Customers may switch to a competitor for many reasons. Research shows that the most common factors include lower prices (74% of responses) and more attractive loyalty programmes (65%). Overall customer experience also plays an important role, as highlighted by 61% of respondents [1]. Retail management software offers an opportunity to meet many of these consumer expectations. Solutions such as iXpos make it easier to create personalised promotions, manage all sales channels, and make business decisions based on reliable data. However, customer expectations often extend beyond the capabilities of a single system. As a result, retailers collaborate with multiple solution providers, which frequently leads to excessive technological fragmentation. One way to avoid this issue is by choosing comprehensive solutions offered by companies that have established strategic partnerships.
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Partnerships as a way to reduce operational costs
Signing agreements, negotiating contracts, and managing implementations are just a few examples of factors that increase operational costs associated with new partnerships. In addition, retailers must take into account the expenses related to integrating third-party technologies with their existing retail management platform. This is particularly relevant when brick-and-mortar retail chains decide to expand into e-commerce and m-commerce. Combining multiple sales channels has already become an industry standard, especially considering that 71% of Polish consumers purchase products from the same brand both online and offline [2].
Integration is the foundation of any omnichannel strategy. Retail management software must be integrated with the online store and customer mobile application in order to ensure consistent and complete sales and inventory data across the entire IT ecosystem. In practice, however, this condition is not always met. Retail chains often store information across separate databases, leading to problems with order fulfilment, loyalty programme management, and business decision-making. Retailers are fully aware of this challenge – 46% believe that improving customer experience within an omnichannel model would increase their revenue [3].
A new standard for omnichannel retail
To help retailers implement effective omnichannel strategies, we established a partnership with Fabrity Commerce, a provider of digital and e-commerce platforms. The company specialises in system integration (CRM, e-commerce, ERP, CMS) and building consistent data ecosystems.
Combined with INEOGroup’s in-store sales solutions (POS systems, self-checkout tills, and mobile solutions), retailers gain:
- a complete overview of online and offline sales,
- the ability to analyse data in real time,
- a stronger foundation for making pricing, promotional, and stock management decisions,
- faster responses to market changes.
Thanks to this collaboration, iXpos has become part of a complete retail ecosystem that enables consistent customer service across all touchpoints regardless of whether customers shop in-store, online, or use both channels equally.
Suppliers also benefit from partnerships
We see collaboration with other companies as an important stage of our own growth and a way to build competitive advantage. Partnerships allow us to expand and enhance our offering for retail chains, for example by adding devices fully integrated with the iXpos platform and our other solutions. Our clients often approach us with a specific problem, only for it to become clear during discussions that their needs are much broader. If we can address those needs with the support of our partners, we do so. As a result, retail chains can avoid the operational chaos associated with managing too many technology suppliers.
Partnerships therefore create value for all parties involved. Business partners can reach potential customers more quickly and improve their chances of winning tenders. Retail chains receive comprehensive, compatible, and lower-risk solutions.
In our case, building such an ecosystem has been possible thanks to partnerships with companies including:
- CompArt – supplier of POS terminals, kiosks and retail devices, fiscal printers, and barcode scanners,
- Yakudo – distributor of weighing, labelling, and packaging equipment,
- Toshiba Tec Poland – provider of specialist printers for labels and barcodes, as well as information management applications,
- Sigfox – provider of Internet of Things technologies, offering smart accessories such as light bulbs, thermostats, and monitoring cameras.
Partnerships as a way to meet end customer expectations
Returning to the beginning of this article, retail chains are constantly searching for ways to meet growing customer expectations. Research shows that for 55% of retailers, this is the main priority for 2026 [3]. Consumer needs are becoming increasingly diverse. Traditionally, they concern product pricing, promotions, loyalty programmes, and service quality. At the same time, the importance of multiple sales channels and modern payment methods continues to grow only 22% of customers state that cash remains their primary payment method. A company’s approach to environmental issues also plays an increasingly significant role.
We recognise that meeting such varied expectations requires openness to partnerships with experts in specific retail areas. That is why we have established cooperation with companies specialising in the following retail sectors:
- e-paragony.pl – Poland’s first electronic fiscal receipt HUB, enabling retail chains to optimise transaction fiscalisation and reduce waste generation, while also meeting customer expectations regarding quick access to receipts, expense tracking, and complaint procedures,
- Fiserv – one of the world’s largest payment operators, offering all major modern payment methods, including payment cards, BLIK, and Apple Pay. This gives retail customers greater flexibility when completing transactions across all sales channels.
Retail management software needs supporting solutions
The iXpos retail management platform is a comprehensive solution supporting retail chains across the most important areas of their operations: from managing traditional and self-checkout tills, through centrally managed promotional campaigns, to logistics automation and data-driven business analytics. One of its greatest advantages is its ability to integrate seamlessly with both INEOGroup solutions and third-party technologies. As a result, retail chains gain a powerful and easily scalable tool that simplifies and accelerates responses to both market and technological changes.
The partnerships established by INEOGroup help optimise this process and reduce implementation costs an outcome highly valued by retailers. Through these collaborations, retail chains can improve their offering and more easily reach customers using different sales channels. Most importantly, however, partnerships reduce the risks associated with both excessive fragmentation of technology suppliers and vendor lock-in that is, dependence on the services of a single provider.
Sources:
[1] Capgemini, What matters to today’s consumer 2026
[2] E-Izba, 2025, Omni-commerce. Kupuję wygodnie
[3] Deloitte, 2026 Retail Industry Global Outlook
