Case Study – Schneider`s Bakery digitizes sales
Branches equipped with secure and user-friendly order terminals
The customer is king. That’s long been the guiding principle of Schneider's Bakery, where keeping customers satisfied means ensuring their experience is always stellar. So when a booming German economy put more disposable income in patron’s pockets, many of them frequented Schneider’s. However, that posed a handful of unintended, yet welcomed challenges.
The Challenge
Most significant for Schneider’s was keeping increased numbers of people moving smoothly through the bakery with customers able to interact with staff as normal and not be slowed by longer lines. That meant employees likely had to man registers and spend more time keying orders into a complex ordering system than preparing and making food, selling goods and catering to undecided patrons.
So leaders with Schneider’s felt an operational change was needed to balance growing activity with worker availability and, ultimately, increase customer satisfaction and further boost sales. The company sought to allow patrons to place orders themselves and planned to deploy one or two self-ordering terminals at each branch. The bakery teamed with self-service solutions provider PROVISIO and implemented its SiteKiosk software into new free-standing units that expanded its ordering access points while keeping the current register system in place.
The digital and customer oriented bakery order terminals should reflect the company's corporate identity and promote a positive ordering experience.
Helge Teichmann, Managing Director of Markenstürmer, the advertising agency that worked with Schneider’s on the project.
The Solution
Schneider’s Bakery’s revamp of its ordering terminals began in mid- 2019. Important preliminary considerations were made at the beginning of the project regarding the ordering procedure and connecting self-service terminals to the cash register system. Developers initially integrated a selection of products to test the system. The test quickly showed that the software needed to be tweaked to account for all of the nuances of an order, such as sales of portions of baked goods that employees knew about and knew how to key in. Designers developed interfaces for the connection of hardware, such as radio paging or pager systems, as well as to the cash register and merchandise management systems. This also allowed Schneider's Bakery to control stock and availabilities.
The implementation of digital shopping carts proved advantageous, catering to the individual wishes of the customer for food and beverages. It also provided flexibility with seasonal offers only available for a limited time or location- specific goods that could be automatically displayed or hidden. Complex combinations of goods, such as the composition of a breakfast, are displayed, taking into account availability and cash requirements. A single adjustment in the merchandise management system is sufficient, and tedious changes to the terminal itself are no longer necessary. The subsequent payment process with the self-service units is cashless, using electronic or customer cards. Patrons can also use the latter to collect loyalty points or conveniently add to their available credit – all on a secure platform.
With SiteKiosk, we guarantee the fail-safe functionality of the application and provide protection from unwanted manipulation at the checkout unit. We have created a visually appealing and intuitive user interface for this project, which turns the order terminal into an experience for the customer.
Martin Kurze, Busines Development Manager at PROVISIO
That experience endures even after a branch closes. The displays – visible from the front window – transform into digital signage that serves as advertising to passersby. Managers can change the messaging and face of the terminals in-house or remotely.
The Prospect
With few bakeries in Germany with ordering terminals accessible to customers, Schneider’s has given itself competitive advantages on multiple fronts, officials said. Lines at the counter areas have been significantly reduced, and employees formerly tethered to the registers now are more able to provide more services such as taking special orders, working on requests and answering product questions. And with the help of the new kiosk solution, customers soon will be offered a digital ordering alternative as well.
Schneider successfully rolled out its first bakery order terminal in Siegen-Weidenau to positive customer feedback. Consumer surveys about the pilot will be used to enhance the solutions and shape upcoming deployments. Philipp Schneider, managing director of Schneider's Bakery, said the project has resonated with employees as well, giving them more time to connect and satisfy customers. In addition, increasing sales in the catering sector with the digital ordering option are benefitting the tradition-conscious bakery.
With the first bakery order terminal, we are treading a completely new, digital, innovative path that has never been seen before in the industry.
Philipp Schneider, managing director of Schneider's Bakery
About Schneider`s Bakery
Schneider's Bakery GmbH, headquartered in Germany, produces high-quality, handcrafted good every day from regional raw materials and uses exclusively traditional recipes. Founded by Herbert Schneider in 1957, the company has skillfully used tradition and craftsmanship to create innovative products and services. Schneider's Bakery employs around 650 people at over 45 locations in Germany.
Case Study
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