National Data Systems a member of the Fintech Group and sole distributor of NCR products in South Africa announced that customers at Pick `n Pay stores across South Africa will soon have a glimpse into the supermarket of the future.
In a multi-million dollar contract, Pick `n Pay has invested in a solution which combines NCR`s 7452 point-of-sale (POS) workstations and DynaKey user interface to enable it to offer enhanced, value-added services to consumers, such as payment of utility bills and savings account transactions.
"In choosing NCR, we have selected a partner that can back up strong hardware delivery that integrates closely with our own applications and which is coupled with strong support" commented Ronnie Herzfeld, IT director of Pick `n Pay. "Furthermore, NCR`s DynaKey interface is a vital element in our efforts to maintain and improve the service levels we offer. We are confident that customers will quickly recognise the added value of the new services and will show their approval by voting with their feet."
Pick `n Pay intends to take `one-stop shopping` a stage further by adding significant value to the shopping experience throughout its 124 stores. After extensive research into customer needs, Pick `n Pay discovered that today`s customers were keen to take advantage of additional services when visiting the supermarket, but were not prepared to sacrifice checkout efficiency or the level of personal service given by supermarket staff.
NCR`s solution, in combining the NCR 7452 workstation with the DynaKey interface, provided the perfect answer to this potential paradox - allowing Pick `n Pay`s cashiers to offer consumers the following enhanced services at the checkout:
- Payment of telephone, electricity and other utility bills
- Deposits into savings accounts
- Credit card, direct debit and cash transactions.
With a screen guiding the checkout assistant through each step involved in delivering these services, NCR`s DynaKey uses a set of redefinable buttons (Dynamic Keys) that adapt to the NCR 7452 terminal`s different functions. The NCR solution can be customised to handle virtually any service required and, through its power, intuitive design and flexible multimedia capabilities, ensures it is quick and easy to use, even for new checkout staff.
Pick `n Pay`s use of the NCR solution is the cornerstone in a series of retail transformations which the chain will undergo over the next 18 months. In addition to the new POS technology, the company is completely redesigning its more than 3,500 checkout lanes to improve customer flow in response to consumer demand for faster service.
"NCR`s retail solutions are ideal for market-leading stores, such as Pick `n Pay, that must cope with high sales volumes and heavy in-store traffic, but which are also seeking to differentiate themselves," added Jack Horton, managing director of National Data Systems. "The extra efficiency which NCR enables retailers to offer helps them gain an important edge over their immediate competitors.
There is clearly a growing, global trend among retailers to offer such services - and we expect there to be a high demand for solutions, such as the 7452 and DynaKey combination, in the coming year and beyond."
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