Detego, explained, “Torsten and Steve bring additional skills and experiences to the Detego team. They will boost our ability to enable efficient omnichannel and customer experience applications for fashion retailers.”

Gray played a leading role in the success of dunnhumby, working with Tesco, Kroger and their key suppliers. He repeated this with emnos, working with Carrefour, Metro, Morrisons, Waitrose, British Gas, BP, Camelot and BA/Air Miles.

Strauch comes to Detego with a background at Smartrac Technology, Checkpoint Systems and Intermec by Honeywell. He brings a wealth of experience in the development of strategic RFID adoption programs in retail and in driving a product road map and development in cooperation with R&D.

Detego, software vendor for real-time store analysis and article transparency in fashion retailing, has selected the digital future in textile retail and the motto “Follow your retail future” as their central theme for the EuroCIS 2016 which runs from February 23rd to 25th (hall 9, booth C03). Better connecting the customer to the store and the brand, including all the technical implementation possibilities, are the focal points in the process. To this end, the Austrian company presents the products of their Detego Suite 4.1 which consist of Detego InStore for real-time article transparency in the store and stockroom, Detego InWarehoue for inventory transparency at the item level in the central warehouse as well as the store analysis and oversight product Detego InReports. Detego InStore prevents “out of stock” situations, ensuring optimal merchandise presentation and article availability on the sales floor. It delivers comprehensive analysis and reporting functionality that covers the inventory situation in real-time in a way that is unrivalled both for the store manager and the category manager as well as top management. With the suite of products, Detego supports the omni-channel strategies of the textile retailer and ensures an integral shopping experience for consumers over all channels. The software from Detego complements managed services like software as a service (SaaS) along with various financing models.

Data Analysis as a Basis for Strategic Decision Making for Retailers

In-store analytics is key in proactive store management. Only retailers who leave nothing to chance can be successful. Sales that took place in the previous year or overall size distribution for all stores that is based on historical values can run contrary to reality. Access to real-time data that provides an overview of inventory currently in stock is a prerequisite for taking effective action. For this reason, the issue of data analysis and its practical interpretation is becoming more and more important as the basis for making decisions in terms of retail strategies. The use of the products from Detego provides a reliable overview of the inventory situation. Retailers can control stock in a targeted way, sending the merchandise to the place where it’s in demand. Moreover, Detego is working together with customers and retailing experts in its own Future Think Tanks to come up with imaginative ideas and strategies, for example big data follow in fashion retail, that can be practically applied in order to provide improved customer service.

Fashion Future Store

The technological foundation that Detego provides likewise makes it possible for brand name manufacturers to offer the customer a unique shopping experience that moves in the direction of future stores via pop-up stores or a more purist style of merchandise presentation in a showroom, as well as trying articles on virtually using a “magic mirror”.
“The digital future of your stores is huge for retail. The large fashion distributors are looking to fascinating technologies like the magic mirror for their customers. At the same time, decisions are increasingly being made on the basis of in-store analytic data. At the trade show we will show retailers how they can optimally prepare their stores for the digital future in order to be successful over the long-term,” declares Uwe Henning, CEO of Enso Detego GmbH.

Intelligent article management software Detego has today released a real-time analysis tool for fashion retailers—Detego InReports. This tool brings a new analysis platform that can coordinate the demands of the sales floor and logistics chain, helping retailers access current information such as the merchandise inventory and availability of items on the sales floor.

With bricks-and-mortar fashion retailers competing with online stores, retailers are forced to keep up with the pace set by customers, which means that product line management is essential. Detego recognises that the multi-channel strategy necessitates transparency, targeted merchandise distribution and increased merchandise availability, and is able to solve these issues using their new InReports technology.

Michael Goller PhD, CTO of Detego notes: “We developed Detego InReports as a tool for our customers so they can be better equipped for the ever more dynamic market and the growing demands of it. More than anything else, retailers with a network of several hundred stores need transparency and data that they can depend on in order to be able to react quickly. Detego InReports enables retailers to have this information at their fingertips”.

Increase Sales, Reduce Inventory, Manage Stores

Detego InReports analyses the crucial key performance indicators of individual locations, including merchandise inventory and availability, in addition to the time spent on the sales floor), making it possible to effectively assess and analyse the performance of individual stores. The high quality of the information on hand allows for more precise management of the flow of merchandise, as well as a reduction in the in-stock inventory kept available in all channels and loss prevention. This results in a simpler way to better adapt what is on offer to customers, and subsequently improving the profitability of stores. Detego offers textile retailers a faster way to react to market changes and trends that is based on overall inventory transparency, which translates to increased merchandise turnover and sales volume.

