Kookai - Improving Store Communications

Background

Kookai, the high fashion womenswear business, operates over 50 branches in the UK. The business needed to provide stores with access to key stock information held within the head office merchandise system. In addition, it wanted to enable stores to input and transmit data online to head office including an interface to the payroll. The roll-out of the merchandising software to the stores had been considered but was deemed impractical due to the complexity of installation and maintenance. Similarly, the use of Microsoft Outlook had been explored but lacked functionality and was proving difficult to support. Kookai asked Retail Answers to develop and implement a flexible and cost effective web based intranet solution.

Project Summary

Retail Answers developed and implemented the intranet solution using Kookai’s existing Internet Service Provider and the stores’ existing tills, PCs and communications equipment. Features included:

• Stock look-up for neighbouring stores
• Online store data entry of forms (e.g. timesheets) integrated with head office systems (e.g. personnel)
• A bulletin board for head office to send generic information and newsletters to all stores
• Email
• Deployment of certain components at the tills
• Security to prevent store access to the internet and other stores’ secure data

Benefits

Key benefits to Kookai included:-

• Increased sales and customer service through access to stockholding information
• Increased business efficiency through the electronic exchange of information between stores and head office thus reducing the workload for staff and reducing costs
• Instant, cost effective and popular means of communication between head office and stores reducing the number of phone enquiries
• Maximised benefits from the investment in head office systems by extending their functionality to stores in a controlled environment

www.kookai.com