Learn how STATE OF WOW has achieved more agile workflows, elevated efficiency, and generated more sales with digitized team task management.
“I can only encourage companies that work with distribution in their own and others’ stores; get the system tested! Take a trial period and see what value it can provide for your company. I wish I had the system 20 years ago – it just saves me so much time!”
Jens Wöldike Jensen, external consultant at STATE OF WOW, is crystal clear in his statement when he is asked what he thinks about the collaboration with Instore Excellence.
In this case study, he explains in detail how he uses the app and modern team task management to optimize his work and make him more efficient.
Guidelines vs. the reality
STATE OF WOW is the largest headwear company in the Nordics. However, they don’t have their own stores but distribute the brand to, e.g., retail stores and supermarkets.
In short, Jens Wöldike Jensen’s work ensures that the STATE OF WOW brand is represented optimally in the stores. One thing is the ideal scenario communicated from headquarters through ideas and guidelines; another is the reality in the stores.
“Luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton are exceptional in providing customers with the same experience every time they enter a store. This can be much more difficult to obtain in, e.g., the supermarkets, where we distribute many of our goods.
For us, sales are completely dependent on the location and the presentation of our products – if we’re not visible where there’s high traffic, our turnover falls,” explains Jens Wöldike Jensen.
Therefore, it’s also crucial for his work that he has a tool that he can use 1) in the dialogue with the stores, 2) to keep track of data and documentation in connection with store visits, and 3) to register and delegate improvement opportunities.
Everything in one system
Before STATE OF WOW’s collaboration with Instore Excellence, the company had guidelines but not a unified system to handle and record its work. Thus, each consultant had his way of keeping track of his visits. According to Jens Wöldike Jensen, the result was often a lack of overview and insufficient documentation.
Today, everything is gathered in the same system, consultants worldwide go through the same surveys, and all data is collected in the same hub. This means that management has the complete overview, can take action in the right places, do benchmarking, etc.
Easier and more efficient workflows
When Jens Wöldike Jensen begins a store audit, he enters the Instore Excellence app, which he (like all other employees) can access directly from his phone.
With his phone, he takes one before and one after picture of the STATE OF WOW stand and then uploads the pictures directly into the app. Subsequently, he has the opportunity to add comments. When he is done, a report is automatically generated with all the data. The report is immediately uploaded to the shared database.
According to Jens Wöldike Jensen, this is the essential feature in the app, as it’s now far more accessible for the consultants to create reports with photo documentation from each store visit.
“It gives structured visibility that would otherwise be missing in the office. After a visit, everything is in a database to which all relevant employees and managers have access.
It also makes it possible for us to go back in time and retrieve data when needed – e.g., for a dialogue with a specific store,” says Jens Wöldike Jensen.
Another crucial work tool in the app is, in Jens Wöldike Jensen’s view, the system’s ability to convey task-solving. Among other things, the consultants can get real-time feedback from the management, as they can comment directly on a report as soon as it is in the system.
In addition, consultants, salespeople, and management can create and delegate specific tasks in the system – for example, if something is missing a price tag.
Targeting a task for a particular shop, a specific salesperson, or all sales employees is also possible. This is a highly efficient feature if, e.g., the same sign needs to be replaced in all shops.
Very tangible results
According to Jens Wöldike Jensen, the results of the collaboration with Instore Excellence are unmistakable:
- Higher quality of their work and time savings
- Overview and optimization of sales
- Easier onboarding of new employees (as employees all over the world use the same system, data is never lost)
- Usable data and benchmarking
To the question of whether Jens Wöldike Jensen would recommend Instore Excellence to others, he has no doubt:
“Absolutely! You get an insight into your distribution that you otherwise don’t have access to. We can always go back in the system and look up specific data – for example, when a store was last visited and exactly what it looked like.”
He finds that this is a huge advantage. It has a positive impact on the internal workflows in the company. Still, it’s uplevel the communication with the stores and other business partners as documentation is always right at hand. This gives both the sales employees and management peace of mind.
“Can it be that simple and uncomplicated?”
Finding a good and simple team task management system can be difficult. Especially one that can handle the specific requirements of companies with distribution in other stores. But Jens Wöldike Jensen has finally found something that works:
“I would like to highlight; I have been in different companies that have worked with distribution, and I have never experienced a perfect solution until I discovered Instore Excellence. It just works! It is a simple but logical solution backed by a high level of service from the team behind Instore Excellence.
They are very easy to work with, and there’s enormous support from Morten, who is responsible for the entire tech part. He’s both very experienced and very solution-oriented,” explains Jens Wöldike Jensen and continues:
“Every time I show the app to new consultants and partners, they always say; ‘damn it, can it be that simple and uncomplicated?!’ They often know of similar systems, but it’s always heavier and more complicated. Instore Excellence is truly a user-friendly system that delivers!”
About STATE OF WOW
STATE OF WOW is the largest headwear company in the Nordics – offering proven and optimized wholesale and display solutions for the retail space, private label development, and production solutions for a wide range of established fashion brands, promotion agencies, festivals, and organizations across Europe.
The company has over 25 employees in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and Finland, with head office in Copenhagen, Denmark, and offices in Sweden and China.
“I wish I had the system 20 years ago – it saves me so much time!”
“I have never experienced a perfect solution until I discovered Instore Excellence.”
“Every time I show the app to new consultants and partners, they always say; ‘damn, can it be that simple and uncomplicated?!'”
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Book a non-binding meeting with our expert, Morten Munch-Andersen, at +45 2162 3159 or mma@instoreexcellence.com. You can also check out our FREE trial here.