Greg Cantlon wraps up 2024

As we close out 2024, I want to take a moment to thank our customers for your support throughout the year. After 10 years with Triquestra, it has been an honor to take up the CEO role and I'm thankful to our entire team for their support and dedication.  The holiday season is upon us, and I sincerely hope that each of you has a fantastic Christmas surrounded by friends and family. This is a perfect time to unwind, recharge, and prepare for the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in 2025.

Reflecting on the past year, it is evident that 2024 has been challenging for retailers. The economic landscape has been tough, with retail trading experiencing a decline compared to the previous year. There are positive signs on the horizon and Reserve Banks have begun lowering their rates to stimulate the economy, creating new opportunities for retailers in the coming year.

As we look forward to 2025, there are three key trends to watch closely and leverage to their advantage. First, savvy consumers are becoming more cautious with their spending. With reduced spending power, shoppers are less impulsive, seeking deals, and research carefully before making decisions. Many consumers opting for generic alternatives to the more expensive brands. It is crucial to ensure that you have the clear product information available in real time to attract these discerning shoppers.

Second, as consumer expectations evolve, so do their brand loyalties. While price remains a significant factor, many consumers are seeking convenience and brands that align with their values, such as sustainable business practices. It is essential to evaluate your inventory management strategies to ensure you have the right product in the right place at the right price. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are rapidly becoming a significant part of the market, and understanding their buying habits is vital for future success.

Lastly, customers want to shop when and where it is convenient for them. Retailers must offer a consistent experience across both physical stores and online platforms. The fundamentals still hold true: consumers want convenient, consistent, and responsive shopping experiences and are willing to go elsewhere to find them. Investing in your e-commerce systems and processes can reduce friction for your customers and simplify store operations for your staff. While free returns may not always be feasible, you can reduce your return rates by providing clear product information and assets such as pictures and videos.

Thank you once again for your continued support. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas.

Welcome to our new CEO: Greg Cantlon takes the helm at Triquestra

We’re thrilled to announce an exciting new chapter at Triquestra. After nearly ten years of driving innovation and growth within our team, Greg Cantlon has been appointed as our new Chief Executive Officer. 

For those who’ve worked closely with us over the years, Greg is no stranger. He’s been with us since 2015, most recently serving as our Chief Product Officer. In this role, he’s been a driving force behind our software solutions, helping retail clients create resilient and nimble enterprises.  

Ron Beddows, Director of Triquestra, said: “Greg’s deep understanding of both our products and our clients’ needs makes him the perfect person to lead us into the future.  

“He has been instrumental in tackling our most important priorities, including accelerating our development velocity, and I know he’ll hit the ground running to strengthen our value proposition for retail clients and deliver results.  

“With Greg at the helm, our mission remains unchanged: to provide retailers with the highest-quality software solutions to help them deliver the unified experiences consumers now expect. We’re committed to a seamless transition, ensuring that Triquestra continues to be a trusted and valued partner to brands and retailers.” 

Greg added: “I want to thank Ron, and the Vela and Triquestra teams for their confidence in my leadership. Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with an amazing team and forging strong relationships with our clients and partners. I’m excited to build on everything we have achieved under Kelly Brown’s leadership and drive innovation that supports our clients’ growth.   

“My focus will be on staying true to our values, fostering collaboration and ensuring that Triquestra remains a leader in retail unified commerce solutions. We are on track to do amazing things, particularly now with access to the knowledge, investment and vast peer network of Vela. Thank you to everyone on the journey with us.”  

We’re excited to embark on this next chapter with Greg leading the way. We’re confident that his leadership will bring fresh ideas, continued growth and new opportunities for our people, clients and partners.  

Please join us in congratulating Greg on his new role!  

Kelly Brown steps down as Triquestra CEO

After 18 years of leadership, our CEO Kelly Brown is stepping down from her role effective 5 July 2024.

Kelly has led with heart and soul, and we’re grateful for her vision, dedication and the leadership role she’s played in making Triquestra what it is today.

She fostered a company culture grounded on mutual respect and a passion for excellence and customer success. Her leadership has been instrumental to our growth, and her legacy is one of innovation, adaptability and collaborative management.

“I've decided to leave Triquestra because it’s a new chapter for TQ and time for a new professional challenge for me,” said Kelly. “I’ve enjoyed a terrific career in the rapidly changing retail tech sector. What drew me in and kept me excited to deliver TQ’s purpose year after year was the team’s ambition for the business, their collective smarts and genuine commitment to prioritise people and clients.

