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WeP Solutions: Redefining Billing Print Solutions via Simple to Use, Compact & Affordable Billing Machines

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Venkatesh Kannan,CEOIn today’s tech-driven world, brick-and-mortar outlets are facing a tough competition from online retailers. The existence of physical retail however, cannot be questioned, a case in point being the acquisition of Whole foods’ by Amazon, which solidifies the stature of offline stores. As per reports, customer experience will supersede brand loyalty by 2020, and thus, it is high time for retail businesses to embrace integrated technology as a launch-pad for stabilization in retail bandwagon, increased sales, and amplifying customer experience. Customer contentment is rooted on a hassle-free billing procedure which can be made possible with ultra-modern technological solutions. In this light, one name to reckon with is the Bangalore-based WeP Solutions. Born in 2000 when Wipro spun-off its IT Peripherals into an independent entity, WeP today masters billing printing technology and aligns business transformations and business lines – WeP Retail, WeP MPS and WeP Digital – with changing technology and market needs. Driven by dynamic, innovative professionals, the company is a prime mover in WeP Retail, with its services oriented primarily towards automated billing process to make business easier for small and medium retailers. The company’s products are rooted on three principles – easy to install, simple to use, and compact. Having undergone a series of acquisitions, business diversifications, and corporate restructuring exercises under the able mentorship of Ram N Agarwal(CMD), WeP today stands as India’s largest billing machines seller with 80,000+ installations PAN India (over 3500 pin codes and in 55 cities), distributed and serviced through 530+ authorized partners.

Product, Performance & Customization
Investing adequate time and cost in understanding client requirements has empowered WeP to carve a niche in the market. What adds an extra layer of excellence is its prowess in manufacturing nearly all billing-related products through its ISO 14001 certified manufacturing facility in Baddi, which gives it the freedom to roll-out new products quickly. For instance, WeP successfully launched India’s first and only GST-ready billing device, which enables retailers, traders, and distributors to manage their business – from cash, purchases, and inventory, to seamless data transfer from device to GST platform as per the required format for simplified GST return filing. A pioneer in the retail billing segment, the company offers tailored and customizable solutions which facilitate smart content integration and process automation for businesses. When asked about WeP’s unique proposition, Venkatesh Kannan, Chief Executive, WeP Retail, WeP Solutions, states, “We are on the field with vast sales and channel team. We understand and capture both the stated and unstated needs of our customers to roll-out products that suit each customer segment”. While retail billing solutions providing scalable, affordable, and easy-to-use billing devices for small shops and retailers, the devices are embodied with processing unit, memory, and printing capabilities to neutralize the need for external devices like PC or printers. For instance, BP2100 – WeP’s flagship product in WeP Retail, predominantly offers complete business management and analytics solutions (purchase register, stores management, inventory management and cash management) for kirana shops. A variant of this product with unique ingredient management solution is quintessential for restaurants. The upgraded version of these products
includes GST-ready filing devices that work on Wi-Fi enabled platforms.

Known for its highly affordable, customer-oriented product range, WeP’s JOY series (costing Rs. 6,999 only) represents technology-budget integration. An example of this is BP JOY Ultra which comes with a three-inch bill printing, can be connected to a weighing scale, and has a battery option as well. Buoyed by a breakthrough customer response, the company is launching two more products priced at Rs. 9,999 and Rs. 10,999. On the other hand, WeP’s Baddi-based R&D team is continuously working on new projects aimed at upgrading products.

"Simplifying billing methodology, WeP Retail devices empower SMEs, retailers, and mom & pop shops with technological merits, cost benefits, stock keeping, and error-free, reliable billing"

A Backbone for Bazaar Purveyors
Having studied the retail industry deeply, WeP discovered that nearly 90 percent of retailers produce handwritten bills, a key reason of which is technology unawareness and fear of complexities. Simplifying billing methodology, WeP Retail devices empower SMEs, retailers, and mom & pop shops with technological merits, cost benefits, stock keeping, and error-free, reliable billing along with offering the benefit of delegation and credit accounting systematically. The company’s suite of retail devices is wide-ranging, an example of which is BP Gold Billing printer. This printer generates rough-estimate bills and connects with external device for permanent receipt/billing generation and is ideal for jewelry shops. “We have a complete range of retail billing solutions for all kinds of retail outlets, be it a small ice cream parlor or a mini supermarket. Our retail billing solutions provide business and compliance-ready analytics & reports,” asserts Venkatesh.

