Connected commerce vendor Diebold Nixdorf is partnering with Decathlon, a leading sports retailer, to supply point-of-sale (POS) systems and software to its first megastore in South Africa.
The new POS systems include both barcode scanners and radio frequency identification (RFID) readers – the first time such a setup has been adopted in South Africa.
Products in the megastore are identified with a label that has both a stacked omnidirectional barcode and an embedded RFID tag, making product identification at checkout both easier and faster than traditional systems that only use a barcode reader.
The 2 500 square meter Decathlon Alberton Megastore, located south of Johannesburg, opened its doors to the public on 2 September 2017.
“Decathlon has made significant investments not only in megastores like our latest outlet in Alberton, but also in the technology innovation that drives the efficiency of our business,” says Guglielmo Pecchi, store manager at the Decathlon Alberton Megastore. “Diebold Nixdorf is a strategic part of our retail operation and we are pleased that we can rely on the company to help make our business in South Africa a success.”
In addition, RFID tagging enables retailers to increase inventory accuracy – decreasing the time it takes to check inventory from one day to approximately one hour. This increased visibility enables Decathlon to identify trends earlier and respond more quickly to demands at a store level.
“Our retail solutions are designed to meet the needs of retailers and consumers alike–bringing together operational efficiencies and consumer convenience to drive the future of connected commerce,” says Jean Christophe Bouche, MD: eastern and southern Africa at Diebold Nixdorf. “Our global partnership with Decathlon is a testament to the quality of our retail systems and software, the efficiency of our services and our efforts to bring the most advanced point-of-sale solutions to the market.”
Diebold Nixdorf has maintained representation in South Africa since 1971. Today, the company operates in the region from its office in Olivedale, Johannesburg, and employs 220 staff serving the needs of customers in both the retail and financial markets.