Colin’s till application scores a modernization story in retail digitalization

Colin’s strategic cooperation with Microsoft started a long time back when ERP-enhanced Dynamic AX solutions were created to improve performance, data quality, analysis, development, and support of Colin’s corporate operations. Having already deployed products like Dynamics CRM, Microsoft .NET Framework for its software, the company`s digitalization journey is now taking a major leap forward through Microsoft`s Azure Kubernetes Service based POS (Point of Sale) application.

An avid adopter of technological innovation and a keen player in digitalization, Colin`s has been appraised as a model business in deploying modern technologies in its processes. Using data for swift and quality insight, centralizing and scaling applications to ensure secure and efficient cloud operations, and exploring best practices within the industry to achieve better configuration, this project is also an embodiment of how application management can be further simplified. 

From the need to dream: A quick overview of the application

The POS application was initially designed with the business processes of stores in mind with a focus on sales and billing, but it was then expanded to cover way more. In previous applications, there used to be problems such as the inability of stores to exchange data with each other, the failure to send new pricing information to all stores at the same time, and the inability of stores to do sales in case of database problems. The need to eliminate these scenarios, which can even lead to loss of turnover in stores, became the starting point of the application.

The application, developed on .NET Core, runs on Azure Kubernetes. Power BI Embedded is used for reporting. When changing the application, an architecture supported by integrated e-archive, e-waybill, and instant billing notifications was developed to meet new regulation requirements. This new system, which also eliminates problems during the busiest peak-of-shopping months, will be extended throughout Türkiye.

The brand's long-term goal is to be able to offer customers the same experience anywhere in the world through a real-time environment under a single structure.

Flow of information in every field from store to management

The POS application not only strengthens in-store operations and sales teams on the field but also offers the senior management the opportunity to gain real-time insight. Thanks to its extensive, flexible, and collaborative environment, it offers integrations and workflows that improve productivity at every level, from stores to the management.

With the new application, a sale made in a store can be instantly factored into reports. Thanks to the application, which eliminates the burden of collecting and reporting the turnover data of stores, it is now possible for the management to monitor these data instantly on their mobile phones using Power BI.

Scalability, cost advantage, and centralized management with cloud

The future goal of the project is to enable connection among the operational staff and customers using a single platform and to offer the same experience through all channels. To this end, new mechanisms were designed, where the application was singularized, and an order infrastructure was created. A system was put into practice where product data can be viewed by field teams, stock inquiries can be made, and customers' product-related questions can be viewed in detail. The brand, which has also kicked off efforts on customer analytics, supports teams on the ground directly with information on customer habits such as shopping periods and frequency, segmentation, size, and category preference.

The fact that the application has a cloud-native architecture makes a difference in terms of scale. What this means for Colin's is that the system, which was previously limited to stores, actual registers in stores, and the power of these registers, has now turned into a centralized and scalable application. Increasing or decreasing capacity and making use of different capacities for different time periods are operations that teams can now easily perform. The new system also eliminated the cost of operational business processes for the maintenance and management of actual databases in stores. Some components of the POS application make use of the Managed Services on Azure, which saves significant maintenance and management costs. 

Thanks to the POS application, all stores are centrally managed from a single location, eliminating store dependency.

In retail digitalization, companies often include offer- or supply-oriented applications. By adopting a different approach, the POS application stands out from similar applications in retail digitalization thanks to its design that consolidates retail solutions into a single platform and manages all stores centrally.

This also has a positive impact on managing crowds at checkout. When checkout counters are busy, teams on the ground are able to complete all procedures using mobile devices. After leaving fitting rooms, customers can avoid long checkout lines by directly paying for their items and getting their bills from these teams. This feature, which is one of the biggest reflections of the POS application becoming device-independent on customers, offers a striking experience in terms of eliminating long checkout lines, where social distance management comes into play due to the pandemic.

According to the brand, choosing .NET Core and PostgreSQL is a reflection of their wish to be a part of the world by benefiting from open-source platforms while also contributing to them. Using many open-source products such as Elastic and RabbitMQ, project teams opted for Azure as their cloud provider towards their goal of going live with the right architecture in the world of open source.

The first reason for choosing Azure is the platform's ease of use. The second one is the architectural support offered by Microsoft. Underlining the contribution of the close work with Microsoft's competent cloud architects to motivation, the brand notes that their needs for correct guidance are fully met.

A forward-looking application with a leading and innovative perspective

The POS application, where the sales teams can access important insights from active offers to the calculation of how much customers can save, gave its first big test during Colin's Jeans Fest campaign held by the brand in September every year, and successful results were achieved. The brand, which, during the campaign, had its smoothest experience within the last five years, which coincided with the time when the application was just launched, received positive feedback from support units, customers, and CRM teams.

Ensuring that customers have the same experience on all platforms and enabling connection with customers through a single platform, that is, realizing the multi-platform experience by integrating all platforms are among the brand's goals. The current interconnected structure, which partially includes the customer, and covers field operations, works smoothly as one of the first steps towards this goal.

The POS application, which is an inspiring project in the digitalization of the retail industry, was successfully launched in all stores in a single day. This launch, which took place on a busy Sunday, inspires future integrations so that bold steps like this can be taken smoothly.