Competition is fierce in the automotive repair market. Operators must therefore take care of their margins. And as such, digital technology represents a means of gaining operational efficiency.
Speedy isn’t the only player in the industry experiencing this. Norauto has also embarked on a digital transformation program. This notably takes the form of a modernization plan for its centres.
5 million electronic tags deployed
Norauto – a subsidiary of the Mobivia group – operates 413 auto centers in France, around a third of which are franchised. In Europe, the total rises to 1,150 centers whose activity also covers the sale of automotive equipment.
The company will also modernize its retail business by switching to electronic labels. In Spain and Portugal, Norauto has begun rolling out EEGs – electronic gondola tags – in more than 40 of its centers.
Example of gondola electronic labels in Norauto stores.
Eventually, in partnership with the supplier Hansshow, the group’s 1150 sites will be equipped, which will represent 5 million electronic tags installed. In France, deployment is underway.
Automation, CSR and up-to-date stocks
The adoption of EEG responds to several challenges. This includes generating operational efficiency in a context of inflation. Price changes are thus automated. An update takes an average of 20 minutes per center.
The digitization of labels also allows quick access to available stocks, “promoting customer service and simplifying restocking.” For Norauto, the transition to electronic labels is also part of its CSR policy. The automotive actor identifies other benefits.
“Employees note a real time saving in daily business actions and can therefore focus on the trade and the customers. We observe a reduction in price errors at the checkout, thus improving customer satisfaction and the profitability of our company” , comments Jaouad El Habbaz, project leader for Norauto France.
Benefits for customers and employees
These gains in agility and competitiveness are presented as strategic “in the face of the rise of pure-players” in the market. Competition from online distributors exerts strong competitive pressure on prices.
Going digital on pricing brings other in-store functionality, says Hanshow. The supplier specifies that the labels make it possible, for example, to highlight products on sale and provide additional information to customers – thanks to ESL technology.
“If a customer or an employee is looking for a product, he has the option of flashing the label attached to the product, a new time saver for the employees. The installation of the labels in the center took time, but this n It’s nothing compared to the time saved on a daily basis and the paper savings made”, reacts Louis Fache, sales manager for Norauto Leers.