.one Retail: the new application platform for retail

While drafting this article, I took the opportunity to revisit some of my previous writings to identify recurring themes I’ve consistently focused on. One of these — now more crucial than ever — is the central role of data.

Ensuring its quality, gaining meaningful insights from it, and interpreting it accurately have become essential to delivering a better customer experience and streamlining in-store operations. Effective data management empowers retailers to tackle increasingly complex challenges, such as shrinking margins and rising operational costs.

Strategic direction from head office to store operations: a transformation in progress

Traditionally, in company-owned stores, it has always been the head office that manages orders, suppliers and other strategic operations.
However, for affiliated stores, the landscape is changing dramatically. We are shifting from a model where stores had near-total autonomy over product records, promotions and pricing — often with limited visibility at head office — to a new trend: centralising data. This isn’t about exerting control for its own sake, but about reducing the negative impact of fragmented management of products, sales and local promotions.

Below, I’d like to outline – through concrete examples – the key drivers behind this strategic shift.

A recurring issue reported by our clients is the duplication of product codes: the Paris store assigns one code to a product, while the London store uses a different one for the exact same item.
The result? A database that treats identical products as separate entries, with consequences that ripple across the entire supply chain.

But what’s the real cost to a retailer of constantly having to correct anomalies like this?

The challenges of decentralised store management

When speaking with our clients, another major challenge often comes up: the difficulty in finding local technicians for server maintenance, software installations or updates.
Travelling to resolve technical issues on-site leads to high costs and inefficient turnaround times.

Moreover, managing multiple suppliers adds yet another layer of complexity. Each new software solution brings its own features and release cycles, all of which need to be integrated with external applications — increasing the risk of incompatibilities and system failures. The promotion engine might stop working, the couponing system could malfunction, or the B2C app might crash altogether.
Is it really a coincidence that so many retailers today are trying to reduce the number of technology partners they work with?

In a market that is evolving rapidly, having a clear and centralised view of data is no longer optional — it’s essential. And yet, we still hear phrases like: “I don’t really know how much my stores are selling.”

How Aton is addressing the challenge: .one Retail

For over 20 years, Aton has embraced a mobility-first philosophy, developing applications that have simplified retailers’ operational management — shifting many day-to-day tasks from fixed workstations to mobile devices.

But today, mobility alone is no longer enough. To meet new challenges, Aton has formed a strategic alliance with Teksmar — a company with deep expertise in the retail sector — to deliver an innovative solution that leverages cutting-edge technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to optimise retail processes: .one Retail.

The value behind choosing .one Retail

• Web-based architecture: no local servers, no in-store maintenance, no fragmentation. Thanks to remote configuration, a new store can be up and running in just a few minutes, and users can access .one Retail from any web browser.
• Mobile app: our mobile application — fully functional even offline — integrates advanced features and leverages AI to accelerate processes such as goods receiving.
• Comprehensive functionality & centralised data: a single platform covering order management, loyalty programmes, couponing, B2C app, store operations, financial administration, gift cards and meal vouchers. With centralised data for full control, it’s already integrated with leading POS software, scales, electronic shelf labels and ERP systems.
• Advanced analytics & reporting: all your data in one place. Was the till closed correctly? What does a specific customer typically buy? Which store is performing best? Centralised data enables you to answer these questions — and many more — in real time.

We continue to develop and enhance .one Retail, always listening to our clients to deliver solutions that address their everyday challenges.

And you — are you ready to face yours with .one Retail?