In recent years, we’ve directed more than ¾ of our resources toward digital solutions that improve employee productivity and streamline business processes
We Were Looking for a Comprehensive Solution
Our guest this time is Tjaša Tršar, who ensures the best possible customer experience at Mass. Over the last 30 years, Mass has grown into one of the most successful footwear retailers in the Adriatic region. Tjaša understands that digitalizing operations will play a crucial role in future growth and in creating personalized offers for customers.
Customer relations are now crucial in a market-focused approach. How does your company view this relationship?
Mass's primary activity is retail, so the customer is at the center of our operations. Equally important, however, are our employees. Consequently, these are the two “hearts” of our company. The customer isn't satisfied if our employees aren’t satisfied and vice versa.
The customer is undoubtedly the one who enables us to succeed and grow in the market. That’s why we pay immense attention to customer satisfaction with our products and services. There is no compromise in this area. A satisfied customer is the guiding principle for all employees at our company.
Since you operate in multiple locations, you also use digital solutions to build customer relationships. Could you tell us more about your approach to gift cards? Why did you decide to implement such solutions?
We connect with customers through various channels and spaces. In recent years, we’ve directed more than ¾ of our resources toward digital solutions that improve employee productivity and streamline business processes—especially those that previously consumed too much valuable time and energy from our staff.
It is therefore essential that we also provide a user-friendly digital environment for our customers. Since we launched our online store, the digital experience with Mass has become even more important. However, we’re not an “early adopter”; instead, we carefully consider each new digital solution and ask: “What positive impact will this digital solution have for our customers and employees?” The answer must be clear—customers and employees must gain either time, financial, or user-added value from the introduction of a digital solution. If at least one of these three components is absent, we decide against implementing the solution. We’re not a company that introduces digital solutions just because they’re “new, interesting, and modern.”
We decided to implement a digital solution for gift cards for several reasons:
With the “old” solution, we were extremely inflexible with customers (gift cards had a fixed value, only three set amounts, no option for partial redemptions, no ability to load a custom amount, no online redemption, and no way to set expiration dates).
With the “old” solution, we were also unfriendly to our employees (for example, when a customer wanted to exchange a product for a gift card, the employee was limited by a fixed amount, which significantly extended the checkout process. Additionally, our accounting team constantly had issues due to this solution that had to be addressed continuously).
The “old” solution was time- and cost-intensive for us (balance loading was done manually for each card individually, and business operations were less transparent due to the possibility of manual errors, etc.)
Therefore, we sought a partner on the market who could offer us a packaged service—we didn’t want to develop a software solution in-house but were looking for someone with sufficient knowledge and experience in this field. Someone who could bring part of the development to our company with a simple connection to our internal ERP system. When selecting a partner, we wanted:
- a partner with enough expertise to prevent Mass from being financially burdened by potential future system upgrades,
- a partner with established administrative support and a simple software solution that wouldn’t require excessive ERP adjustments,
- a service with enough added value for the customer (flexible balance loading, partial redemptions, easy use, etc.),
- a solution that is quick and easy for store employees to use,
- a partner who also provides other aspects (card printing, delivery, accounting summaries, etc.),
- a partner who enables integration with our online store, which runs on the Magento platform.
In the past, we only knew of paper gift vouchers. What advantages, in your opinion, do digital cards offer in this area?
- partial redemptions,
- loading custom amounts,
- balance checking,
- usage both online and in physical stores,
- traditional cards and e-cards,
- personalization of gift cards,
These days, many are considering “digitalizing” their business. However, many entrepreneurs are afraid of changes (new things, staff training, software, etc.). What advice would you give to such entrepreneurs?
1. Don’t be afraid of innovations that clearly indicate business improvements.
2. Before implementing new solutions, thoroughly weigh all positive and negative aspects, and if the financial and user benefits indicate it’s worthwhile, take the plunge.
3. Prioritize a partner who can offer extensive expertise and ensure reliable implementation (it’s ideal if they handle as many things as possible independently, without subcontractors).
4. When introducing innovations, don’t burden employees with excessive details. Present the change in terms of benefits for their work and familiarize them with aspects that will significantly impact their productivity and customer service.
Digitalization allows for a variety of solutions. Is your company considering additional new features for your customers in the future? Perhaps an upgrade to the loyalty program?
Yes, we’re having intense discussions about this, particularly in terms of managing purchase data that can significantly impact the personalization of the shopping experience. Since we don’t yet have a loyalty program, we have the opportunity to examine the best and worst market practices and implement a solution that will primarily bring financial benefits from a business perspective and usability benefits from the customer’s perspective.