SLR chats to Kristine Moore, Retail Technology Manager for Henderson Technology, supplier of the award-winning EDGEPos EPoS platform.
Why did Henderson Technology develop EDGEPoS?
In 2010, after limits were put on them by other EPoS providers, Henderson Group made the decision to develop its own EPoS system. EDGEPoS was born and piloted in 2011 to deliver a future-proof, cost effective solution for independent retailers. Since then, constant development has made EDGEPoS one of the most powerful yet easy-to-use systems available anywhere in the world.
What interests you most about retail technology?
I love speaking to retailers and every store is different. I enjoy demonstrating EDGEPoS and managing the retailer’s EDGEPoS journey – from the initial conversation to the rollout and after. Hearing how they benefit and watching their business grow is really exciting.
What trends are you seeing?
Since 2018 there has been a huge change in the offering of self-serve checkouts (SCOs). It has been really interesting to see retailers’ initial reservations adapt and change as customers’ demands adjusted and these became a norm within the convenience and forecourt market. More recently, it is all about Electronic Shelf Edge Labels (ESELs). In Northern Ireland we are installing two stores a week! This trend is quickly being adopted more readily across Scotland and is becoming a core offering, rather than a dream product for the retailer.
How can retail tech help independent stores?
Firstly, you need a future-proof EPoS system. EDGEPoS offers that and we will continue to develop EDGEPoS as we will always use it for Henderson Wholesale retailers and company-owned Henderson Retail Spar stores. It will never be an end-of-life product. Henderson Group is first and foremost a retailer and we used our experience to develop our EPoS system around convenience and fuel. The food-to-go functionality such as scale integrations, allergens, and nutrition information labelling through our partners at ADC, our fully integrated self-serve food kiosk and upcoming Deliverect integration are applicable to all retailers.
Take for example, Henderson Retail’s SPAR Mallusk, an all-new forecourt and convenience store. It brought the first ever Barista Bar Coffee Drive-Thru exclusively to the local area. Our retail technology played a huge role in that development. On the forecourt, there are 10 lanes of EDGEPoS scanning of which three are cash and card self-checkout lanes, helping customers shop the store quickly and efficiently. Glory Cash Management solutions have been integrated into the cashier and self-checkout tills, as well as the back of house operations. Two self-serve kiosks were installed at the food to go counters in the store. Customers can come into the store, order, and pay for their food on the self-serve kiosks, and go to the collection point instore to grab ‘n’ go.
Is major investment required from retailers?
The biggest barrier to many retailers taking on new retail technology is cost. We have removed this barrier by offering all of our products on a monthly lease agreement, from the installation of the EDGEPoS system to ESELs. We can install everything with no upfront costs, and all maintenance and support costs are included. Our support services are 24/7/365 and we include all EDGEPoS upgrades and unlimited remote training. The contract is a fixed cost for the term, so retailers know there are no unforeseen price rises. The return on investment is trackable and with the addition of a self-service lane retailers can immediately allow customers to serve themselves and utilise staff in other areas of the store. ESELs create an instant margin increase due to wrong pricing being eradicated, and no promotional changeover crossovers as well as reducing staff time on staff labelling the store.
What’s next for EDGEPoS?
We have two exciting app integration launches upcoming this summer. The introduction of Fuel, Pay, Go! and Fuel, Pay, Assist! will be a market first. The single app platform is a white label Pay@The Pump app integrated with your EDGEPoS system and your pumps. Additionally, it allows your forecourt to offer Pay@The Pump assistance. There are 2.6 million blue badge drivers across the UK and using the system they will be able to arrive on the forecourt, identify their pump on the app and request assistance from the team in the store. The assistant fuels up for the customer, and the transaction is processed and completed through the app.
Later in the summer, we will also be launching our Deliverect link, which allows EDGEPoS to link to multiple platforms, including Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eats and many more.
