Introduction

Carrefour is the second largest retailer and the largest in Europe. Over 15000 outlets,
either company-operated or franchises in 30country.(sam_tandon, 2008)
Carrefour had started over 40years from France to others country. Although Carrefour is
the largest retail in Europe, others supermarket and retailer such as Tesco and Jusco are the main
competitor in Malaysia since year 2000. Carrefour emerged in 1959 which started by Marcel
Fournier and Louis Defforey (Brown, 2001)
The main business need is to maintain its leadership in the increasingly competitive
retail grocery industry. The main aim is to strengthen the customer loyalty. (Herv Thoumyre,
2009)
The Information System That Used by Carrefour:
1.

Payment System / POS (Point of sales)System

Carrefour Blue Line was launched at 29 September 2010. The purpose of this system is to
reduce the waiting times at checkout (Carrefour, 2010). POS system refers to a checkout of a
location where a transaction occurs. POS terminal or more generally to the hardware and
software used for checkouts the equivalent of an electronic cash register.

Re c a lc u l
a te th e
to ta l
s to c k in
th e
w a re h o u
se

Pu rc h a s e
Ite m

Pa y m e n t
s y s te m

Re s to c k
A u to s u m
th e s to c k
in
w a re h o u
se

Comparing the old payment system of Carrefour, the needs of human resource was
needed because Carrefour needs people to count the current stock to update their current stock.
Due to this problem, Carrefour had introduced the new payment system to reduce the needed of
human resource and reduce miscounted the total of stock. Example, the old payment system
operated by hired staff to count the stock. This may lead the miscounted stock.
So, the Carrefour Blue Line: payment system can link to the database of warehouse to
fasten the process and reduce data redundancy.

Main Body
The Payment System
1.

Hardware

Scanner:
To scan the bar code and identify the product name, type and price.
Example: A barcode scanner that is used to scan a product.

Credits card scanner :

A hardware that use to allow customer to pay transaction through a credit payment.
Example: A client spends Rm 1000 to purchase item that he needs. However, Rm1000 is
a huge number and if pay by cash is causing troublesome. So a credit card scanner is to
allow a customer by using credit card.

Cashier Machine:
A machine which is link to the scanner to calculate the total item purchase price of a
customer. A cashier machine is controlled by a human clerk and all the cash is been
stored inside this hardware.

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN):

A router which connects to suppliers, distributors, or banks. By using this hardware,
Carrefour doesnt need to waste time to using another way to connect to bank or suppliers
to update their data. Through this network, suppliers , distributors and banks could stay
connect to Carrefour.

Example the link of the hardware:

2.

1. Scanner scan the

barcode and transfer to
cashier machine

Customer can pay by

through cash or using
the credit card machine
to pay throught credits

Cashier machine detect

the item and started
calculate and listed
down the item
purchased

Router starts to connect

to warehouse to
calculate the current
stock that have left

(G. Herman, 1997)

2.

People

Customers:
The most important people of Carrefour. Customers act as a consumer. Provide feedback
and have the right to complain whatever bad services in Carrefour.
Cashier / Staff:
As know as the operator. Generate the cashier counter and operate the payment system.
His/ her jobs is to receive payment from customer who is helping the Carrefour to
collect the earning from item that purchased by customer through the payment system
Supplier:
Supplier is the people who provide the stock to Carrefour. Carrefour trade in stock by
using credit payment. So the supplier will involve in the process to keep the transaction
data and item that purchased by Carrefour.
Bank::
Act as a middle-man, to collect and save any data such as transaction between Carrefour
, client and supplier. They use the payment system to ensure any transaction which done
by any party does not mistake.
.
Customer buys
an item at
Carrefour.

Cashier operates
the payment
system and
collect money

All transaction is recorded by the bank.

Carrefour use the payment system to link
to bank to provide and share data with
bank so that any transaction involve will
allow Carrefour, bank, supplier and
customer to refer their transaction.

Supplier provides
stock to
Carrefour and
the creditor of

3.