“One of my proudest achievements at TQ is the development of an exceptional leadership team. Together with our committed Board members, I have deep confidence in them to lead TQ into the future,” said Kelly.

“I was thrilled to lead TQ’s engagement in Vela APX’s acquisition of the business last year and am delighted by the opportunities it gives our people and clients,” Kelly added. “After 9 months working alongside the Vela team, I am confident we chose the right partner to support TQ’s focus and expertise in delivering world-class unified commerce solutions.”

Ron Beddows, Director of Triquestra, said, “On behalf of the Vela Group and Triquestra Board, I want to thank Kelly for her leadership and focus on our retail clients, partners and employees.

“Triquestra transformed its business model and strengthened its value proposition for retail brands and partners. Kelly has developed a company now globally recognised for its product, culture and performance.”

A process will shortly commence to find Kelly’s replacement.

We look forward to building on everything accomplished under Kelly’s leadership, and the team are incredibly energised by the opportunities ahead.

Thank you, Kelly. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours and look forward to seeing the things you will undoubtedly achieve.

Thanks also to all our clients and partners for your continued support. We continue to be focussed on supporting retailers and brands deliver the unified experiences consumers now expect.

5 Tips to Make Remote Work

Many of us in the tech industry spend at least some of our time working remotely. Collaboration tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams make it easier than ever to effectively work outside the office.

However, with so many of us used to having the people we need to collaborate with only a few desks away, how do you stay productive and meet the expectations that you have set for yourself and your team? For remote working to be viable, your colleagues and customers need to be able to expect that you will be able to operate at the same level as when you are in the office.

For the last five years, I have spent the majority of my work time working from home, and here are some tips I’ve learned along the way.

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Over communicate

This one seems simple at first glance, and it is but takes discipline. When you are in the office, you can easily get a sense of what is happening within your team. A project manager can see four people huddled around a screen looking concerned and ask questions accordingly. You can bump into someone in the kitchen and it reminds you of that question that you had for them.

When it comes to remote work, you need to compensate for that. It’s your job to make sure you communicate what you are working on, and connect with your team on progress and issues. Make sure you clearly state what you are working on and any issues you are facing.

If you need some deep thinking time (or you are off on a KFC run), update your Slack status so people know you aren’t going to respond straight away. Make sure you check back in when you get a break and update your status.

Oh and use video when you can, just make sure you don’t accidentally turn on video when you are in your bath robe.

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Make sure your tech is working!

The number one thing here is to make sure you have a reliable internet connection. I would prioritise stability over speed here – I coped fine with 15Mbps for a couple of years until better options were available to me. It has always been connection drop outs that have caused problems.

Internet is going to be key to your ability to over-communicate, and if you have a semi-decent connection you’ll be able to manage video calling. Most laptops don’t have great microphones or cameras, so a headset is a must-have accessory and get a camera if you can. Depending on your role and work environment, a second screen and Bluetooth keyboard/mouse are as important as a headset.

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Think about your work environment

This varies greatly based on personal preference and what options you have available to you, but you need to set yourself up in a space that allows you to focus, reflects your personality and gives you the best chance of being successful. I’m pretty fortunate in that I’ve been able to set up a dedicated office in my garage where I can shut my door and stop any interruptions (remember BBC Dad?).

For you, it might mean that you are working at your dining table and adjusting the way you work to fit family life. What are the things in your environment that are going to be distracting or help you work? Some people need a bit of white noise (Test cricket is great for this), or find it too distracting (Test cricket applies here for me too).

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Adjust your working style

When I first started working remotely, the biggest shock was the lack of casual conversation that you get from being with other people which acts as small breaks throughout your day.  And temptations are everywhere when you’re at home - the fridge and TV are only steps away. If you’re inclined to procrastinate or get distracted, create a daily routine and stick to it.

In the morning, don’t just roll out of bed and login. Shower and get dressed as you would for a day at the office. And start early. You need the same spin up time for your brain as when you travel to work – Miles has a set routine that involves coffee.

Figure out a strategy that works for you. Are you more productive in the morning or the afternoon? That might help you decide what types of tasks you do at different times of the day. You may be motivated by small breaks throughout the day, or get away from your screen for a longer stretch in the middle of the day.