Being the only manufacturer of DMP-based billing printer - BP 5000, the company has equipped many heavy-duty firms, including large companies, distribution houses, and B2B wholesalers to produce 1+3 carbon copy bills and print bills in 3”, 4”, 6” and 8” size. Under its suite of transactional billing solutions, WeP offers POS, thermal, and dot-matrix printers for invoices, challan copies, and receipts that require external devices. This service is well-suited for banks, logistic management companies, and manufacturing units.

Mitigating Challenges, Ennobling Customer Experience
Crediting globalization for its penetrated market presence, WeP has been a major catalyst in curbing several challenges faced by clients corresponding to space (retail spaces owing premium rates), daily accounting errors (lack of robust accounting manually and thefts risks), expensive available solutions, and intensive training requirements. It offers error-free working and processing, thus enabling small retailers to run their outlets without worrying about petty non-core issues. Venkatesh adds, “One of the major hurdles we faced was explaining to customers that billing application does not necessarily require a PC setup. A billing printer can be installed independently, and businesses can not only save on cost and time but also trained manpower to operate daily”.

The company has a structured process on CAST and the actions are initiated on a continuous basis to exceed the customer requirements. WeP is widely appreciated for the ‘Experience Zone’ it has setup in different cities, wherein customers experience real-time retail billing solutions followed by interaction with WeP’s team, which also strengthens its company-customer links.

A Technological Think Tank
WeP’s billing printers are based on embedded scalable platform,
indigenously designed in-house, and proffer easy scalability, customization, portability, and high reliability. The cloud-based platform is highly secure with security framework compliant to ISO 27001, streamlines transactions, and reconciles bills through user-friendly interface and report format. This provision certainly brings-in transparency in products and service offerings. Further, the company embodies an excellent ecosystem for product design, development and manufacturing, sources raw material from within the country, and delivers end-products to vendors situated next to the centers.

Holding the distinction of being one of the largest employee-owned companies in India, WeP follows the dynamic and entrepreneurial work culture of Wipro. WeP Retail takes pride in its 190+ people strong workforce that consists of committed and knowledgeable sales and support team, young and energetic product development & marketing team, and a strong manufacturing & operations team.

Futuristic Mainstay Like No Other
Graphing growth ahead of the industry with expansion in capacity, channel, and reach, WeP as a company has transformed and diversified from being a hardware product-centric enterprise to a technology solutions provider today. Staying with its efforts to diversify further, in addition to retail billing solutions, the company has been channeling its investments towards developing Manage Print services and Digital services in line with Aadhaar, GST and delved into document management services through collaboration with 200+ channel partners. WeP Retail’s blueprints manifests continued vigour with segment-specific product development(customization, reliable, quicker product rollout) strategies, and expand market reach through omni-channels to empower 500,000 profitable customers by 2021 and automate commercialization through WeP technology and services.

The company aims to grow and achieve a leadership position in each of business lines by reaching-out to customers via innovative products & services, creating superior customer experience in each touch point, and through execution of excellence in operations. WeP continues to invest in product development and roll-out products for small-scale retailers such as F&B, pharmacy, textile, and jewelry. “We can proudly say that WeP is among the select few corporates in the country that has such a widely integrated portfolio. We are a young company, aspiring on the path of rapid growth,” concludes Venkatesh.

Key Management, Wep Retail (Business Unit of WeP Solution Limited):
Venkatesh Kannan, Chief Executive, WeP Retail An avid technology enthusiast, Venkatesh has profound experience in business management, excellent business insights, and scales business growth through performance, promise and precision.

Offices: Bangalore (HQ),
Manufacturing Locations: Baddi & Mysore

Offerings:
• Retail Billing Solutions
• Transactional Billing Solutions
• Managed Print Services
• Document Management Solutions
• Digital Business Services


Awards:
• Computer Society India 2013 in Design & Manufacturing Category
• Prestigious Soft Disk Award 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011
• Performance of Excellence Award 2006 by Government of Andhra Pradesh
• NASSCOMM Best IT User Award 2003
• CII HR Excellence Award 2003-04 and
• Best MPS Company in India 2017by IBC, US to name a few