VusionGroup is the global leader in retail IoT and digital solutions, such as smart shelf labels, computer vision, and AI for sustainable, human-centered commerce. They empower over 350 major retailers across 60 countries to turn physical stores into connected, data-driven assets.
As the business grew, they started looking more closely at how Procurement was operating day to day. They weren’t trying to reinvent everything, just make sure the process could keep pace with new priorities, more tools, and more people involved. What they needed was a way to bring more clarity and control to what was already in motion.
Types of tools used
CRM, Contract Management, Project Management & Collaboration, Visual Collaboration, Enterprise Resource Planning
Before Najar
Manual sourcing process for new tools took time and effort
Some tools were purchased outside the process
Limited visibility into pricing benchmarks
Internal teams, mainly IT, managed vendor discussions
Growing software costs with room for optimisation
After Najar
Faster, leaner process with structured coordination
Full visibility across all SaaS tools
Access to benchmarks and stronger negotiation power
Expert buyer managing supplier relationships saving 25% of an internal FTE
25% cost savings and a 10x return in one year
Purchases were manual and some tools were bought outside the process
VusionGroup had a Procurement process in place, supported by internal ticketing and ERP systems. But it wasn’t fully automated or standardised. When a team needed a new solution, the approach was manual: sourcing one or two vendors and comparing offers. While it worked, it pulled bandwidth from internal teams, especially IT, and slowed down execution.
“We were just trying to find one or two vendors that could meet our needs and then doing a small round of affair with them.”
In parallel, shadow IT had started to take hold. Some teams were purchasing SaaS tools independently, outside the Procurement process, making it hard to track usage or ensure alignment with broader IT strategy.
“What I mean by shadow IT is all the different internal users that could have purchased on their own different softwares… cloud-based solutions… which we didn’t have some view of.”
Although the IT team handled negotiations well, they had limited access to broader market insights. With SaaS spend rising, they suspected there was still room to optimise pricing and decisions. They also knew they’d need to expand their tech stack, and evaluating new tools, aligning stakeholders, and negotiating terms would be a growing strain on internal resources.
Ultimately, they weren’t looking to rebuild their process from scratch, they just needed more control, smarter sourcing, and expert support to scale effectively.
Step into the cockpit of financial excellence
Procurement got faster, leaner, and easier to manage
Once VusionGroup started working with Najar, they were assigned a dedicated expert IT buyer who quickly became an extension of the internal team. Najar’s IT buyer understood VusionGroup’s expectations, adapted to the internal rhythm, and made negotiations faster and more structured. With a single point of contact handling supplier discussions, legal coordination, and approvals, the process became leaner, more predictable, and less time-consuming for internal teams.
“We’ve had our own dedicated purchaser at Najar who truly understood who we are and what our expectations are. That gave us a very lean process and a better way to respond quickly to all our business needs. We have someone supporting us from A to Z in negotiations, who is very flexible with his schedule and his way of working, both with internal teams and external partners.”
“I think one of the key strengths was this capacity to dedicate human resources, especially one purchaser who was really close to our expectations, close to our needs. And that helped us try to find the best solutions for us.”
But behind the scenes, the support didn’t stop there.
In parallel, VusionGroup also worked closely with a dedicated Customer Success Manager, someone focused on long-term strategy, alignment across teams, and making sure Procurement continued to deliver business value over time.
Smarter sourcing and full visibility paid off fast
By routing new purchases and renewals through Najar, VusionGroup gained visibility into every tool in use, reducing shadow IT and surfacing opportunities for negotiation.
“Now, with Najar, we’re able to better anticipate and get a clear overview of what we’re actually using.”
This visibility translated into concrete wins. For example, during a major security software renewal (around €200k), Najar created a competitive environment between several resellers, ultimately securing €70k in savings, proof that the right approach to negotiation could deliver real, measurable value.
And with access to pricing insights and negotiation support, they achieved meaningful results: 25% cost savings on overall IT spend, a 25% drop in internal time spent on Procurement and an ROI of 10x in a year.
“The main asset of this partnership is Najar's capacity of anticipating negotiation and renegotiation, and having the capacity of getting better prices.”
Procurement became easier for teams and better for the business
Having the right structure is one thing. Making it work smoothly across different departments is another. What changed for VusionGroup wasn’t just how Procurement worked, but how well it fit into the day-to-day of the teams involved. With a clearer process and the right support behind it, Procurement no longer slowed things down. It became something teams could rely on, whether they were buying something new or simply planning ahead.
“The relationship with Najar helped us be better in our day-to-day job because Najar has taken over tasks we were doing before that took a lot of time. Now we can really focus on what matters: strategic IT, project execution, and so on.”
Procurement at VusionGroup continues to be embedded across departments, aligned with business goals, and ready to scale with the company’s growth.