Also consider your personal circumstance. If you are working at your kitchen table, you may have children distracting you when they come home from school. Consider adjusting the types of work you do at those times, organising child care or using flexible hours to avoid that conflict. Ensure your family and house mates know that when you’re at your desk (or computer), you’re in work mode.

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Avoid remote working guilt (and reap the rewards)

Because your work is just there, it can be easy to get into the habit of working longer hours as a remote worker. Part of that is a feeling that you need to be seen to be working, because you aren’t in the office with everyone else.  

Log off at the end of each day when you typically do and don’t get sucked into working just because you can.

You get to avoid the daily commute so think of what you can do with that extra time each day. Take your dog for a walk, hang out a load of washing or pick up that book you’ve always wanted to read.

Turning retail experience ideas into reality: meet our new Consulting Lead

Neshma Emile has recently been promoted to Consulting Lead. She’ll be helping more Triquestra clients use the Infinity platform to transform customer experiences. 

Before joining Triquestra, Neshma had ERP implementation roles at construction and building products companies. As a Business Analyst, it was her job to help her clients convert ideas into tangible realities. As Consulting Lead, she’ll be supporting the consulting team to do the same.

“As BA, I was responsible for gathering requirements from the customer and turning them into testable, then usable product. Making sure we’re on the same page and delivering in scope and on time. Now, as Consulting Lead, I also help other business analysts do what they do best. Offering a helping hand so they can become better advisors and get the best results for our customers,” says Neshma. 

“The way Infinity can help retailers digitise and innovate today is really great. How we deliver order management, click-and-collect, how we've integrated with Slyp receipts – we're doing everything to keep our clients in tune with what's modern in the market. It’s our goal to give our clients new ways of connecting to their customers through our product and experience,” she says. 

Because Neshma comes from an ERP background, she understands software and process integration and thinks Infinity is an outstanding retail platform. “With Infinity, because it's designed to meet the specific requirements of retail end users, we always hit the nail on the head. Infinity always gives customers what they need because it's such a mature and stable unified commerce platform. People can innovate off of it really quickly and know that it won't break other systems or processes.”

In regards to innovation, she gives examples like Cue Clothing’s click-and-collect and Z Energy’s Pumped and Sharetank. “For Sharetank, we had Infinity working as it needed to for fuel POS. Then we enhanced the platform and the APIs which are used by the Z app to let consumers find the lowest priced fuel in a 30k radius, prepay for that fuel and then share it with others. And for the Pumped loyalty programme, we proved how stable Infinity is to manage 250 sales transactions per minute.” 

Neshma thinks Triquestra is a good company because of the digital transformations she works on and the company’s culture. She explains, “We’re great at prioritising and we're great at communicating with customers. Our solution and business architects will go in and partner with the client to make sure that the solution is well thought out. 

“We work in a high pressure environment and you'd think you'd have people really anxious and angry but we're not! We're really happy. Even if someone’s role isn’t customer facing, everyone is always looking out for our clients’ best interest and doing what they can to make sure those clients are happy. 

“You’re also really given the opportunity to learn, grow and push yourself every day. I’m young and I don’t have to compensate for that. They hired me because of my skills and work ethic and that’s what they reward me for.” 

Neshma and everyone at Triquestra is very conscious of what retail means today. “While online shopping has definitely changed the landscape, people haven’t stopped going to the shops. It’s the experience the shopper has, whether they’re online or instore, that makes one retailer more successful than another these days.”

Welcome to Bridged IT Services, our new New Zealand channel partner

We’re pleased to welcome Bridged IT Services to help us support Infinity customers even better throughout New Zealand. 

The Bridged IT Services team will introduce more retailers and fuel suppliers to Infinity with their end-to-end service that includes Infinity licencing, installation, maintenance and first level support through their 24/7 help desk and agents around the country. They’ll offer a package complete with software, hardware, payments and IT.

“We’ve been working with fuel supply customers for several years now and when I saw Infinity, I was really impressed with its simplicity combined with its level of detail. It’s far ahead of other systems, and as we start to talk to retailers in other industries, we know Infinity will be best for them,” says Gurjit Singh, CEO at Bridged IT. “We’re looking forward to helping retailers unify point of sale, inventory and order management for better customer service and experience.” 

Kelly Brown, Triquestra CEO says, “Bridged IT Services is a well-established company with a track record of great customer service and high-availability support. We’re thrilled with this new channel partnership and how it will help us reach new clients and offer even better support to current clients.”