Returns raised in store, collected without re-keying

1. 01

   Two teams, one return

   The person who finds the stock isn't the person who collects it, so the request, the date, and the result have to pass between two teams.

2. 02

   Approval before collection

   Each supplier decides which returns need approval, by value or units, and who gives it. That depends on the store's region and channel.

3. 03

   Stores without signal

   Returns are counted in stores and back rooms where the connection can't be relied on, so capture can't depend on it.

A return, end to end

1. 1

   Pick the store

   The merchandiser chooses the store and sees when it's next due for a collection. They're warned if a return for that supplier was already raised there today.

2. 2

   Capture

   They scan or pick each product and record the quantity, stock status, unit, and any expiry, batch, or serial number, with photos checked for blur. It all works without signal.

3. 3

   Approve

   If the return crosses the supplier's rule for that store's region and channel, the authoriser or group is emailed a link. Requests still pending are re-sent at 13:30 on weekdays.

4. 4

   Submit

   The merchandiser signs. The visit is split into one request per supplier, the PDF documents are generated, and each request goes straight to the collection system.

5. 5

   Scheduled

   When the collection is booked, the date comes back to the app with a push notification and an email. At 19:00 the evening before, merchandisers are reminded which stores are being collected.

6. 6

   Collected

   The result comes back with the uplift number, units, weight, and claim numbers. The signed collection document is emailed as a PDF and shows in the merchandiser's history.

• Offline merchandiser app

  An installable web app. Requests, product lists, and photos are kept on the phone, so a return can be captured with no signal and sent later. A paused request can be carried on from another device.

• Guided capture

  Barcode lookup, stock statuses, units of measure, expiry, batch and serial numbers, photos checked for blur, and the merchandiser's signature. One visit becomes one request per supplier.

• Supplier approval rules

  Each supplier sets value and unit bands by region, channel, and category, and names the authoriser, manager, or group who decides. Unanswered requests are re-sent every weekday.

• Linked to collections

  Submitted requests go straight to the collection system, where they can be scheduled automatically. Dates and results come back as soon as they happen, and each store's next collection date updates hourly.

• Notifications

  A push notification and email when a collection is booked or done, a 19:00 reminder of tomorrow's collections, and a Monday 07:00 summary of the week ahead.

• Documents for every request

  An uplift note, a store confirmation note, and a product-off-shelf document are generated as PDFs, and each supplier chooses which ones it receives.

• Dashboards & reports

  Six dashboards: compliance, paused uplifts, reason codes, store activity, yield, and merchandiser locations. Five reports, including requests against completed collections, emailed to suppliers at 08:00 if they choose.

• Location & attendance

  Location is captured at the start and end of each request and shown on a map. Optional time and attendance lets merchandisers clock in and out, and anyone still clocked in is clocked out at 23:55.

• Merchandisers

  • Returns captured in store with no signal
  • The collection date on their phone
  • Proof of collection in their history

• Suppliers

  • Their own rules for which returns need approval
  • PDF documents for every request, as they choose
  • A daily report of requests against collections

• Authorisers

  • Only the returns their rules send them
  • An email with a link to approve or cancel
  • A reminder at 13:30 on weekdays until it's done

• Admin team

  • Six dashboards across stores and merchandisers
  • Stores, products, and users imported from Excel
  • A resend button if a request needs to go again

1. 2021

   Launch

   The portal, merchandiser app, and supplier approvals, linked to the collection system by July, two months after the first commit.

2. 2022

   Field-ready

   The app packaged for phones and time and attendance.

3. 2023–2025

   Kept current

   Regular app store releases and ongoing platform updates.

4. 2026

   Web-first

   Web push notifications and read-only data access for the collection system's AI assistant.

• Offline-first capture: requests, product lists, and photos kept on the device, with paused requests synced so they can be resumed elsewhere.
• Each request saves its products and the VAT rate at the time, so documents and totals don't change when prices do.
• Safe re-sends: a request that's already finalised is skipped rather than processed again, and a phone still holding it is told to discard its copy.
• Integration both ways over REST: requests out on submission, dates and results back as they happen, and store dates every hour.
• A read-only data gateway, locked to its own key and the collection system's server address, so that system's AI assistant can answer questions across both.
• Upgraded through every .NET release from 6 to 10 since 2022, with an old third-party framework retired along the way.
• Kept current with regular technology, library, and framework updates, along with ongoing performance and security improvements.

• .NET
• ASP.NET Core
• SQL Server
• Angular
• Ionic
• Progressive web app
• Web push
• GitHub Actions