By 1959, Hickory Farms was expanding and opened its first retail store outside Toledo. This taste of the American Heartland was so special that word spread. And so did Hickory Farms stores throughout the country. Customers can now find their favorite sausages and cheeses online, in catalogs and in leading supermarkets as well as in retail shopping centers throughout the Holiday Season.

CIO Challenges

Hickory Farms needed cost-effective service for its 500 pop-up stores in time for the holiday season. It faced several challenges to finding broadband for the temporary pop-up stores and kiosks which are set up in malls and shopping centers across the U.S. Primarily, most broadband providers require stringent, annual contracts that prevent pop-up stores like Hickory Farms from obtaining cost-effective broadband for just three months. Additionally, extending wireline service through mall concourses is costlier and interferes with heavy customer traffic.

The IRG Solution

IRG answered Hickory Farms technical and contractual challenges, first by building a wireless, 3G WAN infrastructure using multiple wireless relationships. Second, IRG offered flexible, monthly contracts appropriate for the seasonal business.

IRG's dedicated project manager worked closely with Hickory Farms' Manager of Retail Information Systems, who manages the daily Retail Point of Sale operations. The purpose was to understand the customer challenges and present the most effective way to leverage the broadband. Hickory Farms utilizes the wireless WAN for a variety of applications such as POS transactions, inventory control, and VoIP. The entire project was slated for quick deployment due to the nature of pop-up stores.

Hickory Farms realized a strong year as they took full advantage of the wireless network, which allowed for faster credit card processing and an improved customer experience. The flexible contracts created an easier way for the company to open locations without concern of being locked into 12-month contracts or facing cancellation penalties.

As part of the plan, IRG also provided broadband to all of Hickory Farms' retail seasonal locations. IRG manages all services, from sourcing carriers to overall management of the retaiLAN.

Gartner Recognizes IRG in its publication recommending U.S. Telecom Service Providers. Read more...

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