The Retail Innovators
Follow us
ISO/IEC 27001 certification for information security
© 2018 - 2025 GK Software SE, Germany
According to NRF's most recent National Retail Security Survey, 57% of retailers reported a rise in "organized retail crimes" (ORCs) last year. Self-checkout is just one area that retailers see an influx of fraud and shoplifting. As these crimes continue to rise, retailers must become savvier with their self-checkout fraud detection technology.
Fraud is common when introducing self-checkout options because shoppers have more freedom. Self-checkout kiosks rely on weighted scales and rescan algorithms to mitigate these crises.
Everyone has heard a self-checkout kiosk say, "Please place the item in the bagging area." This is the kiosk's way of asking customers to place the item on the scale so it can be weighed. Once placed, the pre-set group of rules and algorithms can determine if the item in the bag is the same item that was scanned.
After a purchase is made or a rescan is triggered, the system improves the algorithms for the future. For example, every time a customer scans a box of cereal, the transaction provides new data pertaining to accurate items weights, scanning times, waiting times between items, and typical basket sizes and item combinations.
Yet items in a store are not always as uniform as a weighted scale assumes. Barcodes must match the weight in the database exactly to work effectively.
In addition, there are other fraud detection problems to address, such as an untrustworthy customer who simply doesn't scan an item or scans a cheaper, decoy item before putting the more expensive item in the weighted bagging area. These problems lead to an increase in losses for the retailer.
Unfortunately, most common fraud detection systems have their own flaws. For customers who are being trustworthy, rescans can negatively impact the customer experience because they add to the time required in store. And they oftentimes trigger a visit from an in-store associate during an otherwise contactless journey.
To address these challenges, GK aims to help retailers get to know their customers. Our self-scanning technology uses trust points. With GK, loyal repeat customers have an expedited self-checkout experience, while other customers might be more likely trigger an associate-manned rescan.
In this system, customers start neutral. When a customer commits a fraudulent offense or offenses, they'll be more likely to trigger a rescan.
Fraud detection is critical in every retail format. For grocery, self-checkout fraud is common, but for apparel retail, fraud often occurs on the returns side. This happens when a customer returns an item for a full refund, after having originally stolen the product or purchased it at a discounted rate. Whatever the use case, fraud detection is an integral part of loss prevention.
GK AIR's Fraud Detection Module takes fraud detection one step further. Our solution is adjustable with easy-to-define and manage evaluation guidelines for fraud detection.
Unlike other fixed, rule-based systems GK AIR does not require manual fine-tuning because it uses AI-driven self-learning tools, minimizing maintenance and maximizing accuracy.
Additional benefits of GK AIR's Fraud Detection Module include:
For retailers, fraud can be a source of significant loss. GK is determined to put that money back in your pocket, without complicating the checkout process for you or your shoppers.
To learn more visit our website or contact us today.
Your retail customers expect the best experience in your stores – so why would you risk delivering a mediocre visit at any customer touchpoint? To respond to ever-changing customer behaviors and expectations, retailers must trust the experts. Solution providers are equipped to handle the parts of the customer experience that rely on complex technology.
However, most solution providers specialize in a niche set of technologies, making them a subject matter expert in only one area of omnichannel or e-commerce retailing (like ordering, POS, or personalization). The provider with the "best-in-breed" omnichannel ordering system for retail might not sell anything related to online POS. Or that provider might not be the best choice for the diverse payment offerings retailers seek today.
Managing a different technology provider for each of these critical components can be complicated. But with composable commerce, retailers can reap the benefits of a world of choices.
Composable commerce is the ability to select the best-in-breed solution for each aspect of online retailing to optimize both the back- and front-end user experience. With this strategy, all the solutions involved in running a particular task work parallel to one another as microservices and communicate via APIs. Composable commerce uses a headless infrastructure--headless systems decouple the front- and back-end microservices to create maximum flexibility, allowing retailers to seamlessly integrate all solutions.
Composable commerce is not a new concept, but it's importance for retailers is growing exponentially as the speed of retail intensifies. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2023, businesses using composable commerce will outpace their competition by 80% in terms of new feature implementations.
