Omnichannel retail transformation for seamless experiences at Far East Flora
Driven by a commitment to innovation, Far East Flora, Singapore's leading floriculture provider, teamed up with Lancia Consult and Edgeworks Solutions to implement a cutting-edge omnichannel retail solution. This included a Mobile App, Self-Checkout, enhanced online and in-store touchpoints, and more, all integrated with Oracle NetSuite's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Service
Sector
“Lancia Consult was instrumental to our successful business transformation. Their strategic guidance helped us to solidify our technology roadmap and innovate our retail operations from end-to-end. Their expertise and dedication not only ensured a smooth project execution within 6 months, but also delivered impactful results in customer satisfaction, manpower productivity, and sales growth.”
~ Lionel Phang, Project Manager, Far East Flora
The Challenge
The initial challenge was to address gaps in Far East Flora’s existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. This phase focused on rectifying system issues, streamlining workflows, and enhancing functionality to meet operational needs. Following this, Far East Flora, sought to review their strategic technology roadmap, aimed at leveraging new technologies to drive manpower efficiency and customer-centricity.
As Far East Flora prepared to launch a new retail building, the implementation of an omni-channel system to boost engagement and optimise sales across multiple touchpoints was also essential. There was a need for comprehensive business process transformation to ensure a seamless operational shift on both front-facing retail and back-end support functions.
The key project deliverables included a Membership and Loyalty Programme, a revamped eCommerce site, a Mobile App, self-checkout kiosks, in-store self-service terminals, and an upgraded POS system. Back-end functions, covering delivery, order fulfilment, inventory management, finance, and customer support, were also enhanced.
The Solution
The project commenced with a comprehensive study of the Customer Onboarding and Loyalty Programme, setting the foundation for an integrated sales solution that included POS, Self-Checkout, Self-Ordering, and Scan-and-Go capabilities. Core activities included requirements gathering, discovery workshops, solution architecture and design.
With an understanding of Far East Flora’s needs, we collaborated with them to re-engineer their business processes across retail operations in their new integrated HQ building to ensure a frictionless customer journey. This included assessing various payment gateway solutions, integrating retail system seamlessly with the NetSuite ERP system, and enhancing finance processes for improved efficiency and reporting accuracy.
Development and user acceptance testing followed, with the system going live a week before Far East Flora Centre’s grand opening to ensure stability and smooth operation.
This exceptional transformation was completed within just 6 months, minimising impact on Far East Flora’s daily operations.
The Impact
With our expertise in business analysis, project management, and change management, Far East Flora successfully implemented this business transformation, to become a scalable, digitally enabled omni-channel retailer, equipped for the future.
This project resulted in a more productive workforce, better customer experience, and tangible increases in sales and operational efficiency.
The significant productivity improvements to Far East Flora were especially impactful, given the manpower shortages often faced in the retail industry. Self-service technologies and system automation enhanced individual productivity, reduced human error, and increased sales revenue through new retail channels such as self-checkout and mobile apps. With improved manpower productivity, staff could focus on higher-impact areas rather than basic, routine servicing.
The successful launch of Far East Flora’s membership and loyalty programme also achieved 20,000 sign-ups within the first few months, solidifying Far East Flora’s position as a leading, customer-focused retailer.
