How the Encodify platform helped jem & fix achieve zero errors in marketing collateral and remarkably fewer approval rounds.
Jem & fix is a major regional DIY retail chain with +150 stores in Denmark, Norway and Sweden and boasts the largest DIY chain revenue in Denmark.
A core challenge when you produce a campaign and gather all the data is zero errors in the final piece of advertising. Prices are especially crucial – if the ad says 9.95, then the signs in the shop and the cash register also must say 9.95. So how to both shorten production time, ensure precision, and avoid errors?
IT is a core driver for jem & fix’s efficiency, and this way, they can offer competitive prices to customers and sustain a highly profitable business.
Campaigns are planned for several months, and production of all marketing collateral, TV commercials, online banners, radio spots, mail leaflets and newspaper ads must start as close to the campaign week as possible so jem & fix can respond to market changes.
When the production staff at jem & fix’s external agency gets the production brief, everything included in each promotion is 100% correct and already proofread.
"Four weeks in advance of coming campaigns, the jem & fix stores across the country can dive into the system and get all the information they need."
Claus Petersen,
CEO at jem & fix
This way, jem & fix category management and marketing can spend their time making decisions about product selections, setting the right price, and advertising to maximize revenue every week – rather than doing proofreading and worrying about errors slipping through yet another proofing round.
"We have saved a lot on production and can switch agency if we need to, and we definitely have a shorter time to market."
Claus Petersen,
CEO at jem & fix
The proofing process is a core efficiency driver in the Encodify solution. Everything is proofed through Encodify: TV and radio commercials, leaflets, ads etc. It all starts with “Proofing Round 0” where jem &
fix visualises the ad in Encodify based on product images, prices and texts to catch errors before starting production. The later proofing rounds are mainly about the creative advertising product rather than correcting any errors.
"We haven’t crossed the finish line and always want to move on. Since our journey with Encodify began, we have achieved zero errors in our marketing collateral and much fewer proofing rounds."
Claus Petersen,
CEO at jem & fix
The system alerts buyers and the marketing team if a promotion price has been mistakenly entered higher than the regular price. European marketing laws strictly prohibit dubious promotion pricing, so this way jem & fix prevent any unintended price discrepencies.
When planning a product promotion in Encodify buyers are presented with a revenue estimate generated by the ERP system. The buyers then adjust the forecast in Encodify to match their expectations.
Four weeks in advance of coming campaigns, jem & fix stores across the country can dive into the system and get all the operational information they need. Store managers receive an automated alert when the next campaign is ready.
The core strength of the jem & fix IT setup is the way master data is managed. Tight integrations between the ERP system, the image database, creative production systems, and Encodify eliminate mistakes due to manual errors.
Encodify sends data to the ERP platform, automatically generating the POS shelf edge labels. Integration with the shop floor management system enables the shelf edge labels to be sequenced in the optimal order for placement when walking around the shop.
Encodify sends data to the ERP system, which then emails suppliers with information about the upcoming campaign.
Fun fact: This now standard Encodify feature was originally requested by jem & fix as an addition to the functionality.
Encodify automatically calculates the freight prices for 700 products on their webshop every year. It’s a complicated calculation involving volume, weight, the type of delivery, and other criteria. Before implementing Encodify one employee spent three weeks doing this exercise manually.