Working with one solution provider for all your retailing needs is no longer practical. This approach greatly restricts growth for retailers, because it restricts them to only advance at the speed of that solution provider. Plus, it limits flexibility because interwoven solutions are more difficult to alter.
On the contrary, composable commerce maximizes agility and differentiation. With this approach, retailers can pivot quickly to ensure they are always offering a superior customer experience than their competitors.
The most important customer touchpoints for an online retailer are specific to each subindustry, but now, retailers don't have to choose which elements to perfect. Ranging from the most efficient checkout solution to the most personalized newsletter campaign, retailers using this strategy can greatly improve customer engagement, long-term shopper loyalty and overall profitability.
When building your best-in-breed composable commerce strategy, consider reaching out to GK. We provide a variety of world-renowned solutions to fit your composable commerce approach, including omnichannel POS solutions like TransAction+, inventory management tools, in-store fraud detection capabilities with GK AIR and more, all offered on GK's CLOUD4RETAIL platform.
GK is also partnered with SAP, opening more opportunities for retailers looking to pick and choose solutions that were designed to work well together.
You can contact GK here or visit our solution pages to learn more!
According to preliminary figures, revenue grew by 30.70 percent to 39.82 million euros. The reason for this increase was a continued strong demand for enhancements (extensions) of its cloud standard platforms as well as the conclusion of a very significant CLOUD4RETAIL contract.
The high attractiveness of the current solution portfolio and the company's excellent customer relationships are also once again underlined by two independent studies. In a survey commissioned by "Welt" news channel, for example, GK was ranked number 1 by respondents in terms of customer satisfaction (source: https://www.gk-software.com/de/unternehmen/kunden#nr1). In a recent study by an international consulting firm on store solutions for the global food retail industry, GK also achieved the best ranking ahead of all competitors.
As a result, EBIT reached 8.12 million euros in the first quarter, corresponding to an EBIT margin of 20.4 percent. The Management Board therefore confirms its forecast for the current financial year. For 2022, this forecast includes a further increase in sales in line with the previous year's development and an improvement in EBIT margin towards the medium-term target of 15 percent by the end of fiscal 2023.
Final Q1 results are expected to be released on May 27.
A recent Gallup poll shows that rising prices is the number one economic concern for Americans, with 17 percent of respondents calling inflation the "nation's most important problem." And these increases aren't expected to change any time soon, as supply chain issues and other economic factors keep driving costs higher.
With inflation on everyone's minds, consumers will become more price sensitive when shopping. According to RSR, the highest ranked business challenge for retailers is that "our customers have been more price sensitive than ever."
However, changing thousands of prices in a timely manner is a daunting task, especially when retailers need to adjust to shifting market conditions day by day. To confidently manage pricing, retailers can turn to an AI-driven, dynamic pricing solution in these inflationary times.
Before inflation rates rose, retailers already had to account for several factors when determining their pricing strategy, including competition, costs, SKU relationships, price zone relationships and more. Now, market changes are quickly shifting, resulting in high costs being passed down to the consumer.
Because of shopper price sensitivity, retailers must effectively manage cost increases and make strategic pricing decisions quickly. They also need to account for consumer behavior changes and make the right adjustments. Dynamic pricing enables retailers to deliver faster, more accurate pricing optimization based on available customer and market data.
Manually changing prices to meet market demands is costly and difficult to manage. This is especially true when dealing with pricing across channels and locations — there must be a cohesive omnichannel strategy.
According to RSR, 40% of leading retailers ("Winners") expressed a need for more automated price management, implying a desire for more speed, efficiency and data-driven business processes.
With AI-enabled dynamic pricing, retailers can optimize thousands of prices instantly and consistently, adjusting to inflation and other pricing factors. It also gives retailers the ability to provide relevant, demand-based prices daily whether online or in-store. From promotions to new product launches, retailers are equipped with the data to make the most optimal decision across all channels.
A pricing strategy that worked last year may not work in today's market. This means that retailers must monitor and become aware of any inefficiencies that can occur. They also may need to adjust and set optimal prices from anywhere at any time.
