SNS Network: ICT Powered Retail Solutions

In a tête-à-tête about the impact of technological evolution on the retail landscape, Ko Yun Hung, Managing Director, SNS Network summarizes how the mobile era has caused a paradigm shift in consumer-brand interaction. He further draws a parallel between availing goods or services over a mobile application and the relatively inconvenient traditional store visits to emphasize the importance of adapting to sophistication. "Seamless synchronization of myriad devices and outlets is quintessential to enhance consumer satisfaction. Our aim has always been assisting customers in gaining a competitive edge through our suite of ICT solutions,” he says.

Founded in 1999, SNS Network renders assistance in establishment of network infrastructure, server and application support, security management, surveillance, and data collection. The ICT pioneer caters its solutions to diverse segments of the retail ecosystem which include food & beverage, small and medium enterprises, government agencies and the end consumers. In its journey of almost two decades, the Malaysia-based organization has earned the reputation of being a trusted ICT partner of choice for a significant number of SME enterprises, large corporations, government agencies, education sector and more.

Hung particularly mentions that his organization is also a retailer, not merely a solution provider and completely comprehends the grave concerns of firms belonging to the segment.

Although e-commerce has largely been hailed as a boom by industry insiders, virtualization has given rise to challenges for traditional retailers to conquer to enhance brand perception and stay relevant. The expectations of a virtual shopper are relatively amplified as compared to the yesteryear store visitors. An omnichannel store which offers a catalog with overwhelming product choices and alternatives for non-availability of a particular commodity are satisfaction benchmarks that can't be overlooked. Hence the organization devises double delight strategies that seamlessly synchronize traditional stores with virtual systems that aren’t merely aimed at customer satisfaction but also increase ROI significantly.
Hung cites a couple of instances of assistance offered by SNS Network to esteemed retail clients to paint a better picture of the benefits of a technology-store amalgamation. One of the accomplishments was the seamless integration of a CCTV to a convenience store’s online inventory to identify discrepancies between the virtual database and commodities on the rack. Similarly, an food ordering application bridged with a kitchen will help restaurants in the better assessment of favorite dishes of their customers. Thus, such insights about customer taste patterns will help restaurants maximize profitability by the introduction of vouchers and discounts to allure customers.

Over the years, SNS Network had attained significant market share in the education sector and is very familiar with the education demands and challenges. Therefore, he states that the Malaysia-based organization is also working relentlessly towards enabling connectivity between projectors and handheld devices in a bid to elevate classroom learning to a whole new level.

The industry veteran opines that the advent of IoT is paving the way for a data deluge that would possibly pose a new set of herculean challenges for the ICT industry to conquer and business opportunities to utilize. “The availability of an overwhelmingly large number of devices and the constant evolution of technology has cornered organizations. Hence, we want to engineer solutions help the businesses of our esteemed clients adapt to change in the near future,” he adds. The organization has bagged numerous felicitations for its contributions to the retail segment, such as the Best Brand in Retail ICT -2010 and hopes to conquer several milestones in the years to come.