Arnott's rolls out iPads

Campbell Arnott's has ditched a combination of Windows-based devices and paper processes to put iPad minis and a new core mobile merchandising system into the hands of its field staff.

The food giant tasked Sydney-based wireless applications specialist Airloom with managing an end-to-end solution based around the iPad.

Campbell Arnott's retired its field merchandising staff’s fleet of Windows Mobile Samsung PDAs and replaced them with iPad minis, with the upgrade removing the last remaining components of the company's paper-based processing in its field merchandising operations.

The "several hundred" new iPads and accompanying software have automated the company's in-store merchandising and stripped out the vast majority of its paper-dependent processing.

The new system consists of two main components: Airloom’s core mobile merchandising system, “REOS”, and a content management system called Woolloo, which replaced paper-based sales collateral and forms.

A third component, Silverback’s mobile device management, is used to secure the devices in the field. 

Campbell’s Arnotts sales planning manager Daniel Grant said the new systems would provide the company's Australia-wide team of merchanders more screen real estate, an "intuitive multi-touch interface and enhanced content sharing".

“More importantly, though, the new system will provide enhanced opportunities to engage with our customers to identify real-time opportunities to drive mutual, profitable growth in-store,” he told iTnews.

The rollout was another coup for Airloom and its partner carrier, Optus.

The same partnership won a deal for Woolworths’ massive iPad retail rollout which saw supermarket chain deploy iPads to nearly 900 of its managers to manage stock in the field in August 2012.

Airloom was also contracted to manage the Commonwealth Bank’s massive bring-your-own-device program.

Andrew Colley can be contacted at andrew.colley@gmail.com.