With dynamic pricing, retailers can boost revenue and margins by reducing markdowns, loss and overstock. At the same time, they can build a positive price image and improve loyalty with competitive, fair prices — even in the midst of market challenges.
Responding to inflation rates while keeping price-sensitive consumers in mind can be challenging. Even when rates go down, other market conditions will likely play a role in how retailers manage both their margins and price perceptions.
Retailers can prepare their pricing strategy for now and the future using dynamic pricing. Dynamic Pricing by GK provides faster, more accurate pricing optimization by using AI. With our solution, you can reduce the pricing workload, limit inconsistencies and decrease time wasted on manual tasks.
Our powerful machine learning algorithms instantly calculate optimal prices regardless of SKU count by comparing numerous evolving factors in volatile markets against various pricing strategies. With GK, you can always find the best price to achieve your goals.
Looking to optimize your prices in an inflationary market? Contact us today for a demo of our solution.
Raleigh, NC – May 18, 2022 – GK today announced that it has partnered with Rizing, the premier provider of SAP®consulting services, to offer retailers a fully integrated retail solution with SAP Omnichannel Point-of-Sale by GK and SAP® S/4HANA®. The partnership enables customers to deliver a superior omnichannel customer experience.
The SAP Omnichannel Point-of-Sale (POS) by GK offers an integrated POS solution for brick-and-mortar channels, available on premise or in the cloud. With the native integration to SAP S/4HANA and SAP CAR (Customer Activity Repository), it provides customers in several industries, including grocery, fashion, specialty, mass convenience and hospitality, a comprehensive solution for a unified global commerce strategy. The platform gives retailers several benefits, including:
“GK’s solution integrates with SAP Commerce Cloud to provide the complete omnichannel experience for shoppers, driving new buying behaviors and providing real-time inventory across their enterprise,” said Michael Jaszczyk, CEO, GK Americas. “We are excited to work with Rizing to help broaden our reach and scale of this solution, while supporting customers with the knowledge and expertise they need to successfully provide a superior omnichannel store experience.”
Rizing’s deep industry knowledge, product expertise and comprehensive approach provides valuable functional and technical support that optimizes business processes and helps retailers get the most value from their GK and SAP solutions. Rizing brings the whole package of SAP knowledge and skill to the table, offering a complete service portfolio that enables success for retail implementation programs.
“Rizing understands that today’s shoppers expect more than just efficient sales transactions — they want a personalized, consistent experience across all shopping channels,” said Brian Cederborg, Senior Vice President, Consumer Industries, Rizing. “By combining our knowledge of GK and skills in SAP with a deep understanding of our customers and their industries, we can provide a comprehensive service offering that creates value and achieves a true digital transformation for retailers. As a result, retailers can get maximum return on their investment and are able to drive great customer experiences.”
GK breaks down the barriers to unified commerce with its open CLOUD4RETAIL platform and a broad portfolio based on it, including OmniPOS for point of sale, mobile POS, mobile customer engagement and a full range of store/back-office solutions. The company is a recognized leader in omnichannel retail, offering a single, global software platform for all retail formats and touchpoints. Ten of the Top 50 retailers worldwide rely on GK, and GK is the fastest growing global POS provider in new installations over the last three years. For more information, visit www.gk-software.com.
It’s the experience that matters. Rizing professionals help your business succeed at any point in your SAP journey. Rizing’s objective is to empower your business to unlock the intelligent enterprise with cloud technologies from SAP, our Geospatial solutions, and our proprietary, cutting-edge products: Blueline, Lyra, Lifecycle Pricing, Carbon, Mercury, and Hydrogen available on the SAP Store. With real-life experiences in business areas like enterprise asset management, human capital management, and consumer industries, we know how to simplify your digital transformation so that your business can be everything you want it to be. From targeted small business needs to full-scale large enterprise resource planning solutions, our SAP-certified consultants are focused on your growth. For more information, please visit www.rizing.com.
In this series, we sit down with members of the GK team to learn more about their experience with the company.
