Fraser Hart and Fields Jewellers are set to introduce roving tablet tills and customer wi-fi to stores as the Anthony Nicholas Group overhauls its in-store communications.
The retailer, which has 38 Fraser Hart stores in the UK and 13 Fields shops in Ireland, said that significant expansion and the growing demands of omni-channel retailing has led it to reboot its technology in an attempt to provide customers with a “seamless, joined-up shopping experience”.
The Anthony Nicholas Group has worked with Vodat International to set up real-time communications between stores and the head office by integrating all of its IT and business systems on a private network.
The retailer is also deploying the cloud-managed Meraki wi-fi access point system, which will allow it to securely connect mobile point-of-sale terminals to shop servers. Additional discrete channels carry encrypted chip and pin payment transactions, securely segregated from content managed customer wi-fi access to customer devices.
Anthony Nicholas Group chief information officer Colin Hadden said: “The customers’ attitude to bricks-and-mortar stores is evolving rapidly and we must be able to provide much more than the traditional retail experience by offering added services such as click and collect, fast interest-free credit approval and secure wi-fi access for customers’ devices.
“This integrated network monitored 24/7 by Vodat International, facilitates these services alongside visibility of real-time stock levels and business intelligence, enabling us to meet the demands of our customers to a much higher degree.”
