The Challenge

Since opening their first store in 1986, Angling Direct has created more than 45 shopping environments, each providing a great level of service and range of products. As the number of stores has increased, they have partnered with Lexmark to increase the quality, consistency, and accuracy of in-store signage in all locations. The opportunities for the Angling Direct teams were to:

Create promotional signage quickly and cost-effectively: In a fast-moving, promotion-driven retail environment, Angling Direct was reliant on centrally produced point-of-sale material. Planning, designing, printing and distribution took up to 4 weeks and was too expensive. The teams wanted to be able to react quickly, ensure some central control and give stores the tools to react locally.

Display pricing and product information professionally: Labels designed for a different purpose were stuck onto shelf edge strips or onto products. These were too small to be impactful and limited what information could be displayed. They were difficult to apply and when removed could damage product packaging. Angling Direct’s priority was a standard shelf edge label across all stores to be able to communicate professionally, and about more than just price.

Ensure accurate price and product information: Price changes were inefficient, compromising shelf edge price integrity, revenue, and margins. Batches of price changes were shared electronically by head office twice a week, but in-store users did not know how many were in each batch, nor when the upload to the store computer had finished. Users would often log on, see a list of price changes, and print out the new labels. Hours, or days, later they would notice additional price changes from the same batch that that had not replicated. 

Underpinning all these challenges was the desire to create visually impactful in-store signage and promotions that help build a great in-store journey and community experience for Angling Direct customers

The Solution

Publishing Platform for Retail (PPR) enables Angling Direct to create content to print all the shelf-edge labels and signs needed in their retail stores.

The easy to use In-Store Publisher helps Angling Direct store colleagues to manage signs and labels from their back-office computers where they can access centrally distributed sign batches from head office and make localized signs as required.

Angling Direct has rolled out the solutions at all stores in the United Kingdom and Lexmark is partnering with the customer as they look to open more stores in mainland Europe.

The Results

Examples include:

Increased conversion rates and sales: Craig Jones, Chief Operating Officer, explains how the solution is helping them in ways that go beyond what they imagined in their initial project scope. “Our teams need to communicate an accurate price, and a clear product description and the Lexmark PPR solution lets them do that exceptionally well. But it also enables us to go beyond our initial requirements. Our in-store signage templates now allow us to communicate additional information that is relevant for customers and that ultimately helps them buy the right product for them.”

One example is a customer who wants to buy some new fishing rods. Angling Direct can now show in-store, at the shelf-edge, prices for different product options, such as rod length, and current financing deals. This optimises merchandising space, gives the customer more options and reduces burden on Angling Direct store staff, who may be busy because it’s a Saturday and the store is full. Importantly, it supports the business by facilitating increased conversion rates and sales in store.

React in hours, not weeks: Now, when they notice a new fishing rod on a competitor’s website, they can react as quickly in-store as they can on-line. They generate and print their own in-store promotional collateral for the same product in less than 2 hours. This process used to take four weeks.

70% fewer pre-printed point-of-sale kits: Angling Direct is saving costs by reducing by 70% the number of pre-printed POS kits they buy from third-party suppliers. This means reduced printing and distribution costs, and less waste from unused, lost, or damaged prints produced centrally.

Print times slashed to seconds: Printing lead-times for signage have been slashed from weeks to a matter of seconds by moving from central printing and distribution to in-store printing.

Double quick price changes: The overall lead-time for price changes has been cut in half, enabling Angling Direct to substantially increase productivity and reduce unnecessary labour tasks. 

Greater price integrity: Seamless integration with Angling Direct’s back-end systems means accurate product, pricing and technical information is always available. There is no more confusing uploading. Teams do not need to return to a computer 3 or 4 times a day. Price changes are loaded instantaneously. It is so much easier to ensure price integrity.

Control with flexibility: Angling Direct appreciates the central control that can be achieved with Lexmark PPR. It also gives this growing business the freedom and flexibility to make professional looking in-store signage at store level. Central teams approve promotional discounts, or special pricing for their new Angling Direct store cards. Within hours, in-store teams can create displays with professional point-of-sale signage to highlight the amazing savings, products and information that will appeal to the needs of their local fishing community.

Efficiency and ease of use: Angling Direct in-store teams are first and foremost passionate anglers. They are not I.T., or retail process specialists and they really appreciate how easy the Lexmark system is to use. Lexmark PPR allows them to get the job done quickly, accurately, and professionally. This gives them more time to focus on sharing their passion for angling with their local community.