My first job was in retail was at an office supply store – stocking shelves and delivering products. Then in college I worked for Chevron in the oil fields and later at Vons Grocery Co. (now part of Albertsons). I did several jobs in stores, including “Scan Coordinator,” which provided valuable background for my future career in POS.
After college, I was moved into the corporate offices for Vons Grocery Co. where I was responsible for hiring across 60 stores. At a new store opening in 1985 I met a representative from Datachecker, the POS provider for Vons. He recruited me, I accepted, and began my career in retail technology.
I started as a Systems Analyst in POS, and then gained experiences over the years in ERP, eCommerce, Loyalty Marketing, Supply Chain and more. My career path has brought me to a variety of companies including Triversity, SAP, Escalate/Blue Martini, NCR/Retalix and now GK.
I have loved working with all of my customers and have learned something from all of those experiences. But my first and biggest accomplishment at GK is with Hy-Vee . They’re an incredible retailer and partner, and this project has been a real difference-maker in GK’s US growth.
There are so many great things about GK. We have a fantastic portfolio of solutions on our open and modern platform – driving success for GK and our customers. Our founder and CEO had - and continues to have a great strategic vision. The recent acquisition of an AI company enhanced GK’s portfolio and positioned us well for the future and continued success.
My favorite memory is now! With our US entry about 6 years ago we started from scratch, and it’s been a great journey with ups and downs along the way. Now we’re hitting critical mass with customer rollouts and our sales pipeline has never been stronger. We have grown with great talent, and I am especially proud of our Sales and Pre-Sales team. The passion and teamwork is incredible and energizes me every day. With so much to celebrate, my favorite memory is now!
I enjoy going to the gym, skiing, and hiking in the Sierras. I also love spending time with my family, at my in-law’s farm, and watching college football, especially my Fresno State Bulldogs!
This is a tough question because I was actually a music minor in college! Over the last couple of years, I can’t seem to get enough of Chris Stapleton’s "Traveler" or “Long Run” by the Eagles.
I have to share a few for this question, including: Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes in the Sierras. Cambria, Hearst Castle and beach on the central coast of California. Newport Beach in southern California for warmer water. I also had an incredible family vacation to the Croatian Adriatic in 2016.
GK Software SE today published its annual report for the year 2021, in which the company's accelerating transition to the cloud business is clearly visible.
In parallel, GK’s revenue and earnings continue to grow strongly despite the ongoing global pandemic. For example, sales rose from 117.6 million euros to 130.8 million euros. This increase was achieved despite the fact that SaaS contracts are being concluded with a large number of new customers, where revenue is naturally deferred to the next years.
EBITDA grew by 40.4 percent to 26.8 million euros, corresponding to an EBITDA margin on sales of 20.5 percent. EBIT grew even more strongly by 64.3 percent, reaching 17.3 million euros (2020 = 10.5 million euros). This resulted in GK’s net profit more than doubling year-on-year to 13.3 million euros and earnings per share of 5.98 euros (weighted). As a result of the strong net profit and a capital increase in March 2021, the equity ratio rose from 44.0 percent to 58.0 percent.
In addition to continued strong business with existing customers, GK was able to attract 15 new contracts in its core business, seven of which were SaaS agreements. This significantly contributed to the result of 2021. The new customers in 2021 represent a total of up to 44,665 installations in 6,120 stores on four continents.
In 2021, the Company generated nearly two-thirds recurring (contracted) or repeatable (non-contracted, but based on experience highly probable) revenue. Revenues associated with the cloud business (subscription and cloud operational support) more than quadrupled from €5.3 million to €22.9 million in one year.
Based on the achieved results and trends of the first quarter of 2022, the Executive Board is remaining with its mid-term forecast until 2023, in which it expects sales of between €160 million and €175 million with an EBIT margin (on sales) of 15 percent. For 2022, the GK Software Group is expected to achieve a similar increase in revenue as in the fiscal year 2021 and a further slight improvement in EBIT towards achieving the mid-term target for 2023.
