The challenge
Store representatives needed to place orders while working directly with products on a shop floor. The existing approach separated the visit from the eventual order entry, creating an extra step and an opportunity to copy product information incorrectly. VARO wanted a tablet application that could turn a barcode scan into an order line and carry the completed order into the established Navision process.
Role and responsibility
As lead developer, David designed and built the Android tablet application, its barcode workflow and the connection to the operational systems behind it. The assignment covered the full path from physical product interaction to submitted order: device interface, local data, product identification, order composition and ERP hand-off all had to work as one understandable flow.
A tablet-first field workflow
The application was designed specifically for tablets used during store visits. The larger mobile format gave representatives space to review product and order information while remaining portable enough to use around shelves. Xamarin and .NET supplied the application foundation and made it possible to structure the field workflow around familiar .NET development practices.
The interface kept the main actions close together: identify a product, add it to the order, review quantities and prepare the order for submission.
Barcode input and local data
Barcode scanning connected the physical product to its digital record without requiring representatives to type references manually. SQLite provided the local data layer used by the application to manage product and order state on the device. This separation allowed the tablet to handle the interaction in progress before passing a completed business action to the connected systems.
The combination made repeated product entry faster and reduced avoidable transcription between a shelf label and an order screen.
Connecting orders to Navision
The mobile application did not create a separate fulfilment process. Its Navision integration carried completed orders into the ERP-backed workflow already used by the business. The integration boundary translated the tablet’s order data into the format expected by the operational system and kept field activity connected to the same source used by internal teams.
This meant the mobility improvement could be introduced without replacing the processes that followed order capture.
Result
VARO’s representatives gained a direct path from scanning products in a store to submitting an order. The tablet experience brought product identification, order composition and ERP hand-off into one field workflow. Xamarin, .NET, SQLite and Navision provided a focused solution that reduced duplicate entry and made ordering better suited to the location where the commercial work actually happened.