Subscribe

Argility celebrates milestone

The technology innovator applauds its 21-year journey with the retail giant.

Johannesburg, 03 Jul 2019
Jai Kalyan, Argility Executive
Jai Kalyan, Argility Executive

Argility, a member of the Argility Technology Group, has revealed details of its 21-year journey with the Shoprite Furniture Group, trading under the brands of OK Furniture, House & Home and OK Power Express.

In 1998, Argility was appointed by the retail giant to provide Shoprite Furniture – a trading division of Shoprite Holdings – with end-to-end robust, dynamic, bespoke software solutions – from in-store POS to back-office to multiple third-party interfaces.

Jai Kalyan, Argility Executive, says the relationship commenced with a roll-out to approximately 160 stores. “It has now grown to over 520 stores operating in SA, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Mozambique.”

Kalyan says that over and above the retail management solution, services include:

  • A merchandising system;
  • Warehousing system;
  • Strategic IT expertise and consulting;
  • System analysis and architecture;
  • Business analysis;
  • Software design and implementation from small ad hoc changes to massive projects;
  • Support – working hand-in-hand with the helpdesk to resolve any issues and queries raised; and
  • Argility team on call 24/7 to provide customer service and support.

He notes the distributed architecture allows stores to trade even if the network is down, plus there are daily backups to a central server to ensure stores can be restored should it be required.

By their very nature, retail chains have a highly distributed organisational structure. Kalyan explains that individual stores need to be able to operate independently if communications are interrupted. “But it is also critical that data is consolidated in order to provide business intelligence, particularly relating to inventory optimisation and customer relationship management. A robust backup/disaster recovery solution is also crucial to ensure that data is never lost and store downtime is kept to an absolute minimum,” he says.

Keeping the business running in order to best serve its customers is top of every successful retailer’s agenda. “Retailers are acutely aware of the need to continue delivering more value to their customers, and as such, must constantly assess the latest developments in technology and trends in the sector. The consolidated data provided by Argility’s solutions provides the raw material for better intelligence to improve all aspects of our customers’ businesses, from ensuring ideal quantities of goods at each store and better debtor management, to improving customer insight and, ultimately, service.

“Argility’s software has kept pace with technology advances, which means we can provide cutting-edge solutions including initial credit application via cellphone, in-store use of tablets for salesmen, flash figures app for managers, automated cash upload system plus integration and use of Web services and more. All of this translates into competitive edge in the retail environment,” Kaylan concludes.

Share

Argility

Argility – a member of the Argility Technology Group - is a leading innovator and implementer of customised enterprise software solutions for the retail and supply chain industries. Our vast experience combined with a depth of proprietary software and skills enables us to address the multitude of challenges facing businesses in today’s digital transformation era.

We solve complex business problems by supplying and supporting various customised software solutions such as Point of Sale, ERP, Warehouse Management, Fleet Management, IoT management software, Proximity Marketing, Prescriptive Analytics and more. We strive to become an extension of our client’s businesses and not just another solution provider.

Argility’s origins trace back over thirty years as a leading software supplier to the retail sector. Decades of long, prosperous customer relationships bear testament to our customer-centric culture, exceptional service and innovative thinking. From single systems to the digital transformation of an entire organisation - we have the solutions, skills and experience.

The Argility Technology Group is comprised of: Argility; Cquential Solutions, Indaba Mobile, Fleet Domain and SkyData Communications. All are foremost technology developers and suppliers of customised enterprise software solutions for the Retail, Supply Chain, Fleet industries as well as a comprehensive IoT framework that enables local enterprises to integrate, manage and optimise their growing IoT ecosystems.

For further information: www.argility.com

Contact details: Office: (011) 712 1300; E: info@argility.com; sales@argility.com

Editorial contacts

Deirdre Blain
Blain Communications
(+27) 83 230 5522
blain@iafrica.com