Every Bag Has a Purpose: NEYE Supports Cancer Research Through Retail Success

Many companies today donate money to charity. At NEYE, however, all profits go to a good cause. Since 1977, the NEYE Foundation has dedicated its annual profits to cancer research, contributing DKK 50 million over the past five years alone.

NEYE’s history dates back to 1881, when the first store opened on Vimmelskaftet in Copenhagen. Today, NEYE is the market leader in bags, backpacks, suitcases, and accessories. The foundation’s slogan is “Bags with a Purpose,” reflecting the company’s mission. Every employee at NEYE works toward the common goal of operating a successful retail business and generating profits that support cancer research in Denmark.

To maximize the funds available for charitable purposes, it is essential that the business operates efficiently and that day-to-day store operations run smoothly. At the same time, employees must remain customer-focused to ensure a positive shopping experience and leave customers with a lasting impression.

To support this strategy, NEYE partnered with Delfi Technologies to implement a barcode solution consisting of handheld terminals (Delfi Nova) and mobile label printers (Bixolon SPP-R200) for price labeling. The primary objective of the solution is to increase employee mobility by reducing dependence on fixed workstations such as cash registers or back-office areas, allowing staff to spend more time assisting customers.“At NEYE, we believe that employees should always be customer-focused. That is why it is beneficial to use IT and technology that support this strategy by making daily work more mobile and flexible. Employees can spend more time where the customers are, rather than being tied to the checkout counter,” says Bent Panduro, IT Manager at NEYE.

Efficient Stores and an Excellent Customer Experience

Providing an outstanding customer experience is essential for NEYE. The better the customer experience, the stronger the sales performance in stores, ultimately generating greater profits for both the business and cancer research in Denmark. Employees can focus more effectively on customer service when their daily tasks are streamlined, and the solution from Delfi Technologies helps achieve exactly that.

The handheld terminals are fully integrated with NEYE’s ERP system. This means that all product information is available directly on the devices, enabling employees to look up product details while standing with the customer instead of having to walk to the checkout area or stockroom to check inventory status.

As a result, employees can remain present with customers, make better use of their time, and work more efficiently—all of which contribute positively to the overall customer experience.“The mobile barcode solution reduces wasted time throughout the day. Employees have more time and energy to assist customers because they can immediately return to their work exactly where they left off, without losing track of their tasks,” explains Bent Panduro.

To provide better workflow visibility throughout the day, NEYE uses mobile label printers. Employees simply scan an item using a handheld terminal, and the corresponding price label is printed instantly. This allows stores to carry out price labeling continuously as part of their daily operations.

At the same time, employees always know exactly where they are in the process. Unlike traditional solutions, where all shelf labels are typically printed in one large batch, staff do not have to sort through piles of labels or remember which items have already been updated.“The advantage for our stores is that employees can perform price labeling whenever it fits between customer interactions and print labels as needed, rather than printing everything at once and dealing with a large, unmanageable stack,” says Bent Panduro.

Today, the handheld terminal solution is used for price labeling, product lookups, and inventory counting. According to Bent Panduro, the next step is to extend the solution to goods receiving:“In addition to our daily work with price labeling and product lookups, we also use the handheld terminals for our annual full inventory count across all stores. The next phase is to add goods receiving, enabling us to manage that process on the mobile devices as well.”