Product People helped to expand DISH POS into Four Countries

The Client: DISH Digital Solutions

DISH Digital Solutions GmbH, formerly known as Hospitality Digital, is a subsidiary of METRO AG that specializes in developing digital solutions for the hospitality industry. Founded in 2015, the company operates under the DISH brand and provides various tools and services to help restaurateurs optimize their businesses.

DISH Digital Solutions offers an all-inclusive digital package tailored to the needs of the hospitality sector, including DISH POS, DISH Reservation, DISH Pay, etc.

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The Mission: Interim Product Manager

In a rapidly evolving market, DISH sought to expand its footprint into four strategically chosen countries: Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Product People was engaged to facilitate this expansion for almost two years, ensuring that the company could effectively adapt its products and services to meet the unique demands and regulatory requirements of each market.

The engagement began with an in-depth market analysis to understand local consumer behaviors, competitive landscapes, and regulatory requirements. Using Jobs-To-Be-Done framework workshops with stakeholders from each country, we addressed the complexities of rolling out the POS system in new markets. By collaborating with multiple stakeholders and aligning on key insights from Customer Research, as well as local legal and fiscal requirements, we defined the launch scope for each country.

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Our Main Quest: Expand DISH POS to 4 countries in Europe

Launch: Onboarded Very Fast

Upon joining, we encountered a lack of standardized documentation practices, development processes, and product frameworks. To address this, we initiated a kick-off workshop with the key stakeholders from DISH. Our goal was to establish our ways of working, team commitments, and documentation standards, ensuring we built a self-led, accountable team driven by a missionary mindset rather than a mercenary approach.

First Deliverables and Results

1. Unified Vision & North Star: We conducted a Kick-Off Session with the key stakeholders, leading to well-defined expectations and concrete steps for establishing cadences and delivery processes that support high-velocity delivery and defining the ways of working;
2. Understanding the Product: Mapping user flows provides a clear view of a product’s core functionalities and interactions. This exercise helped us understand how features connect and impact the overall user experience, revealing strengths and areas for improvement. It gave us the insights necessary to make decisions that enhance user satisfaction and the company’s bottom line.

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Market Expansion

In 2022, METRO acquired Eijsink, a recognized provider of POS systems for the hospitality industry in the Benelux region. With this acquisition, METRO further accelerates the digitalization of its HoReCa customers under the umbrella of METRO’s hospitality tech unit, DISH. This expansion allowed METRO to broaden its product portfolio and create a comprehensive digital solution offering, aiming to extend the POS system to be rolled out in European countries outside of BeNeLux. For customers, this means enhanced added value through further digitalization of their processes and broader data insights.

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DISH POS Roll out in 4 countries: Germany, France, Spain and Italy

Problem:

• Rolling out a new Point of Sales (POS) system for restaurants in a new market involves navigating several critical challenges and considerations to ensure a successful launch and adoption. Some of them should be addressed before jumping into development, with a clear strategy defined:
  • Market Research and Localization:
    • Cultural Fit: Understand local dining culture and restaurant operations to ensure the POS system meets specific needs, such as language, currency, tax regulations, and customer behavior.
    • Regulatory Compliance: Different regions have unique legal requirements for data protection, financial transactions, tax fiscalization, and consumer rights, which the POS system must comply with.
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    • Fiscalization refers to the legal/fiscal requirements concerning the collection, storage, and transfer of transaction fiscal data to ensure compliance with government regulations. It involves using third-party vendors to connect Point of Sale (POS) systems to government-mandated transaction security devices or cloud providers.
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  • Integration Capabilities:
    • Compatibility: Ensure the POS system seamlessly integrates with existing restaurant software, such as inventory management, payroll, and reservation systems.
    • Flexibility: The system should be adaptable to various restaurant types and sizes, from small cafes to large chains.
  • User Experience and Training:
    • Ease of Use: The interface should be intuitive and user-friendly to accommodate staff with varying levels of tech-savviness.
    • Training and Support: Provide comprehensive training and reliable customer support to help users transition to the new system smoothly.
  • Scalability and Updates:
    • Future-proofing: The system should be scalable to accommodate business growth and adaptable to future market trends and technological advancements.
    • Continuous Improvement: Regular updates and feature enhancements based on customer feedback and market demands are essential.

What has been done:

• Using Jobs-To-Be-Done frameworks workshops with each country's stakeholders, we were able to address the complexities involved in rolling out DISH POS in those new markets and using the artifacts like the Customer Research received from the User Experience (UX) team for each country and the local legal and fiscal requirements from the Legal team, we were able to define the launch scope for each country considering the following:
  • Uncovering Customer Needs: Focus on understanding the specific jobs customers are hiring a product to perform. This deep dive into the customer’s needs and goals can reveal critical insights into what restaurant owners and staff truly require from a POS system regarding functionality, integration, ease of use, and support.
  • Identifying Pain Points and Gains: By examining the current challenges and pain points customers face with existing solutions, the workshops could help us identify how a new POS system can eliminate these issues or improve on them. It also explored the potential gains customers might experience, offering a clear direction for product development.
  • Prioritizing Features Based on Actual Needs: Insights from workshops and legal and fiscal requirements guided the prioritization of features that align directly with the core jobs customers need to accomplish. This ensured that the development efforts were focused on features that would provide the most value to each target market rather than on unnecessary or less critical features.
  • Strategic Planning for Roll-Out: By understanding the jobs to be done, we were able to plan more effective roll-out and adoption strategies, including tailored training programs for each new market that address the specific ways in which the POS system supports day-to-day operations in restaurants.
  • Feedback Loops and Continuous Improvement: The workshops could set the stage for what should be the first iteration and first launch of DISH POS in each new market, but we were able to establish ongoing customer feedback mechanisms, creating a process for new requests from the countries and being in correspondence with each country-specific Sales & Implementation Managers, ensuring that the product continues to evolve based on real user experiences and changing needs. This was essential for scalability and maintaining relevance in the market.

💡 The Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework is a method used to understand the underlying reasons why customers “hire” a product or service to accomplish a specific task or “job.” Instead of focusing solely on demographic data or product features, JTBD centers on the customer’s needs, motivations, and desired outcomes.

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In February 2024, the DISH POS was successfully launched in all four countries, following the strategy and timeline aligned with key stakeholders during the workshops. By July 2024, it had surpassed 4,000 units sold.

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Discovery Mini-Missions: Our Side Quests

In addition to the main objectives, there were various side missions focused on addressing broader, country-agnostic requirements:

1. Production Ticket Layout: Based on customer feedback, we evaluated the existing production ticket layouts and identified areas for improvement. This involved deep dives into readability challenges, the competitive landscape, and the specific changes needed to enhance clarity. We orchestrated the development of new, standardized ticket templates, collaborating closely with the design team and requirements engineers. Additionally, we facilitated sessions with stakeholders to ensure alignment and buy-in. These efforts aimed to create a more efficient and user-friendly experience across all regions.
2. Production Ticket Printing Management: We synthesized insights from all countries to develop a standardized approach for managing production ticket printing. This involved thoroughly analyzing diverse customer preferences, identifying common requirements, and defining a unified, country-agnostic set of features.

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Mission Achievements: Delivered Outcomes

💡 Established a unified vision and direction for the expansion: Mapped user flows and conducted interviews and market research to define strategic priorities.

💡 Successfully completed the rollout and market entry of DISH POS in four countries, ensuring full compliance with local legal and fiscal requirements.

💡 Enhanced product scalability and adaptability to support ongoing and future growth in multiple regions.

This mission was extended multiple times, ultimately lasting one year and eight months to continue discovery work and expand to additional countries.