By Bernd Kraus, Vice President of Retail Software, Diebold Nixdorf
Diebold Nixdorf is widely considered as an innovative, growing leader in retail technology. If you look at the major innovations that have powered the evolution of in-store shopping — from cash registers to digital point-of-sale devices, we’ve been at the forefront of just about all of them. And right now, the retail industry is undergoing a massive shift that’s even more significant than the rise of e-commerce. That’s because systems throughout the entire retail chain are integrating in ways that are changing how products are designed, manufactured, shipped, and sold. And the Diebold Nixdorf Retail Software Engineering team is leading the way.
For centuries, customers simply walked into a store, selected an item, handed money to the cashier, and walked out. Over time, credit cards were introduced and computers with scanners replaced manual cash registers, but the retail process remained fundamentally unchanged. Today we are seeing a massive integration of the entire retail chain. The most obvious of these is the meshing of online sales and physical stores, but it is even more complex than that. For example, how can customers use loyalty cards in stores, on their mobile devices, and other computers? What can stores do to make real-time offers and discounts available to customers whether they are currently in a store, near a store, or sitting in their cars?
For example, a salesperson in a fashion store can give much better advice to a consumer if he or she is aware of that person’s shopping history, including past online shopping baskets. On the other hand, why would an attendant in a gas station offer a Coke to a notorious coffee drinker — or a bacon sandwich to somebody who based on past shopping patterns is most likely a vegetarian?
The customer journey is being rewritten, and Diebold Nixdorf is playing a major role in enabling top global retailers, including Ikea, H&M, and Sephora to provide the best experiences to their customers through every possible channel. A big part of this is the integration of the supply chain with point-of-sale activities, which enables retailers to automate the ordering and production of items for sale. For example, if yellow trousers become popular in California, the retailer doesn’t need to wait months to get data points and then place an order – the company can access a central repository of knowledge and place orders within hours. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The value proposition and aspiration of our next generation software platform is to make all transaction-related data available in real time to be processed in customer relationship management, supply chain management, and other areas. Likewise, our platform is able to draw data from data lakes and business intelligence systems to provide store attendants with information that allows them to serve consumers with great recommendations and offers to drive revenue and consumer satisfaction.
This is one of the most significant changes in the history of retail, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this innovation. That’s why we are hiring the world’s top technologists and retail experts to be part of our team to map out the future while supporting existing customers. It’s an exciting time to be in the retail industry, and Diebold Nixdorf will be leading the way for decades to come.
For more information about Software careers at Diebold Nixdorf, visit our Careers page at Careers | Diebold Nixdorf.