The annual report for the fiscal year 2021 is available at the following links:
German: https://investor.gk-software.com/de/veroeffentlichungen/financial-reports?task=download&cid=892
English: https://investor.gk-software.com/en/publications/financial-reports?task=download&cid=893
GK will be providing the latest insights into its self-developed Big Data solution "GK SPOT", which retailers can use, among other things, to suggest individual offers to their customers across all channels and in real time. Trade fair visitors will also have the opportunity to experience GK's latest solutions in the area of "grab-and-go" shopping in a specially set-up container pop-up store. Additional thematic focuses of the trade show appearance will be on AI, personalization and dynamic pricing. GK CLOUD4RETAIL and all the solutions it contains are part of GK's end-to-end enterprise cloud platform, which enables retailers to make stores a central part of seamless omnichannel processes. Demand for SaaS solutions is currently growing massively: for example, half of GK's new customers in 2021 already opted for a cloud-based SaaS contract.
The exhibition will showcase GK's entire portfolio of solutions, which is designed to anticipate the ever-changing needs of international retailers at an early stage and help them to accompany consumers along the entire shopper journey. In addition, this year there will be the following main topics:
GK SPOT is the beta version of GK's latest Big Data solution, which has been designed to meet the unique needs of the trading industry. The native cloud solution is based on a microservices architecture and is open for 3rd party solutions that can access the fast long-term storage in the cloud via interfaces. In this cloud storage, all relevant transaction data is stored over a vast period of time and is available for real-time queries by both retailers and customers. One of the most important use cases currently being implemented is hyperpersonalization, i.e. AI-based and individualized customer targeting in real time at every touchpoint. This enables retailers to reach a completely new level of communication on products and offers tailored to customer needs.
For the first time, GK is demonstrating how contactless services and unattended stores with automatic article registration can be implemented for retailers with its "GK GO" solution in Düsseldorf. Based on the GK CLOUD4RETAIL platform, GK has set up a fully autonomous store format in a pop-up container. This is remarkable for the fact that all transactions are visible in real time on the customers' smartphones. In the future, this will open up a direct feedback channel for retailers to communicate with consumers while they are shopping and not just afterwards. The hardware for GK GO comes from partners Hitachi (Lidar Technology) and Shekel (intelligent shelves).
The starting point of almost every shopping experience today is the customer approach prior to the planned purchase. This can be significantly supported by 1:1 recommendations and actions tailored to individual customer needs. The booth will showcase how the AIR platform's cloud-based AI services create personalized omnichannel experiences that create a positive shopping experience and drive higher sales. Another important use case of the AIR platform is Dynamic Pricing. Here, Artificial Intelligence helps retailers make the best pricing decisions across their entire product assortment to optimize their sales and revenue strategies. In this context, GK is also showcasing a new AI-driven mobile solution at the fair to avoid food waste in fast perishables.
Complementing GK's product portfolio, Deutsche Fiskal's solutions will also be presented. The company offers the SaaS service Fiskal Cloud for the generation and storage of legally required electronic signatures and the corresponding storage of various receipt-related transactions.
Sustainability has become a budding social cause as people worldwide see the impacts of climate change firsthand. Yet, one region that is particularly focused on sustainability is Latin America, or LATAM. In fact, a recent eMarketer report found that 94% of internet users in Latin America believe companies should be investing more in social and environmental initiatives.
Not only do sustainable initiatives make a difference in the global fight against climate change, but they are also profitable. The same report from eMarketer explained that "while sustainability may cost businesses more money up front, consumers are likely to make more frequent purchases over the long term from companies that address the issue. Research shows that regional business leaders feel sustainability is, in fact, profitable and provides them with an edge over rivals."
With customers willing to reward sustainable companies with their business and their loyalty, reducing waste and creating a more sustainable business model provides a great opportunity for retailers. Let's dive into the ways retailers can become more sustainable.
In today's global economy, there are numerous ways that a brand or retailer can pursue sustainable initiatives. They can partner with fulfillment companies that reduce packaging, use more sustainable materials in production or eliminate unnecessary waste by not sourcing more than they can sell before the best-bought-before date.
At GK, we specialize in providing retailers with the tools they need to avoid waste without risking their margins. GK AIR's Dynamic Pricing tool in particular helps retailers meet this goal.
