We have a saying internally that STL stands – and stands out – for ‘Strategy, Technology and Listening’. That’s not a marketing line. That’s a sincere and strategic commitment, and has been from the get-go.
We’ve always been determined that our development and growth strategies would be driven not only by technical advances and our own innovation but also – and vitally – by the needs of our customers.
Why?
The typical ivory-tower approach by most tech developers has led to an industry littered with ‘whizzy’ products that have all the latest tech fizz but don’t necessarily meet a practical business need.
Instead, our IT experts hold regular in-person ‘huddle sessions’ with wholesalers ‘at the coal face’, to hear about their actual operational frustrations and logistical challenges in the real world. And, together, we brainstorm software solutions that will help them process more efficiently, use resources more productively and plan more effectively.
We’ve heard you
This approach has directly driven our latest releases.
With global economic uncertainty persisting, many wholesalers have told us they’re anxious about significant, disruptive and capital-intensive IT projects. Yet they can’t afford to stand still. Instead, they’re seeking to reinforce their customer appeal with process-specific improvements – such as faster checkouts, more accurate and efficient picking, coordinated multi-channel ordering and slick promotion management.
So, we’ve started de-coupling some of our most popular ‘edge’ solutions from STL Evo, allowing operators on other business management systems to take advantage of STL’s functionality.
Era-defining tilling software
These include STL POS Evo. Launched to universal acclaim at Parfetts’ state-of-the-art depot in Southampton last autumn, it unleashed a new era of cash & carry tilling because it’s ERP- and hardware-agnostic.
It’s also future-proofed and agile enough to adapt to future business needs. For example, it’s already ‘DRS-ready’, able to support the new accounting and administrative tasks that will roll in once the DRS regulations come into force in October 2027.
Productivity-boosting Android apps
More recently, we released standalone versions of our hugely popular Android apps – wearables for picking and handhelds for multi-function stock management processes. Both optimise employee productivity and accountability as well as customer responsiveness. In today’s trading climate, that’s a welcome advantage.
Cloud-based solutions in development
But we never stop looking ahead to tomorrow – and thinking big. So, we’re also working on more substantial, game-changing solutions for foodservice and delivered wholesalers. In the cloud. With easy migration processes. And no-hassle incremental payments.
Just like you ordered.
The first of these new solutions is targeting a launch date at the end of Q1’27, so keep watching this space for more information as it becomes available.
In the meantime, if you’re in wholesale and you’d like to discuss the future, give us a buzz. Whether you’re a customer or not, we’re always listening.
