JB Sports Delivers Faster, Smarter Retail with NetScore
JB Sports had its beginnings in the 1990’s opening it’s first store in a rural location of Botswana. The initial business was selling sporting equipment which over the years included adding sportswear and footwear to the offering.
In 2017 the company started a restructuring process and by 2021 had repositioned the company moving away from sporting equipment to focus on sports fashion. The company has grown to be a fashion branded retailer selling international brands such as Levi’s, Polo, Nike, Adidas, and Puma. The company now has a footprint of 60 retail locations across Botswana and Namibia.
In 2022 Liaan Scholtes joined the team in the role of Head of Store Operations. With thirty years of experience in the retail industry, he was tasked with formalizing business practices, technology, and operation efficiencies across the company.
Company
JB Sports (OVS Group)
Location
Botswana, Namibia.
Industry
Sports Fashion Retail
Modules Deployed
Primary POS objectives were to:
- A user-friendly, easy to navigate user interface
- Simple to commit and finalize transactions
- Increase checkout speed to decrease customer wait
- Manage standard retail functions such as returns, exchanges, customer credits
- Integrate with the NetSuite system
Additional Needs
Lay away programs are extremely popular in many areas of Southern Africa. JB Sports needed a system that could manage these purchases accurately and maintain a running balance as customers made payments against their purchase.
Internet service remains inconsistent in many parts of Botswana and Namibia. NetScore is currently working with JB Sports to provide a capability that will allow the POS system to operate in a disconnected environment. Transactions would continue and then synchronize with NetSuite once the Internet service is re-established.
Moving Forward
Because businesses are evolving entities, their technology must change and grow with them. Building relationships of trust between a solution provider and customer is paramount for the long-term success of both parties.
Ensuring that requirements for new projects are properly documented has greatly reduced any miscommunications. When considering changes that will affect 60 retail locations, it is imperative that mistakes be avoided. Liaan Scholtes brought this level of detail and professionalism to the relationship and JB Sports is reaping the benefits.
Challenges
Business operations faced challenges despite improvements in internal resources and tools. Many areas in Botswana and Namibia had unreliable or limited internet and technological services. Early tech solutions caused operational inefficiencies, resulting in long checkout lines and dissatisfied customers. Inventory management, finances, and training new retail associates were also challenging due to complex systems. Aligning technology partners with business practices and company objectives was crucial to ensure everyone understood standard operating procedures and process flows.
Results
In 2021, JB Sports chose NetSuite as their technology platform but needed a new POS solution. They selected NetScore for its ability to customize solutions according to JB Sports’ needs. Although Liaan wasn’t part of the initial technology selection, ensuring its alignment with company objectives was his responsibility. After confirming internal standards were met, he collaborated with NetScore to ensure the POS system supported their requirements.
Benefits
- 25% reduction in sale transaction time
- Customer wait time decreased by 20%
- Simplified use with intuitive user-interface
- Launch returns and other functions from a single button push
- Reduced training time of new associates
- Increased user satisfaction
- Choice of hardware including versions for tablets and cell phones
- Improved reporting capabilities
