Published on 13-Sep-2008
"The system is unusual and distinctive…it has a number of practical advantages… particularly in terms of lower operational costs. With no need to print cards, post them, manage them and replace them when lost, the savings are considerable." - Svenja Wittrowski, project leader, Gewandhaus Gruber
Customer:
Gewandhaus Gruber
Industry:
Retail
Deployment country:
Germany
Solution:
Customer Relationship Management, Innovation that matters, Linux, Openness, RISV Solution, Smarter Planet, Transforming Business
IBM Business Partner:
it-werke Technology GmbH
Overview
Gewandhaus Gruber is a clothing retailer with a 350-year history of dressmaking and retailing. It currently has eight branch stores, two outlets and a sports shop where it sells both traditional Bavarian clothing and formal dresses of other brands.
Business need:
Gewandhaus Gruber, a successful clothing merchant in Germany wanted to better understand and reward its existing customers, while attracting new ones. The company decided to implement a customer loyalty program. It sought a cutting-edge loyalty offering that would help it increase revenue and differentiate itself from its competitors.
Solution:
Using a combination of IBM and IBM Business Partner technology, the retailer launched the first fingerprint identification–based loyalty program and payment method in Germany.
Benefits:
• Earned €2.6 million—15 percent—of annual revenue in just six months through approximately 4,500 club members
• Saved €100,000 in operational costs over a comparable card-based loyalty program
• Increased revenue by 4% and improved customer satisfaction
Case Study
Overview
Gewandhaus Gruber
Erding, Germany
www.gewandhaus-gruber.de
Industry
• Retail
Employees
• 1,000
Products
• IBM Anyplace Kiosk
• IBM DB2® for Linux®
IBM Business Partner
• it-werke Technology GmbH
Gewandhaus Gruber is a clothing retailer with a 350-year history of dressmaking and retailing. It currently has eight branch stores, two outlets and a sports shop where it sells both traditional Bavarian clothing and formal dresses of other brands.
Challenge
Gewandhaus Gruber is a successful mid-level to high-end clothing merchant in Germany. Wanting to better understand and reward its existing customers while attracting new ones, the company decided to implement a customer loyalty program. But traditional card-based loyalty solutions were predictable and could be expensive to maintain. Instead, the retailer sought a cutting-edge loyalty offering that would help it increase revenue and differentiate itself from its competitors.
Solution
Using a combination of IBM and IBM Business Partner technology, the retailer launched the first fingerprint identification–based loyalty program and payment method in Germany. The solution allows the client’s loyalty club members to quickly and conveniently pay for items via a fingerprint scanner that also tracks purchases and that rewards members through loyalty incentives. Further, it provides Gewandhaus Gruber with in-depth sales reports that provide decision makers and marketers with valuable insight into the way customers spend their money.
Benefits
• Earned €2.6 million—15 percent—of annual revenue in just six months through approximately 4,500 club members
• Saved €100,000 in operational costs over a comparable card-based loyalty program
• Increased revenue by 4% and improved customer satisfaction
“The system is unusual and distinctive…it has a number of practical advantages… particularly in terms of lower operational costs. With no need to print cards, post them, manage them and replace them when lost, the savings are considerable.” —Svenja Wittrowski, project leader, Gewandhaus Gruber
Products and services used
IBM products and services that were used in this case study.
Hardware:
AnyPlace Kiosk
Software:
DB2 for Linux
Legal Information
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2008 IBM Corporation 1 New Orchard Road Armonk, NY 10504 U.S.A. Produced in the United States of America September 2008 All Rights Reserved IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com and DB2 are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. If these and other IBM trademarked terms are marked on their first occurrence in this information with a trademark symbol (® or ™), these symbols indicate U.S. registered or common law trademarks owned by IBM at the time this information was published. Such trademarks may also be registered or common law trademarks in other countries. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at “Copyright and trademark information” at ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. The information contained in this documentation is provided for informational purposes only. While efforts were made to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this documentation, it is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In addition, this information is based on IBM’s current product plans and strategy, which are subject to change by IBM without notice. IBM shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or otherwise related to, this documentation or any other documentation. Nothing contained in this documentation is intended to, nor shall have the effect of, creating any warranties or representations from IBM (or its suppliers or licensors), or altering the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement governing the use of IBM software. This document illustrates how one organization uses IBM products. Many factors have contributed to the results and benefits described; IBM does not guarantee comparable results elsewhere. References in this publication to IBM products or services do not imply that IBM intends to make them available in all countries in which IBM operates. REC03001-USEN-00