Case Study:
Renys

Renys is a third-generation, family-owned and operated department store chain in Maine. Founded in 1949 and now with 18 locations, Renys is known for exceptional customer service. With the company’s range of offerings, including clothing, toys, home goods, and more, it’s been said that “if Renys doesn’t have it, I don’t need it.” A proud staple of the Maine community, Renys is committed to growing with and supporting that community.

Challenge

Renys had been using Microsoft Dynamics AX for its point-of-sale and retail management software. This proved to be too complex, inflexible, and expensive. Renys prides itself on being highly adaptable and efficient to satisfy customers, yet its legacy technology platform was holding them back.

The chain’s database within Microsoft Dynamics had grown too large, and the cost of storing this data became untenable. The large data trove was also unwieldy — each customer would wait two or three extra minutes at check out as the system would spin, and warehouse and back office staff had to perform significant extra work to keep stores stocked.

Renys needed a robust, easy-to-use, unified commerce platform that would power exceptional customer experiences, streamlined operations, and growth. 

Solution

Under Adam Reny’s and Faustine Reny’s leadership, the company knew it was time to change and selected FieldStack’s Unified Commerce Platform.

Adam and Faustine were impressed with FieldStack’s deep knowledge of retail and willingness to dive into Renys’ unique needs. Their decision was finalized once they saw FieldStack in action in the 180,000-square-foot Memphis warehouse of leading regional pet retail chain, Hollywood Feed.

Witnessing how FieldStack leveraged real-time data and automation to seamlessly connect that chain’s stores, website, warehouses, and supply chain to support customer satisfaction, they knew they’d found the right match.

Results

Successful & Timely Implementation 

“This is the third system I’ve seen implemented, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was,” said Faustine. She explains that Maine has two retail seasons: summer and holidays. “We needed to change systems between seasons, and I’d never seen a system launch in less than a year — until FieldStack did it in 5 months!”

“With past systems, we had launch issues that stopped us from paying bills, moving merchandise, and even ringing things up,” adds Adam.

“With FieldStack we were able to keep moving on day one — and they were right there with us in our stores and warehouse to handle anything that might come up.”

Vastly Improved Warehouse Operations 

FieldStack analyzed Renys’ warehouse flow, to map the platform to the chain’s processes. “As we approached implementation, we realized the system needed tweaks to accommodate our many departments. FieldStack pivoted to provide functionality that supported our structure,” said Adam. “That’s a huge testament to what they can do, and are willing to do to help us succeed.”

“The platform has increased warehouse efficiency a lot,” said Adam. “We’re now receiving goods much faster.”

Other warehouse tasks are quicker, too: It used to take 45 seconds to process a product moving from one bin to another — now FieldStack does it in two seconds. “Our team feels the difference — last year was the first year we didn’t work weekends during the holidays.”

Streamlined Back Office 

Before FieldStack, the Renys back office supported many in-store activities, like special orders. The burdened team was planning to add staff. FieldStack covered much of that work with automations and simple in-store actions at the POS. With FieldStack’s speed, the remaining office tasks take less time.

“As a result, we freed up several office positions, and we’re allocating those resources to higher-value work,” said Faustine. “The increased efficiency is allowing us to reinvest in our company.”

Optimized Store Operations 

Renys’ customers see the benefits of FieldStack. The point-of-sale is blazing fast, allowing them to process 50 transactions an hour at peak.

And Renys now completes special orders through FieldStack’s POS, getting products to customers in just a few days, compared to a 10-day manual process in the previous system. Store staff like it too: because cycle inventories are now done through scanning, they are faster, easier, and more accurate. 

A Roadmap to Growth 

“Customers love that we’re local, but they also expect us to provide the same services as big box stores,” said Faustine.

“Our next step is to use additional FieldStack tools — like BOPIS and inventory automation — to stay relevant and keep satisfying customers.”

Adam points out that adding tools doesn’t increase fees. “FieldStack is responsive to our needs because they want us to do well. We feel like they’re sitting on the same side of the table with us. We’re making great progress together and having more fun!”

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