Hastings Entertainment, a multimedia superstore with 146 stores in 20 states has been serving customers since its first store opened in Amarillo, Texas in 1968. The company has an innovative business model that encompasses all types of media and entertainment. In the store and online consumers can buy books, movies, and more. Hastings also offers media rentals. The stores also accept buy-backs. "A customer comes in with a stack of books -- they can sell it back and then use it for credit to purchase something else or get cash back," explained Kristi Wall, POS Installations Project Manager for Hastings Entertainment. Ms. Wall oversaw the rollout of nearly 750 Skorpio Gun™ rugged mobile computers throughout the 147 store chain.
With a constant influx of new products and services, Hastings tries to stay one step ahead of its customers' demands. The company needed a mobile computer that can keep up with its employees and hold up in a fast paced retail environment. When you are moving that much merchandise the old fashion paper and pen cycle count won't do. But the devices Hastings was using resulted in more headaches, according to Wall. Hastings needed a different solution. It had to be fast. It had to have a key pad with easy and efficient F-key functions. And it had to be durable. Hastings found all that and more in the Skorpio Gun™. After test-driving several devices in stores, Datalogic Mobile's easy-to-use Skorpio Gun™ was the clear winner. "We did our research," Wall said. "When it came down to making a decision, Datalogic Mobile's Skorpio Gun™ had many more advantages than any of the other ones."
Massive amounts of media products flow through Hastings locations; the content is constantly changing and the flow is virtually seamless, thanks to the Skorpio Gun™. Wall was impressed with the speed in which Datalogic's Skorpio Gun™ scans. Hastings employees move fast and other devices simply couldn't keep up. "It was just so much faster than they had ever seen with our applications on top of it," she said.
Speed wasn't enough. Hastings needed a dependable piece of equipment -- in both form and function. They found the Skorpio Gun™ delivers. Wall cites Datalogic's patented Green Spot technology as a huge help for employees scanning towers of product.
With previous scanners employees were always checking the screen to be sure the bar code had been read. Green Spot technology lets users know the bar code has been read by projecting a green spot right on the code, providing instant visual verification that doesn't take your eyes off the work. Administrative error cost the retail industry $4.9 billion and 14.5 percent of merchandise lost, according to National Retail Security Survey information released in 2010. Technology like Green Spot helps retailers fight loss and shrinkage.
Along with the security of knowing a scan is legitimate, Hastings workers found the Skorpio Gun™ is also tough as nails. The Skorpio Gun™ features front and back rubber bumpers, a sturdy case and the best handle and trigger in the industry. Employees even dropped the Skorpio Gun™ from a Hastings facility rooftop. To their delight, the unit took the fall and kept working. Before Datalogic, dollars were being wasted on scanner maintenance, according to Wall. "We were spending far too much money trying to maintain our old units," she said.
As a veteran user of mobility, Hastings knows there can be challenges to managing mobile computers spread out across multiple locations and time zones. Having a device management system that was easy to use was high priority. Datalogic pre-loads Wavelink Avalanche software for remote management. Each Datalogic device is pre-licensed and preloaded from the factory at no additional cost. For Hastings Avalanche facilitates software updates and security encryption key updates across their enterprise. So far 10 updates have been deployed system-wide, all 100 percent problem-free. "We logged in, pushed out our package, we made one phone call," Wall said. Employees simply rebooted the scanners and all units were updated. Wall explained: "there was virtually no impact to the stores."
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Customer: Hastings Entertainment
Industry: Retail
Application: General Merchandising
Country: United States
Datalogic Mobile Solution: Retail In-Store
Datalogic Products: Skorpio Gun™
Datalogic Partner: ScanTexas Inc.
