Introduction
Ackermans: A Legacy of Trust, Scale, and People
At Ackermans, we’re proud of where we’ve come from and excited about where we’re headed.
For more than a century, we’ve been committed to bringing value to life through making affordable fashion and quality products accessible to families – and that’s what makes us uniquely Ackermans.
The Ackermans Microsoft Digital journey really got momentum in 2020, when we moved from an on-prem solution to the Cloud.
After the migration was completed, Ackermans soon realised the potential of Microsoft applications to drive and accelerate their digital journey.
Driving Digital Transformation
Ackermans drove digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency. By leveraging the capabilities of the Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365, they automated and integrated essential business functions, fostering greater collaboration and streamlining core processes.
Eliminating Barriers: The new enablement eliminated departmental barriers, allowing store personnel to prioritize store activities with high-value customer engagement over manual and administrative duties.
Scalable Adaptive Systems: Ackermans now operates on modern adaptive systems that drive operational efficiency and sustainable business growth.
The Challenge
Before the transformation, Ackermans faced significant operational challenges stemming from manual, disconnected processes. Manual, inconsistent recording of essential activities undermined quality assurance and brand consistency.
Hinders Scalability: These inefficiencies directly limit scalability. Continued expansion amplified process and system gaps, making sustained growth increasingly challenging.
Hindering Delays: Manual processing of certain activities delayed resolution and negatively impacted staffing.
Real-time Visibility: The absence of real-time operational visibility prevented regional Stores and Field management from proactively managing execution and improving performance.
Why Ackermans Partnered with Mint
Ackermans sought more than a software vendor; they needed a true co-creator team that understood the nuances of retail and brought empathy to execution. Mint Group became the clear choice not only for our Microsoft Inner Circle recognition and technical prowess, but also for our core philosophy: We Create Tomorrow through meaningful partnerships.
A People-First Approach: We offered more than technical tools; we delivered a vision rooted in agility, people-first innovation, and sustained impact. Our robust track record across retail and public sector solutions demonstrated our proven ability to deliver at scale while prioritizing human connection.
Embedded Partnership: From day one, we embedded ourselves within Ackermans’ culture and processes. We gained a deep understanding of the daily pressures faced by store teams. Working side by side, we designed solutions that enhanced existing workflows rather than disrupting them.
The Digital Solution
Empowering Every Phadima
Store Visits App: Regional managers now conduct and capture in-store assessments using a mobile-responsive Power Apps canvas application. This tool supports offline data capture, custom forms, and image attachments, completely replacing manual clipboards and spreadsheets. Real-time syncing to Power BI dashboards provides the Support Centre with an instant, clear view of regional performance trends.
Service Provider Evaluation App: To ensure quality and accountability, this app standardizes supplier relationships. Contractors and service teams are rated using structured forms, with feedback immediately visualized via embedded Power BI charts. This ensures Ackermans retains only high-performing, reliable vendors.
Overtime Timesheet and Movement Apps: These two applications digitized critical HR operations. Store managers log Phadima hours directly into a centralized system, eliminating error-prone PDF timesheets and email trails. Approval workflows are automated, enabling seamless integration from manager approval to payroll and the Ackermans HR system, resulting in significantly reduced processing times.
“We delivered a core set of interconnected applications built entirely on the Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft 365, driving immediate efficiency gains and enabling data-driven decisions across the organization.”– Mint Group
Agile Implementation
Inclusive and Collaborative
We launched implementation with critical stakeholder alignment and hands-on discovery workshops. We co-designed each application with end-users to ensure an intuitive user experience (UX) and seamless adoption.
Mint drove rapid iteration using agile sprints. We meticulously planned and crafted solutions before rigorous implementation and testing. To ensure success, regular training, on-site support, and the empowerment of user champions accelerated onboarding.
Mitigating Implementation Challenges
We anticipated and overcame key challenges.
When internet stability issues affected early data syncing in some regions, we deployed offline-first functionality and staged the sync process.
User resistance, a common transformation hurdle, was proactively addressed with clear in-app guidance and targeted change communication.
The Results
Simplified Systems, Smarter Decisions, Motivated Phadimas
We measured success not in apps deployed, but in impact: minutes saved, decisions accelerated, and morale lifted. Within months, we observed:
Faster Processing: Digital workflows significantly reduced processing time in stores.
Improved Accountability: Supplier feedback cycles shortened from weeks to days, driving immediate accountability.
Streamlined HR Payroll: Adoption of overtime and movement apps improved HR data accuracy and payroll responsiveness.
Increased Engagement: Recognition programs, such as Culture Awards, drove higher employee engagement.
Proactive Leadership: Live dashboards and KPI summaries empowered managers to shift from reactive decisions to proactive leadership.
Conclusion
A Partnership That Built Tomorrow's Retail
The Pillars of Our Success
- Deep collaboration: Store-level teams were immersed in the process, actively shaping the design and usability of every tool.
- Agile methodology: Rapid development cycles enabled quick feedback integration and continuous platform improvement.
- Empathy-driven design: Solutions were built to work seamlessly for daily users, ensuring practical effectiveness over theoretical function.
Key Strategic Takeaways
- Co-creation guarantees adoption: Involving end users from day one directly leads to higher adoption rates and a superior user experience.
- Change management is essential: Early training, robust feedback loops, and local champions drove successful implementation.
- Data visibility empowers action: Central dashboards have successfully shifted leadership from reactive responses to proactive decision-making.
This outcome was more than a project; it was a digital transformation. Ackermans didn’t just digitize forms; they empowered their people, unlocked critical insight, and renewed their commitment to operational excellence. Together, we dismantled silos, bridged operational gaps, and built scalable systems that see, support, and scale with the people who make this brand beloved.
