FMCG and Retail

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Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail are part of the consumer products industry. Large, internationally operating companies, small and medium-sized businesses, as well as niche entrepreneurs in the manufacturing industry are confronted on a daily basis with the erratic and demanding nature of modern consumers, forcing them to distinguish themselves from competitors to deliver an awe-inspiring customer experience. Consumers value the objective quality of products and the subjective product experience. This makes customisation an important part of the contemporary production and commerce environment. In addition to price and quality, consumers are increasingly looking at design, functionality, ease of use, health and safety, and durability when they acquire a product or service.

Appronto has a strong focus on FMCG and retail. Many of our retail and FMCG customers are growing strongly, which also increases their need for digitalisation. On this page, we will tell you everything you need to know about the most important trends in and Appronto’s experience with FMCG and retail.

Trends

FMCG, retail and the general market for consumer goods are currently subject to different trends. New business models, a shift to e-commerce and an increasing consumer preference for convenience are some of the factors bound to transform the retail and consumer products industry in the upcoming years. Let’s take a look at some of the most important developments that are currently reshaping the market:

  • Consumer behaviour is subject to radical changes that have the potential to spawn new business models and direct-to-consumer offerings. COVID-19 has only amplified this effect.
  • Personalisation is of increasing importance when it comes to meeting growing customer expectations. To take personalisation to a higher level, companies are using more and more data and technology.
  • Omnichannel customer experiences are quickly becoming the new industry standard. Modern consumers expect the same great customer experience on every screen and device.

Tony’s Chocolonely

Appronto has integrated the entire primary IT landscape of the well-known chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely. The integration layer allowed us to link the following adjacent systems: Dynamics 365 Business Central, Salesforce, the webshop, point-of-sales systems, the ingredients system and the various systems of logistics partners. The project has created enormous flexibility, as well as the foundation necessary to continue and further expand the current growth curve.

You can imagine that coordinating various software systems is an enormous challenge for a company like Tony’s Chocolonely, which has experienced a strong growth spurt within a short period of time. For example, the company has nine different private limited companies with associated, separate accounts. In addition to the central ERP system and Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Microsoft Dynamics NAV), the company works with various systems that all exchange data with each other. Due to the explosive growth in the number of databases, interfaces and applications, a complex set of applications had eventually emerged.

The solution called iPaaS

Boomi’s integration platform allows us to help you unravel your complex IT landscape and ensures that your data management is orchestrated in one central place. iPaaS is purpose-built to help companies cope with the integration demands of today’s business environment, future-proof their integration solutions and increase the value of IT investments.

Secrid

Secrid, a well-known designer and producer of innovative wallets, built a new supplier portal based on Mendix’s low-code platform. The portal helps Secrid to streamline processes with 50 suppliers and offers transparency in stock and planning. In just 10 years, Secrid has transformed itself from an innovative Dutch start-up to a global organisation with 8000 stores in 70 countries.

The new supplier portal that we built with Mendix is essential for Secrid as it helps optimise logistics and production processes and support further business growth. Secrid, Appronto and Mendix’s Secrid Supplier Portal project was nominated for the Computable Awards 2020 in the Partner Project category.

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Aurum Brothers

Aurum Brothers is the go-to company for buyers of high-quality men’s jewellery made of stone. Aurum Brothers mainly wanted to make progress in the field of process efficiency. Traditional and outdated Excel spreadsheets had to make way for digital and automated solutions. The process of “seeing is believing” brought Aurum Brothers into contact with Appronto. “Seeing is believing” means that Appronto carries out part of the project to showcase the many operational benefits of Mendix and Boomi.

One of the implemented solutions streamlines the production part of Aurum Brothers’ operations. An order comes in via the webshop, is assembled on the factory floor, and is then shipped to the customer. At the touch of a button, the package is registered with the sender and the label gets printed. Digitalising this (previously) manual operation has already saved the company three full-time equivalents in personnel costs alone.

If you need to integrate multiple systems, just give us a call. Appronto knows how to unlock underlying systems to create more efficient processes. As a recognised partner in the field of integration, we are happy to help you out. In addition to Mendix apps, Aurum Brothers also utilises Boomi integrations. They make use of our NetSuite connector.