London UK & Graz, Austria: Today Enso Detego GmbH (Detego) launched its UK operations. The fast-growing business, headquartered in Graz, Austria, is now bringing its data backbone for the fashion industry to UK businesses. Detego enables efficient omnichannel and customer experience applications that enable stores to compete with internet businesses.

Detego is actively looking for business partners seeking to drive greater brand value for their retail clients.

Detego launched its brand in 2011 and in the time since has worked with a veritable ‘who’s who’ of central European retail and clothing, fashion and retail brands. The business has operations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, plus channel partners in France, Italy and Benelux but has now set up an operating base for the UK market in London.

Uwe Hennig, CEO of Detego, said: “The UK is a huge retail market within Europe – with London in particular a shopping magnet for the whole country. Bricks and mortar stores have been fighting a battle with nimble online retailers with one arm tied behind their backs. Detego’s solutions allow retailers to unleash their full potential by using intelligent article management across their whole supply chain.”

Detego solves the pain points of fashion retailers by providing full article transparency. This allows store and stock managers to keep customers in the store, have more time for the customer, not disappointing customers with misplaced or missing stock and keeping multi-channel promises (e.g. click and reserve). Retailers find an increased purchase volume per shopper, a reduction in check-out time, reduced inventory-taking efforts as well as reduced return handling logistics.

A leading UK national department store chain commented: “Store-level analytics is a technology that holds the promise stopping the UK ‘death of the high street’ trend. Bricks and mortar stores have generally not kept pace with online rivals or connected their online and physical assets as well. Solutions that solve the challenges of high street stores revolve around intelligence and interconnectivity, and this is why we are currently working with Detego.”

Detego’s retail business intelligence solutions allows businesses to increase their brand’s value via: mobile, actionable in-store analytics, merchandise management, product performance, inventory automation, supplier performance, enterprise-wide reporting, loss prevention, brand protection, increased sales, reduced markdowns, customer loyalty and supply chain control.

Logistics service provider NextLevel Logistics (NLL) has today announced it is using Detego’s article tracking and intelligence solutions, developed specifically for the fashion industry, for faster delivery to customers. Approximately three million pieces of clothing are moved by NLL every year, and thanks to the complete transparency and real-time warehouse insights provided by Detego’s software, this is now quicker and error-free.

NLL was not only able to increase the satisfaction of its retailer customers, it was also better able to handle the high number of collection cycles that happen every year in the fashion sector. The company began with a prototype of the solution, and immediately began working with the new more productive system, which has now been in place for six months.

Quicker article capture
In the NLL Eltmann Warehouse, an SSI Schäfer ‘Weasel’ automated vehicle transports 40 to 50 folded articles per container – at a speed of 0.6 metres per second – through an RFID tunnel that registers each item’s individual tag and tracks it individually using the Detego InWarehouse software. This ensures complete location transparency for each piece of clothing throughout the distribution process. In the next phase of implementation, which is already in progress, registration of articles will be expanded beyond folded inventory to hanging merchandise, in order to make the warehouse even more efficient.

Completeness check prior to loading for delivery
In order to guarantee completely error-free shipping, Detego’s InWarehouse software checks boxes immediately following order picking and once again just before loading for delivery. Automated RFID-based scanning and logging means considerable time savings over the previous process of manually checking articles to be sent, while tracking the total inventory of folded and hanging items is also easier. Inventory oversight, article transparency, and order accuracy prevent costly complaints on the side of the customer, ensuring they receive exactly what was ordered, complete and on-time.

Previewing individual articles before receiving
Detego InWarehouse transfers the gathered data to ERP texdata, which in turn passes the data on to the customer before shipment, if required. This way, the recipient can review the expected merchandise at an individual piece level, ahead of delivery. Retailers thus have the chance to precisely plan the presentation of merchandise for a campaign, and will no longer be surprised by the timing of deliveries. Receiving and displaying merchandise on the sales floor will be optimally managed. Detego InWarehouse supports the supply chain process, from the time merchandise leaves the warehouse all the way to the POS (i.e. point of sale).

“Many say that RFID doesn’t pay off in the warehouse, but we’ve experienced major success: Today we help deliver merchandise to the customer between 25 and 45 per cent faster than before using our solution, and we’ve accomplished this without additional cost to the customer. Such a significant reduction in delivery time is particularly important for the dynamic fashion industry, and meeting the demands of the modern retail customer”, notes Henrik Bugiel, Managing Director of NextLevel Logistics. “Our streamlined processes, in combination with Detego’s software, are perfectly co-ordinated, allowing us to easily address additional need for speed and flexibility, in any area of the business.”

