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HEINEKEN UK and HSO Tap Microsoft Power Platform for New Point of Sales System ‘HeiPOS’
HEINEKEN UK needed greater visibility and control over its Point of Sale (POS) materials. With support from HSO and Microsoft Power Platform, they developed a dynamic, flexible solution delivering full control and real-time insights.
Raising the Bar: HEINEKEN UK and HSO Tap Microsoft Power Platform for New Point of Sales System ‘HeiPOS’
As the nation’s leading brewer, HEINEKEN UK boasts a portfolio of iconic beers and ciders like Foster’s, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, Strongbow, Inch’s, its flagship Heineken® in distinctive green bottle, and many more. Each of these brands is supported with an extensive range of promotional Point Of Sale (POS) materials, from glassware and bar mats to coasters and parasols. These items provide functional benefits for our customers, encouraging more consumers to visit, stay longer and spend more money, as well as driving brand visibility for pubs, clubs and restaurants across the country.
In late 2022, HEINEKEN UK identified an opportunity to overhaul its POS system to improve efficiency, reporting and cost-effectiveness. Since 2007, the company had relied on third-party providers for POS solutions. While functional, these systems lacked the flexibility, customisation and real-time visibility needed to meet shifting demand.
HEINEKEN UK had been running externally sourced systems for years, but it was becoming clear we needed more control and agility. The limitations of an externally managed platform were holding us back. It was time to invest in a solution that offered greater visibility, control and user experience.
A Partnership with Purpose
To reduce external licensing and support fees and to gain better control of its POS system, HEINEKEN UK decided to bring the system in-house and sought the expertise of HSO, a Microsoft solutions specialist with a proven track record of delivering transformative business change.
HSO used Microsoft Power Platform –already a trusted part of HEINEKEN UKs global IT estate – to design, build and deliver a customised system, dubbed ‘HeiPOS.’
“We knew what we needed from the outset, which allowed us to move quickly,” Dave notes. “The flexibility of Microsoft Power Platform, combined with HSO’s technical expertise and strategic insight, was key to creating a solution that could evolve with HEINEKEN UK’s needs.”
Instead of adapting a pre-built external solution, HeiPOS was delivered from scratch using Power Platform’s low-code tools. This rapid, iterative and collaborative approach accelerated development while ensuring the new system met HEINEKEN UK’s unique requirements.
An initial Proof of Concept, covering core functionality, was developed in just eight weeks. From there, the main build phase took five months, with Azure and API functionality used to fully integrate HeiPOS with HEINEKEN UK’s network of POS fulfilment partners. The result? A fully integrated enterprise-level POS solution that was built, tested and launched in little over 12 months.
In its first six months, HeiPOS has processed over 80,000 orders, shipping more than 600 promotional POS items to 20,000+ outlets, with delivery orchestrated from four primary fulfilment centres and almost 50 additional suppliers.
A Platform for Growth
At the core of HeiPOS lies Microsoft Power Platform, a suite of low-code tools that empower users to create custom business applications, automate processes and gain actionable insights from data. Already used significantly by HEINEKEN N.V., for HEINEKEN UK, it proved the perfect platform to build a scalable solution that offered full control and ownership.
Microsoft Power Platform consists of four product areas:
- Power Apps (for custom app development)
- Power Automate (for automating workflow)
- Power BI (for business intelligence and analytics)
- Power Pages (for website development)
These tools can be used individually or together, all underpinned by native integration with the industry-leading Microsoft Azure Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365.
Power Pages is the latest addition, enabling the team to quickly build a secure, web-based portal for managing POS orders, tracking inventory and generating real-time reports.
Power Pages enabled us to develop a user-friendly interface at speed.
We created a solution that met HEINEKEN UK’s needs and fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics and Azure, ensuring seamless data flow and enterprise-grade security.
Leveraging the low-code capabilities of Power Platform, the team bypassed the long timelines associated with traditional software projects to build a solution capable of handling a high volume of orders, while designed to scale for future growth.
“The ability to interrogate and work with real-time data was a game-changer,” says Dave Pigott. “The functionality provided by Power Platform we could only have dreamt of with the previous system.”
Full Visibility and Control
A key challenge with the legacy system was its lack of transparency. With no way to see into data managed by external suppliers, HEINEKEN UK had to rely on third-party confirmations – a time-consuming process. HeiPOS now offers complete visibility over POS materials moving through the system, streamlining daily operations and significantly boosting efficiency.
The solution’s use of Model-Driven Apps provides seamless control of POS operations, while Power Pages allows 95% of users to access the system through a simple URL, enhancing the overall design and user engagement.
Before Power Platform, even minor changes – such as generating new reports – were costly and cumbersome. Now, HEINEKEN UK can create and adapt reports independently thanks to the platform’s intuitive design. This new agility enables marketing and sales teams to respond in real time, making business operations more dynamic and agile.
The speed of deployment and performance of the Power Platform architecture since implementation has left HEINEKEN UK delighted with the results. According to a senior HEINEKEN UK team member, this deployment has been one of the smoothest and most effective they’ve ever experienced.
Future-Proofing Operations
Beyond immediate benefits like reduced operational costs, HEINEKEN UK’s choice to leverage Microsoft Power Platform has future-proofed its operations. The platform’s scalability ensures that HeiPOS can adapt as the business grows and new demands emerge.
“The adaptability built into Power Platform and its low-code approach allows us to continually optimise the system,” Dave Pigott explains. “Whether integrating new data sources, automating additional workflows or creating custom reports, we now have the tools and agility to stay ahead.”
The project demonstrates the strong partnership between HEINEKEN UK and HSO. As a long-standing member of Microsoft’s Inner Circle, representing the top 1% of Microsoft’s Global Partners, HSO brought both technical expertise and strategic insight to deliver a solution aligned with HEINEKEN UK’s business goals.
“HSO understood our goals from day one,” Dave says. “Their deep knowledge of Microsoft Power Platform, along with their experience in delivering complex projects on tight deadlines, made them the perfect partner for this journey.”
“It’s been a pleasure working with HEINEKEN UK on refreshing their POS system,” Reece concludes. “Together, we’ve built a foundation for continued innovation and growth – something any business can raise a glass to.”