Technology Newsmaker Q&A: Peter Junger

Jan. 1, 2020
Peter Junger is the president of SIRAS, a software system that offers retailers the ability to track product sales and returns.

Peter Junger is the president of SIRAS, a service provider that offers retailers the ability to track product sales and returns. Junger talks with Aftermarket Business World about the benefits of the technology and how it can be applied in the aftermarket.

What are the major benefits that SIRAS technology can provide to automotive retailers?

Regardless of industry, retailers have similar challenges when it comes to product returns. While most returns are legitimate, others involve products that are outside of the retailer’s return period or the manufacturer’s warranty period. And some are just plain fraudulent.

These illegitimate returns cost retailers (and manufacturers) untold millions, if not billions, of dollars every year in lost margin and lost sales opportunities. Why? Because retailers are fearful of losing customers due to the perception that they are inflexible on returns. So they bend over backwards to be accommodating.

SIRAS’s patented technology eliminates the guess work of determining a “good return.” With its unique, item-level tracking capabilities, SIRAS even negates the need for a receipt as it empowers retailers to validate legitimate product returns, reduce shrink, eliminate the return of products that are out of warranty or past the retailer’s return period, or are just plain fraudulent.

Complementing even the most robust retailer POS systems, SIRAS tracks products at the serial number level, recording each individual product’s complete transaction history. This includes the manufacture ship to retail, the initial retail sale, the return attempt, the return, any possible re-sale of that item, and any return of that re-sale. When a return is attempted, the sales history of the product is systematically queried and retrieved, including original sale date, and retailer’s name and return policy expiration, giving the cashier all the information he or she needs to accept or decline the return.

PAGE 2

At the same time, recording this data also enables the retailer to execute and effortlessly manage multiple and/or variable return policies.

In the automotive aftermarket, SIRAS’s technology is already being employed to manage the return and warranty/replacement policies on sales of automotive batteries. Automotive battery warrantees often include replacement terms that extend many years after the initial sale, and the warranty of any replacement battery is intended to fall under the initial battery’s warranty. The warranty period was not intended to start over. But because it’s been almost impossible to link the replacement batteries to the initial sale, consumers can and do take advantage of this and continuously return batteries for replacement at no charge.

This costs retailers in several ways, not the least of which is lost sales.

SIRAS’s technology automatically links these initial sales and replacement events, making it easy for the retailer to put a stop to the “free battery for life” scenario – while still complying with the intent of the warranty program.

It’s very important to note that SIRAS’s technology does not record personal consumer information. It simply records the item’s unique identifier and the retailer’s information, including store location, transaction number, time and date of transaction and the cash register identification.

What sort of timelines and costs can retailers anticipate who are interested in utilizing the software?

SIRAS is not a software company. It is a service company. Our IT staff works with the retailer to integrate prompts into the existing POS system that trigger the cashier to enter a valid serial number (usually by scanning a barcode on the packaging) after a participating UPC is scanned. SIRAS works separately with product manufacturers to serialize and barcode products and packaging (if products are outer-wrapped) to streamline the POS capture. We also establish a data transfer protocol for the information to be sent to SIRAS’s secure servers.

Return and warranty management and validation is processed by SIRAS’s systems, freeing the retailer from the cumbersome data warehousing and policy programming efforts.

Retailer implementations vary based on scope of the project, so retailers should contact SIRAS directly for more information.

PAGE 3

SIRAS has a specific battery program. Any other automotive products that this technology will be applied to?

SIRAS’s technology can be applied to any product with a serial number or other unique identifier. Even if a product isn’t serialized today, SIRAS can work with the manufacturer to make products compliant for future application. This can include anything from automotive electronics, to automotive parts or other tools or gear.

What has been the consumer reaction to this software? Are store seeing positive sales results instead of returns?

This technology is relatively transparent to the consumer. At the point-of-sale a consumer will see an item they are purchasing being scanned twice (once for UPC and a second time for the serial number). Although this second scan takes only a moment, a consumer may inquire the cashier about it. Another part of the SIRAS program is printing the serial number of the item on the receipt. Consumers may also notice this new information added to the receipt, and the initial impact for a retailer is often a reduction in shrink and fraudulent return attempts because subversive employees and consumers are made quickly aware of product tracking.

Still, most consumers don’t notice the modification to the POS process at all.

At the return counter, the attendant simply scans the UPC and serial number barcodes. The SIRAS database is then accessed and any transaction information on that item appears on the cashier’s screen. The query, validation and response is done in sub-second time. If the return is within policy, the system advances and allows the transaction. If not, the cash register alerts the attendant and prevents the return. In addition, SIRAS provides specific information as to why the return was declined and provides the cashier and customer with additional information for resolution, including remaining warranty status and terms and the customer care number for applicable warranty servicer. For automotive batteries, where an item may not be eligible for a refunded return, and an exchange is allowable under the warranty, SIRAS guides the cashier accordingly. If an exchange transaction takes place, SIRAS captures the new item’s serial number and automatically appends to it the remaining warranty of the returned item.

The results of using SIRAS’s patented program have been extraordinary for retailers and manufacturers. The technology has been used extensively throughout the consumer electronics industry since the mid 1990’s. Originally, it was designed for Nintendo of America to help retailers gain control of the returns of gaming systems that were being returned outside of established terms. Since its inception, Nintendo’s returns are down by more than 70%.

