As an associate consultant working for CVL Retail Management Consultants, he provided services as  a Strategy Consultant & Enterprise Architect for O2 Telefonica. The assignment focused on addressing the need to scale O2’s current systems strategy to meet the increasing demands of their stores and multi-channel retail strategy.

O2 Telefónica UK was at a pivotal turning point in how the company approached its retail systems strategy, especially in the context of increasing multi-channel integration and the evolving needs of both in-store operations and digital commerce.

O2 was facing a shift in the retail landscape:

• Customer expectations were evolving shoppers wanted seamless journeys between online and offline experiences.
• O2’s bespoke EPOS system, had grown organically but lacked scalability and integration potential.
• The system was feature-rich but siloed, and increasingly duplicating functionality being developed for the web.
• There was a risk of functional divergence and inefficiencies, especially as multi-channel retailing matured.

He was tasked with assisting in the investigation of options to enhance the performance of O2’s current retail store systems. This involved analysing user efficiency and effectiveness and assessing options to better support consistent and integrated multi-channel customer journeys.

The assignment required a comprehensive understanding of O2’s current business and system architecture, including all customer touchpoints.  This required system performance & user analysis, an assessment of multi-channel integration, architecture review and customer touch point mapping and

The ultimate goal was to develop a detailed evolution plan with release schedules spanning five years, accompanied by a high-level cost-benefit analysis.

His key consulting actions included:

• Retail System Performance Analysis: Investigated and analysed options to improve the performance of O2’s retail store systems.
  • Review of Investigated store system performance bottlenecks, focusing on EPOS usability and workflow efficiency for in-store colleagues.

• User Efficiency and Effectiveness Assessment: Evaluated the efficiency and effectiveness of current systems from a user perspective.
  • Conducted user-centric reviews to evaluate effectiveness in real retail scenarios.

• Multi-Channel Customer Journey Support: Assessed options to better support consistent and integrated multi-channel customer journeys.
  • Reviewed how well the in-store systems supported or inhibited multi-channel customer journeys (e.g., online order/reserve and collect, in-store returns of online purchases, unified customer profiles).
  • Identified gaps in integration between EPOS and growing online platforms.
  • Identified the Customer Touchpoints and documented them within O2’s retail operations. This was a complete view of customer touchpoints covering the store, web, contact centre, mobile, etc.

• Business and System Architecture Evaluation: Evaluated O2’s current business and system architecture.
  • Mapped the interactions and dependencies across existing systems.
  • Technology Infrastructure and Application Mapping:
  • Detailed the existing technology infrastructure and application landscape.

• Future State Option Investigation:
  • Investigated potential future state options for O2’s retail systems, identifying required capabilities and drawing knowledge from other retail organisations.
  • Explored two primary pathways: (1) Enhance the existing EPOS to better integrate with digital channels. (2) Transition towards a more centralised web-based architecture that could extend capabilities to in-store environments (e.g., browser-based POS or hybrid POS systems).

• Evolution Plan Development:
  • Developed a detailed evolution plan with release schedules spanning five years.
  • Alignments adjusted with O2’s broader digital and commercial strategy.
  • Developed Roadmap with business release schedules, prioritising quick wins and long-term architecture changes.

• Cost-Benefit Analysis:
  • Completed a high-level cost-benefit analysis for the proposed evolution plan.
  • Emphasised for total cost of ownership, maintainability, and future-readiness.

Strategic Results

This assignment marked the inflection point where O2 moved from seeing its EPOS as a store-centric transaction tool to understanding it as a critical touchpoint in a broader, integrated customer experience ecosystem.

This transition reflected a wider trend in retail generally where changes broke down the silos between digital and physical to enable true omnichannel engagement.

Key aspects of beneficial results:

• Informed System Enhancement Options: A clear understanding of options to enhance O2’s retail store system performance was established.
• Improved User Experience Considerations: User efficiency and effectiveness were central to the analysis, potentially leading to improved user experiences.
• Integrated Multi-Channel Support: Options were assessed to provide more consistent and integrated support for multi-channel customer journeys.
• Comprehensive System Understanding: A detailed understanding of O2’s current business and system architecture was achieved.
• Roadmap for Future Development: A detailed five-year evolution plan with release schedules was created, providing a roadmap for future system development.
• Cost-Justified Investment Strategy: A high-level cost-benefit analysis was completed, supporting informed investment decisions.

Overall this resulted in a shift from the then old legacy EPOS to Modern Omnichannel. 

Resulting High Level Evolution of Strategy

Initial Transition Phase 1

• Pilot projects using hybrid POS (web-connected terminals)
• Back-end systems begin standardization
• Early-stage digital transformation planning

Omnichannel Foundations Phase 2

• Unified customer profiles across touchpoints
• “Click & Collect” and cross-channel returns go live
• Phased rollout of cloud-ready tech stack begins

Mature Omnichannel Operation Phase 3

• Web-based POS in flagship stores
• Real-time customer interaction data across web, store, call centre
• Retail employees empowered with mobile tools/tablets
• Data-driven promotions, dynamic pricing, integrated loyalty

• Enterprise and Business Architecture
• Business Strategy
• Behavioural Change
• Business Change Frameworks

• Digital Enablement
• Process Effectiveness & Automation
• Organisational Agility & Effectiveness

• Telecommunications
• Retail and Consumer