Detego, software vendor, providing article transparency in fashion retail, is now also offering its software products as software as a service (SaaS) as part of its managed services. There is a fixed monthly price per store location and a rental term of 36, 48 or 60 months including a combination of hardware and service components, including software updates. This means that companies with a preference for OPEX (operational expenditures) rather than CAPEX (capital expenditures) are specifically being addressed. Based on a pilot store location test using previously defined KPIs (key performance indicators), an upscaling covering the entire store network takes place. Fashion retailers thus get the rapid flexibility of a complete in-store solution in the event of a new store opening, quickly bringing the system online, or likewise taking the system offline with the closure of a business. As they are no longer bound to a provider via the purchase of software licenses, Detego users have the possibility to rapidly adjust the IT infrastructure to the requirements of their business. The Detego Suite is specifically tailored to the clothing retailers – new stores can be set up in just a few days. In terms of software components, there is an option to select one or more Detego products. The same is true for the hardware: the number and type of scanners for the identification of articles can be chosen flexibly. During the lifetime of the agreement, an exchange of older devices for newer devices is possible so that users in the store are always using the most up-to-date technology. In this way, the IT infrastructure is adaptable for store locations and their changing omni-channel requirements thanks to a flexible rental model.

“One of the global players in sports clothing retail is already making use of the flexibility of our SaaS rental model and has successfully implemented the rollout in their store location expansion. If a new store location is added, we equip it with the identical store system within a few days. For the customers, that equates to a routine procedure that does not involve a complicated internal investment proposition,” remarks Jürgen Reisinger, CFO of Enso Detego GmbH.

Jürgen Reisinger, 45, has been appointed as the new CFO of Enso Detego, a software vendor which shows and tracks items within the retail fashion industry.

Mr. Reisinger will oversee Detego’s finances from September, focusing on the strategy and organisation of the company as it expands its distribution network in Europe. Mr. Reisinger will be incorporating his many years of experience into the growth of the Detego’s product offerings through various managed services models.

For the past seven years, Mr. Reisinger acted as the regional CFO responsible for Central and Eastern Europe with Takko Fashion in Austria, where the company saw successful expansion in Eastern Europe.

Mr. Reisinger was previously the head of finance and administration with CIBA Vision Austria GmbH, before becoming the head of commercial operations at ZF Trading Austria GmbH, and so brings a wealth of experience to Detego’s management team.

Speaking about his appointment, Jürgen Reisinger explains, “As a software company, we have to offer flexible and innovative financing models to fashion retailers. Their multi-channel strategy requires short term investments into store systems that strengthen their business. There is a lot of room to manoeuvre here, which I am looking forward to.”

Visibility and availability of items on the sales floor is crucial; it effectively determines  either the sale, or a missed opportunity for customers to buy. This is a particular challenge for fashion  retailers as it is essential that the right items be at the right locations in order to prevent customer  migration to competitors. To help in meeting this challenge, Detego is expanding its existing inventory  management product to the store sales floor, stockroom and central warehouse.

The latest release provides store managers with analysis of turnover and relevant reports in realtime, allowing them to use this important information to optimally present merchandise. Personally customisable dashboards deliver important key performance indicators (KPIs) for individual stores, e.g. merchandise availability, inventory accuracy and inventory aging structure as well as stocking performance.

The new software package is now available for desktop PCs, tablets and smartphones. It offers realtime  insights into the operations of the store, not only to store managers but also to category managers and  those responsible for turnover at the highest level, enabling the more efficient oversight of workflow  processes.

Intelligent Store Analytics Package for the Right Merchandise, Quantities and Sizes at the Right Locations

The software is based on RFID technology and functions at the item level, offering complete transparency. It benefits from a low investment in manpower whilst providing users with stocking and reordering  suggestions. It handles returns and merchandise transfer between stores as well as inventory functionality  through ongoing inventory control along with required annual inventory counts. In order to steer the store  towards sales growth in a targeted way in terms of brand product mix policies, it is now possible to import  merchandise plans. This allows the store manager to ensure that the right products for a specific campaign  are on hand in the correct quantities and sizes, in addition to the items being in the proper locations within the store.

A comparison of current status vs. targets in realtime provides an effective oversight for optimal merchandise presentation on the sales floor. Detailed reports and graphic analysis covering all merchandise  movements are highly effective in offering important decision-making support for day to-day operations.

Enso Detego GmbH offers the ideal market tested software package with innovate improvements, and as  CTO Dr Michael Goller explains; “The new analysis possibilities and reporting provide a considerable benefit  as well as a valuable time savings for the store manager. First off, more forward looking planning can be  carried out, and secondly, the system offers targeted notifications with operational recommendations in  real time. In the past, hours or even days could pass between the emergence of an out-of-stock situation  and restocking; now the retailer can react immediately”.