Mobile Portal™ at Sonae Distribuição

In 2005 Sonae Distribuição saw the need to replace its mobility solution based on text terminal and limited functionality for a more modern and flexible one.

In partnership with Tlantic, the Mobile Portal was then conceived. A solution designed for the complex architecture of large organizations that integrates with minimal intrusion, the different back-office systems with mobile devices in a versatile, robust and fast time-to-market way.

The Challenge

The profile of customers of large retail chains around the world is no longer the same. The consumer of the twenty-first century has more information, less patience and many more options. Added to this, competition from new channels and the demand for services and products of high quality and low prices contribute to reduce even more the profit margins.

Retailers have no alternative but to adapt to this and embrace change as an opportunity to innovate. This was Sonae's choice when in 2005 they opted to implement the Mobile Portal as their new mobility solution.

At the time, Sonae Distribuição - the largest Portuguese retailer, with over 700 stores in more than a dozen different formats, from food to electronics, sports equipment, textiles and others - was seeking an alternative to its current mobility solution. The tool in use was cumbersome and would not integrate with the various back-office systems of the group. A change was vital to ensure continuity of good business processes.

Moreover, the old solution based on text terminal was very limited in functionality and usability. Few operational activities were supported by the tool and the effort required to make changes was very high, making the cost prohibitive. Given this situation, Sonae Distribuição began the search for a partner and chose to invest in Tlantic due to its innovative profile and commitment to mobility.

For Tlantic, the challenge lay in "replace the current solution without negatively impacting user productivity while adding new features," said João Matheus Turnes, Product Manager of the Mobile Portal team.

The Solution

The solution was the gradual implementation of Mobile Portal. Thus, for a period of one year, the two solutions coexisted, so that it was possible to perform a controlled phase-out of the former while the new tool was introduced. At first it was only performed the retrofit of old features, and only after that the introduction of new applications began.

This was a difficult time for end users, since they needed to switch between the two tools. However, this process ensured a smooth transition, while simultaneously reducing the efforts in training and allowed for minor adjustments that eventually proved to be necessary.

Today, after four years, the tool is used by about six thousand employees in all of the company's stores in Portugal and Spain. More than 15 different operational activities are supported by the solution and about one million operations are performed daily. The benefits are many. "The implementation of mobile portal in Sonae Distriuição led the store operations of Continent and Modelo to a new dimension. The information is now available where it's needed, when needed thus avoiding unnecessary visits to offices."

"We simplify the lives of our employees and improve customer service", said João Amaral, Director of Innovation at Sonae. Moreover, he adds, "booking an article, changing a label, marking down an item that is close to its expiration date or receiving goods are quick and intuitive. When designing a framework for developing mobile applications Tlantic allowed us to accelerate the deployment of such solutions and win over the stores for this new philosophy. The mobile portal is now an essential tool for the operation of our stores."