Case study · Retail chains
Stores and head office on the same numbers
Retail chains often run tills, merchandising and finance on separate systems that reconcile overnight at best. This is how we used Dynamics 365 Commerce with Finance and Supply Chain so stores, head office and online share products, prices, stock and sales.
Project overview
Unified retail on Dynamics 365 Commerce.
- Industry
- Retail
- Client
- Confidential
- Solution
- Unified commerce
- Platform
- D365 Commerce + F&O
- Timeline
- 9–15 months
- Team
- 6 people
- Stores
- 20–300
- POS
- Store Commerce app
- Channels
- Stores, online, call centre
Expected business outcomes
What the client set out to achieve
Stock accuracy and faster store operations drive the results.
-
Near real time
Store sales at head office
Transactions flow from stores to head office throughout the day.
Depends on store connectivity
-
10–20%
Less excess store stock
Replenishment based on actual store sales and stock.
Target range after several replenishment cycles
-
Hours
To launch a promotion across stores
Prices and promotions set centrally and pushed to every till.
Instead of days of manual updates
Business challenges
How retail chains ran before
The till, the warehouse and the accounts each have their own version.
Tills
An older POS system with its own product and price files.
Merchandising
Products and prices maintained in spreadsheets and uploaded.
Stock
Store stock updated overnight, sometimes incorrectly.
Promotions
Set up store by store, with mistakes at the till.
Finance
Store takings reconciled manually every morning.
Proposed solution
What the Commerce build covers
Dynamics 365 Commerce for stores, with F&O behind it.
-
Store POS
Store Commerce app for sales, returns, customer lookup and offline working.
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Merchandising
Products, assortments and attributes managed centrally.
-
Pricing and promotions
Price groups, discounts and promotions pushed to every channel.
-
Replenishment
Store replenishment from sales and stock levels.
-
Stock visibility
Stock across stores and warehouses visible at the till.
-
Store reporting
Sales, margin and stock by store and category.
Project requirements
What the client asked us for
The request was one system for stores and head office. The design balances central control with store speed: tills must be fast and work offline.
Rollout happens store by store, with a pilot store that runs for several weeks before others follow.
What the project had to deliver
- 01Fast, reliable tills
- 02Central pricing and promotions
- 03Stock visible across stores
- 04Automatic store reconciliation
Key challenges & considerations
What made it harder, and what we did
-
Store connectivity
What we did
Tills were set up to keep trading offline and sync when the connection returned, and this was tested in every store format.
-
Payment terminal integration
What we did
The payment terminal integration was certified and tested end to end before the pilot.
-
Rollout without disrupting trading
What we did
A pilot store ran for several weeks, then stores were moved in waves outside trading hours.
-
Staff training across many stores
What we did
Training was delivered for every shift, with short guides kept at the till.
What we watched for
- Test offline mode thoroughly
- Run the pilot store for weeks, not days
- Plan training for every shift
- Avoid rollouts in peak trading
Development process
One pilot store, then the chain
Store rollout is planned like a logistics operation.
-
Retail design
Products, pricing, promotions and store processes agreed.
-
Head office build
Merchandising, pricing and replenishment configured.
-
POS and payments
Store Commerce and payment terminals tested.
-
Pilot store
One store live for several weeks.
-
Chain rollout
Remaining stores in waves with store training packs.
Technology stack
Dynamics 365 Commerce
Microsoft's retail platform, integrated with finance and supply chain.
Retail
- D365 Commerce
- Store Commerce app
- Commerce Scale Unit
ERP
- D365 Finance
- D365 SCM
Payments
- Payment connector
- Terminals
Reporting
- Power BI
- Store dashboards
Quality assurance & deployment
Rehearsed until cut-over was routine
Finance and supply chain systems cannot be tested in production. Processes were proved end to end in test environments, and the cut-over was rehearsed until it held no surprises.
- End-to-end process tests across finance and operations
- Automated regression tests for standard and extended processes
- Data migration rehearsals, reconciled entity by entity
- User acceptance testing by business process owners
- Performance tests at real transaction volumes
Deployment
- 01Pilot storeOne store live for several weeks.
- 02Chain rolloutRemaining stores in waves with store training packs.
- 03Rehearsed cut-overA timed cut-over plan, rehearsed at least twice, with a go or no-go decision by the business.
- 04Hypercare and warrantyOn-site or remote support through the first period close, and six months of free bug fixing.
Final deliverables
One retail operation, many stores
Stores, head office and online share the same products, prices and stock, and promotions reach every till in hours.
Finance reconciles store takings automatically and merchandisers see sales by store as they happen.
- Offline-capable tills
- Central pricing
- Cross-store stock visibility
- Automated reconciliation
Handed over to the client
- 01Configured Dynamics 365Production and test environments
- 02Extensions and integrationsSource code and documentation
- 03Migrated dataReconciled entity by entity
- 04Process documentation and trainingBy business process
- 05Six-month warrantyFree bug fixing after delivery
Success metrics
How success is measured
| Measure | Outcome | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|
| Store sales at head office | Near real time | Depends on store connectivity |
| Less excess store stock | 10–20% | Target range after several replenishment cycles |
| To launch a promotion across stores | Hours | Instead of days of manual updates |
Verified reviews
What clients say about our Dynamics work
Verified reviews from our clients on the same kind of work, published on Clutch.
-
Custom Software Development
Web-Based Coupon App Development
The work produced by the team was of exceptional quality.
Jon Thies
CTO, Model Rocket Feb 2022 – Mar 2023
-
Custom Software Development
Mobile & Web Platform Development & Design
Silver Scintilla was responsive, respectful, and enjoyable to work with, quickly addressing any questions or requests.
DeShawn Brown
CEO & Founder, Lithios Jun 2021 – Nov 2022
-
Custom Software Development
Web-Based HRM System Development
Silver Scintilla provided the best solution with scalable functionality, personalized features, and robust security.
Suheb Khan
Director, Collaborative Insight Technologies Jul 2020 – Jun 2022
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