SMART & FINAL ROLLS OUT DIGITAL RECEIPTS

MICHAEL GARRY

CHICAGO -- Smart & Final, Commerce, Calif., has completed a chainwide implementation of new standards-based enterprise systems that includes a corporate data repository, POS platform, loyalty system and digital receipt program.

Describing the new technology at the Retail Systems 2002 Conference and Exposition here last week, Bob Graham, Smart & Final's vice president of store technology, said it went into effect at the chain's 235 food-service and warehouse grocery stores -- 189 Smart & Final stores and 46 UG Cash & Carry units -- in May.

The entire system is based on a standard data model developed by the Association of Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), Washington.

The highly publicized digital receipt program is designed to provide online receipts to the chain's many high-volume business and government customers. In addition, the new systems are intended to automate the flow of data from stores to headquarters, improve data integrity, automate the sales audit process, and reduce store-level processing and errors, said Graham at Retail Systems 2002, which ran through June 27.

Technology providers include NCR (ACS/CM POS platform and 7452 POS terminals), Matra (Freedom data repository), AfterBOT (ReceiptsPLUS digital receipt software), ACI (Base 24 loyalty program/transaction processing software) and Hewlett-Packard (servers).

Smart & Final developed the digital receipt program, said Graham, to provide value to its best customers, who use Smart & Final charge cards, and reduce effort in its accounting department. Customers can retrieve sales receipts online -- and download them into their accounting systems, if necessary -- rather than asking the chain to "dig through shoe boxes."

In pursuing the digital receipt program, said Graham, "we saw an opportunity" to cut the cost of moving a key intellectual asset -- data -- to a more secure environment, where it is used for customer relationship management and data mining.

Rather than opt for a "quick fix," the chain, he said, built the corporate data repository, linked to the new store platform, with a view to supporting loyalty program needs. "The beauty of building a common repository based on standards is that you can create new applications in a more timely fashion," Graham said.

The Matra data repository resides on Hewlett-Packard Proliant Intel-based servers with four terabytes of storage running the SQL Enterprise Server. Matra developed a "real-time trickle feed" of POS data, tapping into NCR transaction logs, and using XML-based messaging, said Graham. "The cashier hits the tender key and the transaction is posted on a server at corporate," he said.

The digital receipt system is supported by AfterBOT, Atlanta, which receives data from Smart & Final and provides a presentation layer to a customer's browser via a Sun server.

The digital receipt represents a form of "brand-building without having to give discounts," said Graham. It enables the chain to provide shopping-trip history to its loyalty customers, market to shoppers online and recover receipts for refunds.