UK, 12 January 2012- Gloucester Rugby Club has rolled out an innovative new EPoS system from hardware provider Partner Tech UK and software specialist NFS in a move to boost customer service and create valuable new advertising opportunities across eight licensed bars at its Kingsholm stadium.
The club, which plays host to 16,000 fans on match days and operates as a busy wedding and conference venue, has overhauled its bar operation, installing 41 Partner Tech PT-6910 EPoS terminals running NFS’s Aloha sales management software.
21 of the terminals have been fitted with Partner Techs PM-116 secondary customer-facing, high-resolution digital displays which will be used as an advertising platform to market special offers and stream promotional videos to customers at the bar. The club intends to use these to create a new income stream worth £25,000 a year by selling the space to sponsors and local businesses.
We set out to find a system that would help us take back full control of our bar business after several years of using contract caterers, explains Gloucester Rugby Clubs conferencing and banqueting manager, Patrick Morris.
What we have found is a system with a much more exciting business proposition because it offers us a very simple way to generate revenue and ultimately help us to recoup our investment in the technology within two years.
Interest from advertisers is already proving strong and the first adverts and promotional videos have already gone live with excellent results.
The new system replaces the clubs 45 cash registers and provides it with a way to manage the bar business it has outsourced for the last x years, including teams of up to 120 temporary staff, many of whom are agency workers, employed to serve fans on match days.
Our old cash registers gave us very little control over the business. Although we knew how much money we were taking, we had no real perspective on which products we were selling, and that made marketing and stock optimisation very difficult, says Patrick Morris.
The new system provides us with clear reports showing exactly which products we’re selling in what quantities. Not only is this helping us to make sure we have just the right mix of stock so that we’re not wasting any valuable storage space, its also helping us understand our customers and their buying behaviours, giving us the opportunity to improve the way we communicate with them and market to them.
The new system is also helping Gloucester Rugby Club minimise shrinkage, which is a common problem in hospitality businesses that rely on temporary staff they have little or no history of working with.
With a clear and up-to-date view of stock levels and a record of exactly which members of staff are logged onto the system at any time, our new EPoS system allows us to immediately pinpoint discrepancies between stock levels and sales data and identify possible causes, says Patrick Morris.
Working alongside NFS and Partner Tech, the club now has plans to combine the EPoS system with a cashless loyalty scheme. This will allow customers to pre-load their spending money onto an e-card which can be scanned at the bar to pay for drinks and snacks and carry discounts and multi-buy incentives for loyal customers.
