Background

SPAR is a leading local shopping group in the UK with 410 supermarkets and 46% of the Scottish independent market. They are a recognised and respected brand. 98% of people in the UK recognize the name SPAR and 74% of people in the UK live within ¾ mile of a SPAR store.

SPAR’s immediate aim was to improve communications with their customers. One of the key challenges was, of course, to identify the main customer types. The obvious one is the retail shopper, but SPAR also has franchise shops themselves as customers. Some of the biggest operational gains could be made by improving relationships with these key retailers.

The solution had to take into account the following:

• Improve customer relationship management

• Maximise efficiency of communication

• Improve retailer communication

• Increase service available to retailers

• Influence and gain sale

Solution

A quality web based retailer extranet that interfaces with the existing SPAR ERP system has been developed with the following audiences in mind:

SPAR Members

The site focuses strongly on developing relationships with the SPAR stores through a feature rich B2B secure extranet.

SPAR Shoppers

Consumer customers can visit the site to view in-store promotions, print eCoupons and enter competitions.

SPAR Corporate

Provides corporate information; including objectives, company history and details of recent activities and initiatives. Contact facilities and a recruitment tool are also provided to encourage prospective customers to register their interest with SPAR Scotland.

Real Business Impact

The online order facility has greatly enhanced the service available to SPAR retailers. There has also been huge interest from shoppers in the online eCoupons and online competitions. SPAR has also found that their profile with suppliers has improved significantly as a result of the web based presence. Other benefits are also prevalent:

• Improved internal processes and procedures.

• Streamlined business processes.

• Customised and integrated systems.

Results

The SPAR Scotland website is believed to be one of the most extensive web solutions in the convenience retail store sector. Innovative features such as eCoupons and online competitions build loyalty with shoppers, whilst time saving measures introduced through the members area secure site generate savings for SPAR and their retailers.