RedPrairie Thought Piece

May 27, 2009

Building a Platform for Retail Success

Point solutions have failed to change the retail equation. An integrated approach is needed for real differentiation.

ERP vendors have long extolled claims that purchasing their mega-suites will magically make all your integration problems go away.

The reality – even their own suites have multiple file structures and data models that must be interfaced, not to mention the many interfaces to external systems such as RF technology, material handling equipment, parcel manifesting systems, etc. The other reality – Best of Breed providers have had pre-built interfaces, certified by the ERP vendors, to the major ERP suites for years. The result – not only is the supposed ERP integration advantage a myth, the ERP vendors are actually well behind Best of Breed vendors in integration technology and experience – and the gap is widening.

This problem is most evident within the retail store. With the increasing importance of promotions and pricing strategies to revenue goals, the amount of corporately assigned tasks store managers must work into staffing schedules, while also accounting for the expected uplift in traffic these programs produce, has become overwhelming. Therefore, this is an excellent area to begin building an integrated approach to retail systems support.

Read more about Building a Platform for Retail Success (PDF, 332KB)

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