Today, SIRAS is used across several product categories by some of the largest retailers in the world. Its use has results in hundreds of millions of dollars in savings annually for participating manufacturers and retailers.

Peter Junger is the president of SIRAS, a service provider that offers retailers the ability to track product sales and returns. Junger talks with Aftermarket Business World about the benefits of the technology and how it can be applied in the aftermarket.

What are the major benefits that SIRAS technology can provide to automotive retailers?

Regardless of industry, retailers have similar challenges when it comes to product returns. While most returns are legitimate, others involve products that are outside of the retailer’s return period or the manufacturer’s warranty period. And some are just plain fraudulent.

These illegitimate returns cost retailers (and manufacturers) untold millions, if not billions, of dollars every year in lost margin and lost sales opportunities. Why? Because retailers are fearful of losing customers due to the perception that they are inflexible on returns. So they bend over backwards to be accommodating.

SIRAS’s patented technology eliminates the guess work of determining a “good return.” With its unique, item-level tracking capabilities, SIRAS even negates the need for a receipt as it empowers retailers to validate legitimate product returns, reduce shrink, eliminate the return of products that are out of warranty or past the retailer’s return period, or are just plain fraudulent.

Complementing even the most robust retailer POS systems, SIRAS tracks products at the serial number level, recording each individual product’s complete transaction history. This includes the manufacture ship to retail, the initial retail sale, the return attempt, the return, any possible re-sale of that item, and any return of that re-sale. When a return is attempted, the sales history of the product is systematically queried and retrieved, including original sale date, and retailer’s name and return policy expiration, giving the cashier all the information he or she needs to accept or decline the return.

PAGE 2

At the same time, recording this data also enables the retailer to execute and effortlessly manage multiple and/or variable return policies.

In the automotive aftermarket, SIRAS’s technology is already being employed to manage the return and warranty/replacement policies on sales of automotive batteries. Automotive battery warrantees often include replacement terms that extend many years after the initial sale, and the warranty of any replacement battery is intended to fall under the initial battery’s warranty. The warranty period was not intended to start over. But because it’s been almost impossible to link the replacement batteries to the initial sale, consumers can and do take advantage of this and continuously return batteries for replacement at no charge.

This costs retailers in several ways, not the least of which is lost sales.

SIRAS’s technology automatically links these initial sales and replacement events, making it easy for the retailer to put a stop to the “free battery for life” scenario – while still complying with the intent of the warranty program.

It’s very important to note that SIRAS’s technology does not record personal consumer information. It simply records the item’s unique identifier and the retailer’s information, including store location, transaction number, time and date of transaction and the cash register identification.

What sort of timelines and costs can retailers anticipate who are interested in utilizing the software?

SIRAS is not a software company. It is a service company. Our IT staff works with the retailer to integrate prompts into the existing POS system that trigger the cashier to enter a valid serial number (usually by scanning a barcode on the packaging) after a participating UPC is scanned. SIRAS works separately with product manufacturers to serialize and barcode products and packaging (if products are outer-wrapped) to streamline the POS capture. We also establish a data transfer protocol for the information to be sent to SIRAS’s secure servers.

Return and warranty management and validation is processed by SIRAS’s systems, freeing the retailer from the cumbersome data warehousing and policy programming efforts.

Retailer implementations vary based on scope of the project, so retailers should contact SIRAS directly for more information.

PAGE 3

SIRAS has a specific battery program. Any other automotive products that this technology will be applied to?

SIRAS’s technology can be applied to any product with a serial number or other unique identifier. Even if a product isn’t serialized today, SIRAS can work with the manufacturer to make products compliant for future application. This can include anything from automotive electronics, to automotive parts or other tools or gear.

What has been the consumer reaction to this software? Are store seeing positive sales results instead of returns?

This technology is relatively transparent to the consumer. At the point-of-sale a consumer will see an item they are purchasing being scanned twice (once for UPC and a second time for the serial number). Although this second scan takes only a moment, a consumer may inquire the cashier about it. Another part of the SIRAS program is printing the serial number of the item on the receipt. Consumers may also notice this new information added to the receipt, and the initial impact for a retailer is often a reduction in shrink and fraudulent return attempts because subversive employees and consumers are made quickly aware of product tracking.

Still, most consumers don’t notice the modification to the POS process at all.

At the return counter, the attendant simply scans the UPC and serial number barcodes. The SIRAS database is then accessed and any transaction information on that item appears on the cashier’s screen. The query, validation and response is done in sub-second time. If the return is within policy, the system advances and allows the transaction. If not, the cash register alerts the attendant and prevents the return. In addition, SIRAS provides specific information as to why the return was declined and provides the cashier and customer with additional information for resolution, including remaining warranty status and terms and the customer care number for applicable warranty servicer. For automotive batteries, where an item may not be eligible for a refunded return, and an exchange is allowable under the warranty, SIRAS guides the cashier accordingly. If an exchange transaction takes place, SIRAS captures the new item’s serial number and automatically appends to it the remaining warranty of the returned item.

The results of using SIRAS’s patented program have been extraordinary for retailers and manufacturers. The technology has been used extensively throughout the consumer electronics industry since the mid 1990’s. Originally, it was designed for Nintendo of America to help retailers gain control of the returns of gaming systems that were being returned outside of established terms. Since its inception, Nintendo’s returns are down by more than 70%.

Today, SIRAS is used across several product categories by some of the largest retailers in the world. Its use has results in hundreds of millions of dollars in savings annually for participating manufacturers and retailers.

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