Testing new tech in testing times: how Jumbo improved its inventory management with Chrome Enterprise
The larger the business, the more complex the communication. Why did Jumbo decide to take drastic action in the middle of the Covid pandemic and switch to a combination of Chromebooks and Chrome Enterprise? A tale of smarter retail store management to elevate communication with hundreds of grocery stores across the country.
Boosting internal corporate communication
Communication is key to every business – especially if hundreds of retail stores around the country rely on you to streamline their supply chains and make sure that unsuspecting shoppers aren’t confronted with empty shelves on their weekly grocery run. Jumbo, one of the leading supermarket chains in the Netherlands, had always recognized this challenge. Sorting out inventory management between head office, 450 corporate-owned supermarkets, and over 300 franchise stores was no easy task. The coronavirus pandemic drew attention to this historic challenge. Communication between HQ and every retail store used to take place with basic desktop computers, which didn’t even have a camera or microphone on board for video meetings. Woefully inadequate even in the best of circumstances, and especially cumbersome in times of remote working.
Improving retail store management systems
Jumbo’s management quickly realized things would need to change to improve the retail inventory management across shops. But what technology would work best? And how to implement faster than ever before, for immediate positive impact? Using Covid as a catalyst for change, Jumbo decided to call upon the expertise of the Tryve team.
Chromebooks to the rescue
As Jumbo’s go-to partner for solving location-based technical challenges, our people were familiar with the grocery retailer’s IT set-up. We decided to develop a proof of concept to decide on the preferred technology that would streamline status calls and overall communication between HQ and retail stores. Based on our recommendation, Jumbo provided shop managers with different devices, including iPads, handheld terminal PDAs, and Chromebook laptops.
Much to the surprise of Jumbo’s head office, the results were overwhelmingly conclusive – though not in the way the management had anticipated. The advantages of Google Chromebooks were clear: all shop managers preferred the ease of use and feature set of the Google Chromebook over any other device they tried out.
Meeting demanding security requirements
Things didn’t end there: hardware implementation and IT integration depend on more than day-to-day ease of use. Security, for example, is a crucial additional factor that comes into play. Initially, Jumbo’s head office presumed that the Chrome-based laptops would require a costly annual Workspace license – Google’s equivalent of Office 365 to comply with its strict internal security policies.
However, things turned out to be brighter than expected. Our team knew that Chrome Enterprise Upgrade would cover all security requirements. This enterprise license contains a so-called Cloud Identity feature, enabling easy remote management of users and devices. Jumbo’s IT department can add users and set up a new Chromebook laptop for use in mere minutes, without the need to go on-site. Using the advanced license, the physical location of the Chromebooks can be tracked online and even shut down remotely if necessary.
How Chrome Enterprise Upgrade helped Jumbo
Google’s Chrome Enterprise Upgrade licensing policy provided another advantage. Up to ten users can be assigned to a single license. This means that Jumbo’s 4500 employees are covered with just 450 licenses – a significant saving on the annual budget. This provided room for Jumbo to accelerate the introduction of Chromebooks on the shop floor.
Acting fast
Once the decision had been made to use Chromebooks, our Tryve team helped Jumbo not only to provide the necessary licenses, but also to negotiate a deal with hardware suppliers. This way, the supermarket chain got an excellent deal on a large number of enterprise-ready Acer Chromebooks, while our Tryve team took care of all additional equipment and support.
Are you looking for that excellent deal as well? Schedule a consultation call with our experts to talk about your company-specific needs and start your success story with Chrome OS.
About Tryve
Tryve was founded in 2020 by two tech enthusiasts who shared a passion to make workspaces futureproof. In only two years, Tryve is growing fast and has gathered an amazing team of workspace transformation experts who all bring their own unique experience. Whether that is laying the foundation for digital innovations, change management, a passion for marketing or a true love for spotting new business opportunities… We all share a love for digital innovations, positivity and making work a bit easier for everyone.