River Island has chosen Scandit to transform the employee and customer experiences across its 300 stores.
It means the UK fashion retailer will issue each store with a Scadit-enabled Samsung Galaxy XCover smartphone which is equipped with Microsoft Teams.
The new devices will replace the shared hardware-based scanning devices previously used in stores.
Paul Cooper, Head of Technology at River Island, said: "We're on a mission to digitally transform, modernise and evolve our retail stores nationwide.
"Working with Scandit, Samsung and Microsoft has unlocked a platform for innovation which raises the bar of how we interact with both our employees and customers.
"Scandit's performance has been fundamental to winning the hearts and minds of our store associates to be confident in delivering a superior and speedy customer experience."
The Scandit Smart Data Capture platform will allow River Island employees to improve their workflows, introduce new services and, as a result, uplift the overall customer experience.
Scandit enables Samsung smartphones to capture data from barcodes, text, product IDs and other various objects.
The built-in push-to-talk button on the Samsung device lets employees instantly access "Walkie Talkie" in Microsoft Teams for secure voice communication.
As the app works with WiFi or mobile data, employees are connected and their colleagues in the head office to allow them to respond to customers' needs in real-time without needing to carry badged radios.
Mayank Verma, Sr. Director of Product Marketing, Frontline Solutions for Microsoft Teams, commented: "In a fast-paced retail environment, it can be increasingly difficult to keep track of administrative tasks and communicate effectively while focusing on customer interaction.
"River Island's transition to Samsung XCover rugged smartphones integrated with Microsoft Teams provides a single and secure solution for staff communication and collaboration, reducing the number of devices that staff needs to carry while enabling them to be more efficient on the job."
Microsoft Teams also helps River Island effectively conduct training and share company-wide information as it provides a single hub for teamwork and collaboration.
