New app for lending and sample furnishing at Vitra
Vitra’s new sample furnishing system reduces costs and provides a continuous overview of where the furniture is located at all times.
Text: Writbeat – Translation: Maria Vole
Vitra is headquartered in Birsfelden, Switzerland and is an international company with offices around the world. Vitra is a complete supplier of furniture to both the professional and private market and is known around the world for its unique design collection with designers such as Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Charles & Ray Eames, Jasper Morrison, George Nelson, Verner Panton and more.
Vitra Scandinavia AS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vitra International and is located in lovely premises in the center of Oslo. Vitra Scandinavia AS has over 80 suppliers divided into projects and the private market in Norway, and the company now consists of a team of 22 employees.
Vitra has a broad portfolio and often allows the customer to try out their chairs. Therefore, they needed to be able to log which chairs were available for lending, who was to borrow what, the time period for the loan, where the chairs were to be delivered and when they were to be returned to the warehouse.
New digital solution
Vitra previously employed a manual lending system. This sometimes resulted in difficulties when it came to keeping track of all the furniture.
“Previously, their entire system was paper-based, and they requested a digital system that would make their inventory management easier and clearer,” says Andreas Schjønhaug, general manager of Schjønhaug AS.
Schjønhaug AS digitized the inventory management system and created a user-friendly app that can be used by the entire company. The sellers can check what furniture is available, and the courier can receive orders directly into their mobile phones.
“The app we’ve created ensures traceability and makes everyday life much easier for both salespeople and couriers. The sellers can easily check the app to get an overview of which products are available, and the couriers receive messages and information about which products are to be delivered and picked up directly in the app.”
A user-friendly and complete app
Most of us are familiar with the ease and convenience of using online stores. Andreas Schjønhaug says that he built up parts of the app as an online store to make the user experience as familiar and user-friendly as possible.
“The sellers can place an order for a product in the “shopping cart” in the app. This will include the product in question, the customer’s information and the delivery address. The courier will then receive a notification and can easily see the order for delivery,” he says.
Andreas Schjønhaug says that they’ve created the app from scratch - everything from sketches, design, functionality and user-friendliness. The app has also been developed and improved every year.
“The latest update made it possible for the customer to sign on the screen of the courier’s mobile phone when they receive their order,” he says.
Sellers love the app!
Aneth Vaslestad, team leader of Customer Support at Vitra, says that Vitra has a large product range. Previously, their system was manual, and the sellers had to check for themselves what was in stock and what was available for lending.
“Sellers love the app! It has revolutionised the way we work. Now, the sellers can easily get an overview of what’s available in the warehouse, and can therefore show furniture to customers faster than they could with the old system.”
The job has become easier
Vaslestad says that the app has changed the way they work. It has ensured traceability so that they always know what is in stock at all times. At the same time, the job has become easier for the couriers who perform the physical work.
“This is a project we are very proud of at Vitra Norway. We are the only Vitra country with this solution,” she says.
Vaslestad believes that Andreas Schjønhaug was a solution-oriented developer who ensured that the collaboration on the new app was a good experience.
“Andreas Schjønhaug is very good at listening, asking the right and important questions, understanding our needs, and transforming these into digital solutions. We have a solution that fits our needs perfectly. His interpersonal qualities made the project run smoothly and helped us acquire a lot of knowledge about the possibilities that exist out there with a view to digitizing our processes,” she concludes.
