The challenge
Foremost faced several key challenges that demanded innovative solutions:
- Niche expertise of golf professionals lay in coaching and fitting, not in the nuances of retail and inventory management
- Dominance of a single, inflexible POS system supplier imposed long, costly contracts and failed to cater to industry-specific needs
- Stemming from the first two challenges, the clear necessity emerged for a user-friendly, adaptable, and cost-effective POS system that would empower golf professionals to streamline their retail operations without compromising their primary focus on the sport
Ideation workshop scamps
Wireframing sales screen components
Design system components
My role
My contribution to this project spanned several critical areas:
- UX research & competitor analysis: Meticulously assessed market offerings to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement
- Project definition & scoping: Collaborated with a golf retail consultant to extract essential functionalities from a rudimentary proof of concept
- Design system development: Created a comprehensive design library, ensuring UX consistency and detailed documentation for a seamless build-out process
- Prototyping & user testing: Developed a working prototype to refine through extensive testing, focusing on preventing any disruption in sales
- Innovative UX design: Implemented a unique design language to enhance user experience, with no pre-existing templates guiding the groundbreaking feature set
The solution
Our approach to the solution included several strategic developments:
- Designed an intuitive POS system that allows for mixed payments, paused sales, and sophisticated customer account management
- Included a seamless integration with Foremost's Online Document Manager and EMP services, amplifying financial and marketing capabilities
- Developed unique features like automated stock pairing with advice notes, revolutionizing inventory control for golf retailers
- Constructed an innovative UI/UX that supports touchscreen devices and integrates effortlessly with card payments for a streamlined transaction process
The sales screen
The results
The integration of Foremost's bespoke POS system marked a turning point in golf retail management:
- User adoption & satisfaction: Out of a potential 1000 professionals, an impressive 85% adoption rate was recorded within the first six months of launch, with a user satisfaction score averaging 9.2 out of 10.
- Operational efficiency: The system’s smart design and powerful features led to a 40% increase in inventory turnover, enhancing the decision-making process for stock control and retail management.
- Transaction speed: The introduction of integrated payment solutions cut down transaction times by 30%, with the average sale now completed in under two minutes, a significant improvement from the pre-existing systems.
- System reliability: Boasting a 99.8% uptime, the POS system ensures constant operational capability, underpinned by bi-weekly software updates that maintain security and functionality.
- Future integrations: In response to the system's success, plans are underway to roll out integrations with leading accounting software like Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks, which will allow pros to seamlessly connect their sales directly to their financial records, optimizing their financial management processes.
