Happy 10-year Anniversary, ADD eStore®!
“It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years!” shared Scott Goodridge from A. E. Robinson when we talked with him about ADD eStore’s anniversary. Last month the product turned 10 years old, and Scott was one of ADD’s early adopters. In fact, he was an integral part of the development direction and testing.
A. E. Robinson Oil Company has a long history with ADD Systems that goes back almost 30 years. As their business grew and technology advanced, they continued to evaluate different software. For a few years A. E. Robinson left ADD Systems for another software vendor, but in 2007 they came back to ADD Systems. The key reason for their decision was finding a ‘total package’ that would help them grow their business. A. E. Robinson was impressed with the advances in the ADD software utilizing the latest technology for their fuel delivery operation, financials and store operations.
Designed with Clients
Of course, ADD Systems products are constantly being enhanced, and the store software was next in line. Building off our successful Power*Store product, an effort was mounted to create ADD eStore®. Chris Kiernan, Director of Retail Applications at ADD Systems, asked Scott to be part of the “Partner Council”, a team of ADD clients who signed on to help design and test ADD’s new convenience store software product. This collaborative effort allowed end users like Scott to directly access the designers and programmers. The testing started in 2009, and by 2010 Scott decided it was time to go live with all ten sites in one day. Scott has not looked back since.
Quick Wins & Continued Benefits
A.E. Robinson has seen many benefits from eStore. From the start, changing from a distributed database to a single database has brought easier control over the data like pricebook and also allowed Scott to work closely with his store managers. Adopting automation technologies like EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) meant the end of many manual processes, including vendor invoicing, and a boost in accuracy. Having information in one place meant it was easy to maintain and quickly adjust their operations based on the data coming in. Inventory reporting and financials are in sync. Scott said “…I can’t remember the last time I had to make any adjustments.”
There is also the flow between eStore and ADD Energy E3® for fuel. The integrated systems eliminated the need for extra steps and the possibility of introducing manual errors. Overall, that equates to less man-hours. Scott is pleased with the automation and said “I’ve talked with other companies over the years, and they have a lot more dedicated staff than we’ve ever had. ADD eStore allows that with its functionality and automation.”
Also, along with recent increases in minimum wage, A.E. Robinson has made good use of the reporting to look at its time of day sales and dayparts allowing it to adjust labor schedules accordingly. Better category management with identifying top and bottom sellers and acute margin review helps offset the wage increase. “Some items are minimal enough that it is not worth looking at them, while a change to higher volume items can make a big difference” and eStore makes that possible.
Scott has also been taking advantage of all the new enhancements to eStore. They come regularly, but, most importantly, the upgrade process is easy. Scott shared that “It’s so simple to be on the latest versions. It takes virtually no time to do the upgrade.” Plus upgrades have brought many benefits over the past 10 years. For example, A.E. Robinson is taking advantage of the new Scan Data module. Scott has been processing scan data for both Altria and RJR for the last year, directly and positively affecting his profitability.
What’s next? The Business Tech Conference (BTC)
ADD System’s BTC, held every three years, will include sessions on eStore enhancements as well as a meeting of the eStore User group. Scott is looking forward to attending the BTC 2020, since the networking opportunities have been invaluable in the past. At earlier ADD conferences Scott has made some great connections with people who have helped him make better, more informed business decisions.
Here’s to 10 More!
Chris Kiernan shared “eStore has been a very successful product due in large part to the partnership we have with our clients, like A.E. Robinson. Our inclusive design process make for an exceptionally well thought out product, and clients benefit from that every day.” ADD Systems is pleased with the strong product that eStore is today, and you can expect even more from eStore in the future.
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