How Viktoria & Woods is simplifying store operations with Apparel²¹ and Envimo

A customer-first approach to retail technology is helping Viktoria & Woods simplify the work behind its boutiques while protecting the premium experience its customers expect.

For Viktoria & Woods, technology supports both the experience customers see in store and the operational work happening behind it.

When COO Tomas Fraser joined the business nearly three years ago, Apparel²¹ was new to him. At the time, the relationship was primarily managed by another department lead with external support. Over time, responsibility shifted more closely into Tomas’s team, including the appointment of an internal IT manager with previous Apparel²¹ experience. 

As that internal capability grew, so did the way Viktoria & Woods worked with Apparel²¹. The team began collaborating more closely with their Account Manager and the Apparel²¹ team, building a stronger understanding of the platform and, as Tomas put it, enough expertise to "help us know what we don't know and therefore ask the right questions."

That shift moved Viktoria & Woods from using the platform more passively to proactively identifying new opportunities.

“It is the beating heart of our business. It’s our core ERP system.”Tomas Fraser, COO, Viktoria & Woods

Apparel²¹ supports areas spanning design, production, store operations, POS and finance. As the relationship matured, one of the opportunities the team identified was Envimo.

Starting with the customer experience

The idea to explore Envimo came through Viktoria & Woods’ internal IT manager, initially with mobile payments in mind. Tomas saw greater potential elsewhere.

In Viktoria & Woods boutiques, the POS remains an intentional part of the customer journey. It is where products are folded and wrapped, and where the team completes the final interaction before handing the purchase to the customer. Rather than replacing that experience, Tomas saw an opportunity to use Envimo for the operational work happening around it.

The question became less about what the technology could do and more about where it genuinely added value. For Viktoria & Woods, that meant focusing first on receiving, transfers and other inventory tasks rather than making mobile checkout the centre of the rollout.

That operational fit is also supported by the retail experience behind Envimo itself. Built by a team with a longstanding understanding of retail operations, particularly fashion, Envimo draws on the same practical knowledge behind Apparel²¹’s established POS environment. This means functionality such as ship-from-store stock picking is already shaped around the way retail teams work, giving businesses practical tools for established store workflows from the outset.

Moving store operations behind the scenes

Before Envimo, receiving stock and processing transfers relied on the fixed POS. Staff had to bring boxes onto the shop floor to scan stock at the counter, with some of that work pushed into quieter periods before or after trading hours. Small stockrooms also meant adding fixed computers behind the scenes was not a practical solution.

At Chadstone, the handheld device means those processes can now happen in the stockroom. Staff have more flexibility to process inventory throughout the day while keeping operational activity away from the customer-facing environment.

The device also supports ship-from-store orders during busy periods. Team members can carry it with them as they locate products across the shop floor, helping make the process smoother while allowing more time and resources to remain focused on serving customers. 

Proving the use case at Chadstone

Viktoria & Woods chose its Chadstone flagship deliberately. It is a high-volume location with an established team and sits close to head office, making it a useful environment for understanding the operational implications before considering a broader rollout.

Tomas described implementation as “really painless”. Apparel²¹ supported the training and was onsite for the launch, while familiarity with the existing POS helped the team adapt to Envimo’s interface.

For Tomas, the more meaningful test came afterwards: whether the device would actually become part of the team’s routine.

"A real measure of how effective something is, is whether it gets shoved in a drawer and forgotten about — and Envimo very much gets used operationally, weekly if not daily." Tomas Fraser, COO, Viktoria & Woods

Looking beyond Chadstone

The next opportunity is likely to be Viktoria & Woods’ outlet stores, where higher volumes and more variable stock holdings could make on-floor stock enquiries particularly useful. Tomas can see a scenario where team members carry a handheld device and check availability while remaining with the customer.

For now, the Chadstone pilot has shown where Envimo can add value. Tomas says it has “simplified the flow of stock through the store”, supporting the team in managing deliveries and transfers while allowing the customer-facing experience to remain distinctly Viktoria & Woods.

Could Apparel²¹ and Envimo support the way your stores operate? Talk to our team about what could work for your business.