Retail chains: how Leroy Merlin built innovation in its digital and UX services
Digitalization has revolutionized the ways we buy and consume, transforming retail chains. To compete in a global market, companies in the sector must rapidly offer innovative services to attract an increasingly demanding audience. Furthermore, they need to recover operational efficiency by organizing and managing internal processes more effectively and productively.
To overcome the new challenges and meet the ever-changing needs, Leroy Merlin Italia, the national division of the French DIY gardening and renovation retail chain, turned to the IT consulting company Beta 80.
Several projects have been developed together. Through the implementation of an Agile Software Factory, have aimed at creating applications to support internal users and end-customers. In addition to that, a migration to ServiceNow as the only platform to manage workflows at an enterprise-level was proposed and carried out, involving various functions.
Agile Software Factory for the innovation of Retail chains
Thanks to the support of Beta 80, the Retail chain was able to count on a dedicated and operational team of developers within the same company organization, with an Agile and DevOps approach to work. In 2017, as part of the Mobility Revolution initiative, the software factory created an app for store staff, which allows the payment of deposits directly in the department, via smartphone.
The goal of improving the user experience and promptly responding to the requests for new digital services has also guided future application projects: for example, websites and online configurators have been implemented, allowing users to easily design windows and fixtures.
During the Covid-19 emergency, Beta 80's Agile Software Factory supported the Retail chain in the development of specific applications: for example, to manage in-store waits or the presence of employees on-site, organizing contingent access.
For all development initiatives, Beta 80 provides the Retail chain with people and technical skills, also taking charge of all process management activities, according to a complete and ready-to-use proposal, in an as-a-service logic.
The challenge for retail chains to improve operational efficiency
Reaching the customer with innovative digital services and supporting staff with applications that simplify operations are among the main concerns of retail chains. However, the need to increase internal efficiency is an equally important challenge to increase the competitive ability to satisfy the market sooner and better.
Therefore, Leroy Merlin entrusted Beta 80 with the implementation project of ServiceNow, the platform for optimizing business workflows. The first need was to rationalize and standardize IT Operations, both through a careful review of the processes and thanks to the adoption of an ad hoc tool allowing to improve the management of activities and standardize organizational procedures, transmitting a new method of work.
The Project Portfolio Management module was implemented, with the Demad and Projectuality components, and then the online Ticketing, Problem Management and Change Management functions were introduced afterwards.
The rich range of ServiceNow applications adopted by Beta 80 for the IT department is currently used transparently by other business units such as Human Resources, Purchasing and Supply Chain to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their specific activities.
The ultimate goal for the Retail chain is to build a single and complete Enterprise Service Management system, which optimizes and accelerates corporate workloads, contributing to the achievement of new efficiency and competitiveness thresholds.