Software

POS Software:
IBM DB2 is the main software that is current used by Carrefour for the POS
system. IBM software is specially designed Point of sale operating system.
IBM DB2 Enterprise Server Edition is a relational model database server
developed by IBM. It runs on UNIX as known as AIX, (formerly Linux IBM OS/400),
and its window servers. It powered by the IBM InfoSphere Warehouse edition which
was acquired by IBM in 2001. (Wikipedia, 2011)
IBM DB2 enables Carrefour to link and connect around the world to use a single,
powerful software solution to increase the efficiency at the Point of Sale. Besides, the
software is to improve decision-making across the enterprise and help operators in every
supermarket deliver outstanding customer service.
Highlights of the software:
One of the benefits on this software is the software is available worldwide and it
provides in multiple languages. Since some retailer prefer using Malay language to describe item
data, IBM DB2 is a multiple languages software which could allows Carrefour to key in the item
data both Malay or English to allow the users understand and share the same database among the
users. Meanwhile, IBM DB2 provides strong investment protection such as protect the
transaction data. Thus, this software could protect important data against intruders to steal
privacy data. Besides that, it is easily customizable to match store-specific.
Benefits of the software:
Improve customer service
Improve productivity and train more operators in less time with a Java-based touch
screen GUI developed using IBM DB2.
Enable retailers to partition the video screen to show customer receipt, subtotal and two
areas for advertising that can generate new streams of revenue.
High-quality thermal receipt printing at the POS
Easily capture journal data at the POS and store it on the POS controller, eliminating the
need to store or handle paper journal rolls
Handle more international currencies
Support for up to three separate pricing quantities and enhanced automatic reporting

 Include password expiration controls

Improve item price accuracy with terminal backup for price lookup in a single-controller
configuration
Supports external verification of debit, credit

4.

Process / Procedure:

Scanner

Cashier
machine

WLAN

Cashier
Machine

Barcode of an item is scanned through a scanner

and transfer the data to cashier machine
Identify the item data,price and started to sum up
the price.
Connect to the WLAN in the stockhouse
Reduce the current stock in the warehouse

Collect the transaction from customer through

paying cash or credits

Credit
card
machine

Links to bank to allow customer pay by credit

payment

Introduction of the process

The flow chart above shows the process of the Carrefour POS system hardware
operates. First, the cashier will use a scanner to detect the item barcode to allow the
cashier machine to retrieve certain item data such as item name, price and category.
Next, cashier machine will sum up the total price and listed down the item which
purchased by the customer. Soon after, cashier machine connect to the database of the
warehouse to reduce the stock. Meanwhile, the customer can pay through cash or credits
payment. If the customer chooses to pay by credits payment, the credit card machine is
ready to connect to bank and make a credit payment.

5.

Data:
Introduction of data:
Carrefour has a lot of transaction data every day. Thus, Carrefour need store a lot of data
to summary to become complete information. Carrefour collects data from customer through
feedbacks, registration as a membership or even through questionnaire. The main purpose to
collect these data for further usage. Example, Carrefour collects personal data from customer
is to remain contact to customer so that Carrefour could promote more events and bargain to
build the confidence of a customer.
Carrefour is concerned with protecting the privacy of all the customer data such as credit
cards number and membership ID. Yet, Carrefour do not wish to keep personal data
concerning customers without his/her prior approval.
The definition of Personal information to Carrefour is mean any information which
enables a customer to be identified. Most information will mean a name, an address, a
telephone number, a credit card number or an e-mail address. The uses of gathered a
customer information is because is to improve Carrefour POS system and provide customer
with services that are increasingly adapted to their needs. However, Carrefour use the
personal information to contact to customer and inform the promotion and special offers
with their authorization.
What type of information do Carrefour needs from a customer:
Customer Name
Customer address
Customer Phone number
Customer credit card number
Customer E-mail
Customer Transaction
Besides, Carrefour needs data from suppliers to identify each of the products The POS
system needs a item data because each product has a identity such as product name and
price. To allow the POS system run faster, Carrefour is required to store the item
information to a database for further uses. Examples, Carrefour needs an information of a
item to allow the scanner scan the barcode of a item.

Information which needs from a suppliers:

Item name
Item barcode
Item price
Item category/type
Item suppliers

The Current Problem Face By Carrefour

1. The lineup queue is too long.For example , the carefour having less human resource
in every counter.In this kes,the customer have to wait around 15 to 20 minutes to paid
their belongings.Eventhough the customer having less belongings to paid they must
wait in a long queue.In tis kes, there might be full of crowded people waiting 2 paid
their belongings more an hour.
2. Less counter .For example there are only have 2 to 3 counters so this might give a big
impact to the customers.Thus,it will make the process slower.Therefore,they are less
population of human resource in every counter.