“This was the smoothest rollout of a new technology Dunelm has ever seen.” Principal Engineer, DunelmPrincipal Engineer, Dunelm

The challenge

Not having the physical space of some of its competitors’ massive warehouse-style outlets, Dunelm introduced mobile point-of-sale (MPoS) technology to make customers aware of the wide range of products it can’t fit in its store, but are available online. This meant in-store ‘hosts’ could advise customers on the extended range and capture sales there and then. Payment could be taken using a connected pin-entry device, booking delivery at the same time. This added millions of pounds to Dunelm’s in-store revenue, but as the retailer innovated, its MPoS was being left behind.

The retailer reached a point where any changes to purchase journeys or new offerings couldn’t be easily integrated into the system. Changes to the software required planning, agreement, development, and implementation. In other words, a waterfall approach was hurting innovation. This presented a second MPoS challenge: getting control over its own MPoS solution, so it would be able to get the most from its development and deployment capacities and keep pace with the innovation of the business.

The solution

It was proposed that Dunelm’s existing website could be the face of a revised MPoS solution, so any updates to the principal website would be inherited by the MPoS terminals, which number nearly 600 across the stores. It was agreed that a proof of concept would be undertaken to see if this was possible. However, Dunelm needed a fast turnaround to avoid forthcoming and, potentially, expensive contract negotiations with its existing supplier. The retailer reached out to Mindera to see if we could work together to prove that both the website and the MPoS system could share a unified code base. Over the next three months, a solution was built equally between Dunelm’s experts and Mindera’s specialists. It not only proved the concept, but also demonstrated that no infrastructure changes would be required and all existing equipment could be used, reducing complexity and financial commitment exponentially. The successful joint venture followed four key stages:

**1| Knowledge transfer and continuation of best practice

This was achieved embedding a Mindera team within Dunelm’s digital department, blending engineers from both organisations.

**2| Creating a new iOS app

This app created an cloud-based integration point with the in-store payment systems. Best-practice patterns were used to ensure that maintainable, pragmatic code was created. Security was prioritised to ensure customers could safely purchase through the MPoS.

**3| Adopting a lean software development philosophy

Two-week sprints with full ceremonies ensured that stakeholders were always well informed and had the chance to share their feedback with us.

**4| Using agile processes for developing and testing

This overcame the COVID-19 challenge of the hybrid team having little access to current equipment and no ability to see the incumbent solution in action or talk to users. We ensured the crew’s voices were heard and we incorporated their feedback into our planning.

The results

135% increase in MPoS sales achieved over the previous solution

The partnership between Dunelm and Mindera experts worked so well that the new MPoS solution was ready and waiting to spring into action once Dunelm re-opened its stores in April 2021 when the final lockdown was lifted. Even more impressive, the improvement over the old version was staggering.

First-day MPoS revenue hit £150,000, with sales going on to outperform the previous solution by 135% and account for 3% of in-store sales. This smashed all predictions and expectations, and was understandably very well received following one of the toughest periods in the modern history of UK retail.

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About Dunelm One of the UK’s biggest home furnishing retailers, Dunelm runs 172 physical stores, and a busy ecommerce website, turning over more than £1.3 billion a year.