With GK AIR's Dynamic Pricing tool, retailers can leverage powerful machine learning algorithms to instantly calculate the optimal price for any item. The tool compares numerous evolving factors, even in the most turbulent retail environments. These factors can include input costs, competition, price sensitivities and even inflationary changes.
Inflation in particular is an important factor. In the coming year, inflation will remain a top concern for LATAM retailers as financial experts predict the cost of living in Latin America could soon increase by more than 10% (higher than anywhere else in the world).
In the case of sustainability, Dynamic Pricing can be used to determine the best promotional price to assign to a CPG item that may soon expire (or even to a bathing suit that is quickly going "out of season"). This keeps the item from becoming food waste and/or entering a landfill – without wasting valuable labor time asking in-store associates to apply discount stickers.
GK Dynamic Pricing gives retailers the flexibility to optimize their strategies at any time, so they can sell through timely items efficiently and concentrate on the performance of their products and improving KPIs.
For more information on GK LATAM and the sustainability initiatives in the region, follow GK LATAM on LinkedIn. If you want to learn more about how GK can help retailers worldwide incorporate eco-friendly practices, contact us today!
GK is ushering in the era of completely contactless shopping, alongside industry giants like Amazon and Starbucks. In fact, in November 2021 GK announced the launch of its new scanless store, GK Go. Located in Schöneck, Germany, home of GK's global headquarters, GK Go utilizes CLOUD4RETAIL to enable a seamless customer journey that can be used autonomously or staffed.
GK Go differs significantly from Amazon Go and other "just walk out" stores because it was built with the end customer in mind. GK Go gives the shopper access to in-depth information about what they're buying, and personalized promotions to further enhance the shopper journey. GK Go also gives retailers the chance to go fully autonomous or implement a hybrid model because the solution incorporates in-app payments, PED payments, partial assistance or the option to "just walk out."
But these aren't the only benefits of GK's latest innovation. Let's dive into the top three reasons retailers love GK GO.
Autonomous commerce has grabbed the attention of retailers globally as Amazon opened 30 Amazon Go stores in the last year and other retailers like Whole Foods and Sainsbury's followed suit. GK has approached this innovation differently than other "just walk out" retailers by partnering with Hitachi Smart Spaces solutions 3D Lidar Sensors and Shekel LTD Product Aware Technology to reveal real-time basket updates.
For example, GK Go allows customers to see all relevant information about their basket via an app as they are shopping; this includes items, price, additional product details, total cost so far, and promotions and coupons that have been redeemed. Better yet, these insights are provided with near 100% accuracy without the use of any in-store cameras that could threaten privacy.
While some retailers may worry about how an autonomous customer journey will limit brand engagement touchpoints, GK Go mitigates these fears. By creating innovative, new ways for retailers to connect with their shoppers without slowing them down, GK Go actually creates opportunities for retailers.
The app used with GK Go provides retailers an additional touchpoint that is familiar to the shopper. Through this channel, retailers deliver real-time, personalized deals and recommendations that will increase sales, basket sizes and customer loyalty. These up-to-date, personalized touchpoints are cost-efficient for the retailer and time-efficient for the shopper.
The GK Go store in Germany is also using electronic shelf labels from Hanshow. These smart screens enable dynamic pricing, promotions and more. All of this combines to provide more efficient operations for retailers, especially in autonomous environments, and a better shopping experience for customers.
Retailers know that success is driven by market retention and growth, and the fastest way to grow without acquisition is through partnerships. Fortunately, GK Go is built with an open API, giving retailers and their partners unprecedented flexibility. With this architecture, retailers can expand their offerings with little to no impact to their existing systems.
Since GK Go is hosted on the CLOUD4RETAIL platform, retailers can connect the scanless technology to all existing functionalities on the cloud server. This allows retailers to continue their unified commerce strategy by creating the best experience for any vertical, even as they incorporate the groundbreaking new tools. As the future of retail continues to evolve, GK Go keeps it simple
If you want to learn more about GK Go and scanless commerce, contact us today to schedule a demo. And be sure to follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest updates and customer case studies.
The Retail Innovators