RED ZAC: David against Goliath - e-business makes it possible
München, 12. Februar 2015
"Stationary retail is coming under increasing pressure from social networks on the Internet, cell phone apps and, above all, price comparison portals. In the private consumer goods sector, there is almost nothing left that cannot also be purchased online at low prices. Traditional retailers and specialty stores are increasingly falling by the wayside and are becoming more and more a dying breed." This or something similar is the tenor in the media. Such descriptions conceal the opportunities that the Internet opens up for retailers. It also ignores the fact that it is basically of little help to complain about the dark side of technological progress - evolution cannot be stopped.
There are two sides to every coin, and e-business is no exception. Those who manage to use technology to their advantage can also emerge as winners as retailers. Euronics Austria, the most important Austrian specialty retailer cooperation in consumer electronics, is taking a promising approach with its RED ZAC retail brand.
Around 200 retailers have joined forces here in Austria under this brand and thus found their niche in the electronics trade. They successfully defy the online giants and make an annual turnover of around 350 million euros.
Just in time for the 2014 Christmas business, RED ZAC came up trumps with a new digital marketplace. The responsible board member Peter Osel is firmly convinced that this will secure the basis for future success. "Christmas business was excellent this year, our new marketplace fully supported this and not only ensured additional online orders, but also additional frequency in our stores. In any case, the feedback from our business partners and our customers on the new Internet platform has been overwhelming." On the surface, the marketplace looks like a classic web store with a top modern and fresh design. Here, the customer has the option of searching via various levels (e.g. via brands, products and dealers). Numerous filters and extremely fast performance make it possible to find goods quickly - despite a product portfolio of several thousand items. Once a prospective customer has found the products of his choice, he is supported in his search for local retailers. He is given the greatest possible flexibility: he can order directly online and have the goods sent to him, or pick them up himself on site and have a personal look at them beforehand. If desired, he can book service packages, i.e. in addition to shipping, e.g. installation or assembly. Customers of RED ZAC benefit from the advantages of the online and offline world at the same time.
The e-business manufacturer and integrator ICONPARC is responsible for the technical implementation of the marketplace. Antoine Levy - project manager at ICONPARC - on the relaunch: "The real highlight of the new website only becomes apparent when you take a look under the hood. Anyone who is a little familiar with the complexity of B2B platforms knows the challenges involved in mapping business processes in this e-business environment." While simple orders are nothing special yet, RED ZAC makes it possible to shop and pay online at different merchants at the same time as part of one transaction. And it's all done as part of a single ordering process. RED ZAC's merchants are thrilled. They receive a ready-made web store whose content is centrally maintained for them. This allows them to concentrate even more on customer advice and service. At the same time, they have the option of adding their own products - independently of the brand headquarters. The so-called catalog management, ordering and content management are closely interlinked and therefore very efficient. At RED ZAC, nothing is maintained twice and as much as possible is automated. In this way, each of the approximately 200 retailers receives its own e-business store with individualized content. Evolution cannot be stopped. However, if the stationary retail trade cleverly adopts its features, it will be one of the winners and can hold its own against Goliath. RED ZAC and e-business make it possible.
