The sovereign digitalization of retail
Whether retail or wholesale, stationary or online trade – with the STACKIT Cloud you digitize your retail company securely, confidently and independently.
How digitalization becomes a game changer in retail
In the Schwarz Group, we experience daily in our retail divisions Lidl and Kaufland how retail is becoming more digital – whether it is electronic price tags, self-scanning cash registers or our own loyalty app … As the largest European food retailer, we’re actively driving this transformation. After all, digitalization in retail is essential: It determines whether a company remains viable for the future. Only those who adapt to digital trends can remain relevant and be successful in the long term. We recognized this early on and used it for ourselves. With around 6.8 billion branch customers at Lidl and Kaufland in over 13,700 branches worldwide, we’re benefiting from the advantages of digitalization: We can operate more efficiently, improve customer experiences, and keep up with constant market changes.
How digitization is revolutionizing retail::
- It challenges traditional business models and offers innovative ways to interact with customers.
- E-commerce platforms, mobile apps and online marketplaces make shopping easier, more convenient, and more exciting.
- Big data and AI in retail make it possible to address customers in a personalized and emotional way.
This is also shown by current trends such as mobile and sustainable shopping or smart stores. Anyone who evades digitization in retail runs the risk of no longer being competitive.
At the same time, it’s important to carry out the digital transformation with data sovereignty. For example, if data from the retail is not 100% secure, it can fall into unauthorized hands and cause great damage – e.g. through industrial espionage, sales of customer data, etc. As discounters, simple solutions are part of our retailer DNA. We know exactly what retailers need in the value chain and what they don’t.
For this reason, we have developed our own cloud platform with which we guarantee complete data sovereignty and which we also make available to other retail companies.
Your advantages as a retailer through data-savvy digitalization with STACKIT:
Sovereignty is a basic idea of the Schwarz Group, which flows into all of our decisions, products and developments. Being independent is a guiding principle of the Schwarz Group. We produce certain product lines ourselves (e.g. water, chocolate, ice cream) and have our own disposal company in order not to be dependent on third parties. Since independence is a real game changer for companies, it’s also reflected in the advantages of the STACKIT Cloud. Because it’s our very own interest to remain completely self-sufficient now and in the future with a secure, stable, and sovereign cloud.
Commercially compatible & field-tested
Reliable solutions that we’ve thoroughly tested for the special needs of retailers.
Personal & close
Customer proximity just like in the store: always with a personal and commercially experienced contact person.
GDPR-compliant & legally compliant
100% protection of yours and all your customers’ data as well as full compliance from warehouse and commodities management to POS system.
Flexible & scalable
Reaction to changing loads for smooth retail – as reliable at Christmas as it is afterwards.
Open & independent
Open-source standards for easy data relocation without expensive vendor lock-in.
Resistant & crisis-proof
Permanent and cyclically independent operation due to our trading background.
Sovereign & confidential
Protection against data access by unauthorized third parties (e.g. CLOUD Act) thanks to EU location – data from the purchasing area such as confidential conditions are also protected.
The Power of Schwarz: from us as a retailer for you as a retailer
STACKIT was launched in 2018 as a unit of Schwarz IT to drive digital transformation within the Schwarz Group through its own powerful cloud and colocation infrastructure. Since then, the innovative unit has been finding solutions for all Group companies, including Lidl and Kaufland.
This is what makes STACKIT cloud solutions so powerful:
- We know the (digital) needs for retail – we only pass solutions on to our clients that we have successfully tested and used for ourselves.
- The STACKIT Cloud is the foundation – in addition, we use our expertise to advise our clients and to initiate and accompany digital transformation.
- The STACKIT Cloud is consistently and redundantly hosted in the group’s own data centers in Germany and Austria and works according to European data protection standards – this makes it secure and stable and thus 100% reliable for you.
- Since we do not carry out any changes of ownership, your data will not fall into the hands of third parties (acquirers, creditors). So we are a “safe space” for ourselves and for our clients.
With these advantages, which result from our retail background, STACKIT offers the strong European retail cloud alternative to global cloud providers in the retail cloud area. Together with other retail companies, we are making our vision of an independent Europe a reality: digital, leading.
Would you like to implement a cloud project in the retail sector?
“I know retail “like the back of my hand”. Through my dual degree in business informatics in the Schwarz Group and my subsequent work in the company, I combine an overview of and insight into the diverse areas of retail. Use this knowledge for yourself! Feel free to contact me so that we can discuss innovative technologies, digitalization in retail or other topics that drive your business goals. Let’s find the right solution for your retail company together!”
Tim Raynoschek
STACKIT Direct Sales