Ohio-based technology company Diebold Nixdorf has launched a cloud-native retail software platform based on an API-first design software environment to offer connected, flexible and efficient shopping experiences across all channels and touchpoints.

The Vynamic retail platform is cloud-native software, a modular platform that offers retailers functionality and flexibility to adapt to rapidly shifting customer needs.

Vynamic connects all components of the retail operation, including customer journeys, stores and back-office operations, into one open, flexible software environment, unlocking efficiencies and cost savings. A holistic approach to retail management is critical, as physical and digital channels continue to blend, and customers’ needs shift from day to day.

The platform, which can be leveraged by various retailers including grocery, fashion, and fuel and convenience, offers modular microservices that give the retailer deployment options. The services can be deployed individually or used together, giving the retailer end-to-end management.

Functionalities included in the platform are:

• Checkout: A configurable checkout that can be used in any retail segment. To facilitate rapid implementation, there are three pre-configured checkout options: Vynamic GRx for grocery, Vynamic SFx for specialty and fashion, and Vynamic FCx for fuel and convenience.
• Loyalty: Vynamic Engage is the platform’s modular offering to provide shoppers with personalised, cross-channel experiences using real-time insights about their preferences and purchase history. There are three modules available: loyalty management, promotions and campaigns, and customer rewards.
• Retail management: Vynamic Retail Management enables retailers to run all back-office processes efficiently from the cloud including inventory management, online order fulfilment, PoS configurations and reporting.
• Compliance: Vynamic CPaaS is a software module that ensures each touchpoint in every store has access to the cloud repository as the single source of truth for all legal and fiscal requirements. CPaaS, which stands for country package-as-a-service, provides retailers with a constantly up-to-date repository of legal and fiscal regulations for over 60 countries.

The platform is differentiated by its cloud-native architecture and API-first approach. By building in the cloud from the start and focusing on API integration as a core capability, the platform is said to be more modular, more available and more open than other software platforms. It is also scalable and securely configured, and undergoes fast and frequent updates with no interruptions to service. Its channel and touchpoint independency make deployments flexible, even in historically grown, legacy retail IT environments.

Each module can be hosted in the cloud or run in the store through embedded edge technology with Vynamic-as-a-service, which comprises the cloud infrastructure, operations and support services needed to run the software applications cost-effectively, along with guaranteed uptimes, performance and security.

“Over the last few years, the retail landscape has shifted dramatically,” said Ilhami Cantadurucu, vice president at Diebold Nixdorf. “At Diebold Nixdorf, we see a major opportunity for retailers to prepare their businesses for the future. The Vynamic retail platform not only gives retailers the technology they need to capitalise on this opportunity, but also the critical flexibility to pivot their strategies when needed, without costly updates.”

The platform is another step in Diebold Nixdorf’s Storevolution, a programme for retailers to design, enable and operate low-touch consumer journeys based on four guiding principles: consumer centricity; store digitalisation; high connectivity; and store-as-a-service. When leveraged together, these principles comprise Diebold Nixdorf’s vision for the future of retail. The Storevolution is said to represent the future of a frictionless, convenient and personalised customer experience.

“Rather than cloudifying our current solutions, we built a new cloud-native software platform from scratch,” said Bernd Kraus, senior vice president, at Diebold Nixdorf. “We believe this is the only way to achieve true scalability, security and performance in the cloud. Hosted as-a-service and leveraging open APIs and modular microservices, the Vynamic retail platform is the best cloud solution in the market to support connected, flexible and efficient shopping experiences for retail customers.”

Diebold Nixdorf has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide.