Peak-Ryzex and rascal systems save money for newspaper retailers

A new Peak-Ryzex video interview with Paul Mapp of rascal systems describes the company’s money saving mobile solution for newspaper and magazine retailers. The electronic system helps retailers manage their magazine and newspaper sales and returns, ensuring they can return unsold items back to the wholesaler within the credit period.

Peak-Ryzex provides rascal systems with mobile managed services, which include supplying Motorola mobile devices, loading and configuring them with rascal systems’ software, and distributing the fully built units to the retailers. The contract also includes repair and Next Working Day Exchange (NWDE) for broken, lost or stolen units. Peak-Ryzex also provides weekly reports and audit trails of all the devices to give rascal systems full visibility of its assets.

Filmed during an annual Peak-Ryzex “Insight” technology conference, which attracted a wide range of the enterprise mobility specialist’s customers from all over the UK, the video appears on the dedicated “RyzexUK” YouTube channel.

Every day, thousands of retailers across the UK use the mobile solution to scan newspapers and magazines on delivery to confirm the quantity received matches the quantity ordered. The same happens with unsold publications returned to the wholesalers for credit. The wholesalers send order details for the following day’s deliveries to rascal systems and the system transmits the information to the handhelds overnight. The actual delivery should, therefore, match the details held on the device.

When retailers scan their newspapers and magazines, the system uploads the information to a central database. The system then sends the details to the wholesalers, highlighting any discrepancies with the delivery. In the case of short-supply, the retailer can order more copies; otherwise the wholesaler credits the retailer’s account accordingly. The retailers can also use the system for an in-store product check to ensure only the latest copies are on display, and it will identify any out-of-date publications for return to the wholesaler for credit.

By centralising all data, rascal systems can see exactly what each retailer has in stock and when unsold product needs to be returned – and, importantly, it ensures retailers only pay for the number of publications actually received and get credited for the correct number of returns. It also speeds up the whole process, eliminating delayed returns that could invalidate a claim for credit.