New and original innovation brought to market
Story by
February 21, 2013
A new and original app designed specifically for the retail sector has this week been launched by fast-growing Portishead-based IT company Amethyst Systems.
Called the Retail Oracle, the app has been developed by the experienced team at Amethyst, on behalf of clients Sigma Group and DJS Project Management.
The two companies both offer a range of retail and supply chain project solutions including store and site surveying, equipment procurement and the preparation of computer-aided design (CAD) drawings.
The two businesses approached Amethyst with a view to developing a bespoke electronic system that would allow on-site surveys to be completed by project managers.
Developers Amethyst, who pride themselves on offering “simple and effective solutions” to customers, identified the new Windows 8 tablets as the most suitable and cost-effective mobile device for such a system.
Company Director Lee Dowson explains:“Sigma Group and DJS Project Management required two applications from a software perspective – a mobile tablet-based application to capture the survey information and a central web application to be able to provide access to survey data and reporting.
“These tablets were the most suited to the job, as they offer portability and a touch screen interface but with the size and power required for a pleasant and productive working experience”.
The brief was that the information gathered in retail outlets – including photographic evidence, supporting documents and signatures – needed to be immediately available for viewing and editing via an online portal.
Project Managers using the app would also need to tailor and adapt the survey whilst on site with a great degree of autonomy.
Amethyst Systems were able to build a fully bespoke system that fulfilled all client requirements and provided a tablet application that can sync up a completed survey in under a minute.
Craig Bennett, Director of Sigma Group, comments:“The new survey application developed by Amethyst provides us with the ability to conduct multiple site surveys with ease.
“Our customers are very impressed with their ability to view survey results online through their own secure login”.
