Dutch Version

In today’s competitive retail landscape, an integrated Point of Sale (POS) system is essential for seamless customer experiences and streamlined operations. Implementing a POS solution not only accelerates checkout processes but also helps retailers with real-time inventory tracking and scalability. The transition to a unified POS infrastructure requires preparation and collaboration between IT, store operations and infrastructure teams.

Large-scale modernization in multiple countries

Fenix Outdoor, a leading multi-brand and global retail group within the world of nature outdoor, took the next step in such a digital transformation. Fenix Outdoor is known for its brands such as Fjällräven, TIERRA and Hanwag. But also operates through a multi-brand retail group in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Denmark and the UK, containing an e-commerce platform and more than 90 physical stores. After 13 years of loyal services from its previous POS system, the organization initiated a comprehensive modernization to support its high service standards. This transformation goes beyond a technical upgrade; the new system integrates all core retail processes, enabling a consistent, efficient and customer-focused service across all channels. The transformation kicked off in Norway, with the new POS system rolled out in 11 stores, followed by rolling out in Sweden, covering 37 stores and the e-commerce platform. Due to its scale and complexity, the rollout in Sweden had a greater impact and therefore required more extensive (technical) preparation.

CGI as a strategic partner

In collaboration with New Black, the CGI Retail team served as a strategic partner of Fenix Outdoor throughout this complex digital transformation. CGI brings retail knowledge, experience and technical expertise to the table, supporting Fenix Outdoor through each phase of the transformation. As strategic partner, CGI is also involved in other areas of the Fenix Outdoor organization. This broader understanding of the business enables us to ensure the implementation is not only technically solid but also aligns with Fenix Outdoor's strategy.

Bridging role between business and IT

A transformation of this magnitude touches almost every part of the retail organization. Replacing a POS system is not just about installing new software and hardware: it requires alignment with business processes, operational workflows and customer expectations. CGI helped Fenix navigate this complexity by acting in the intersection of business and IT. Key challenges included the integration of the new POS system with existing ERP, loyalty and payment systems and synchronization of data across physical stores and the e-commerce environment. Each country also brought its own regulatory, logisticsand organizational nuances.

The Fenix way: Phased rollout with local ownership

To ensure a smooth transition in Sweden, the implementation has been done in a phased rollout strategy grounded with in store responsibility. During go live, the onsite team in stores were supported by a tech offsite team, trying to foster an efficient roll-out.

Lessons learned from this roll-out strategy included;

  • One key-user from each store
  • Regional training for key-users
  • Focus on clear manuals
  • Key-users train their team in-store
  • Weekly follow-up 

Next steps: further international rollout

With all Swedish and Norwegian stores and the e-commerce platform live, the focus has shifted into a post-go-live phase, centered on continuous improvement and learning from experiences. Feedback from end-users in the store is collected and analyzed to identify opportunities for enhancing the system performance and improving overall usability. These lessons learned will guide our next rollouts of the digital ecosystem of Fenix Outdoor other countries. CGI remains closely involved as a strategic partner, leveraging technology and retail experience to drive these roll-out further to other Fenix Outdoor countries. Together, we continue to build a future-proof, innovative and customer-centric retail experience.

Norway store