Retail

 

Preparing Retail IT for a Flat World

Monolithic, fragmented and inflexible legacy systems prevent retailers from realizing the promise of a global marketplace. Retailers need to transform their IT environment to reflect the dynamics of a flattening world. They must build... an IT organization with a dynamic and enabling delivery model, incorporating elements of centralization and decentralization, and devoid of legacy issues. This white paper demonstrates how IT can help retailers compete in a flattening world. Enterprise Performance Management

Establishing a Business Intelligence (BI) Self-Service Platform

The implementation of a self-service Business Intelligence platform is a daunting task. Its benefits, however, are substantial and influence the performance of everyone in the organization. Find out how a self-service Business Intelligence platform can be enabled effectively.

Performance Management (PM) - The Key to Successful c-Commerce Relationship

Providing Business Intelligence capabilities to suppliers is imperative to enable c-Commerce across a value chain. However, access to information is not sufficient in itself. The key to a successful c-Commerce relationship lies in strong performance management.

Business Intelligence (BI) Governance

Given the limitations of people, infrastructure and budget, companies must classify and prioritize their business requests, which in turn, require them to implement a formal IT governance process. However, to prioritize Business Intelligence (BI) requests along specific criteria, they... need a BI Governance process. How is a BI Governance process defined? Why should it go beyond the basics of approving and prioritizing initiatives?

Effective Visualization Technique for Business Intelligence (BI) - Clickable Mock-ups

Effective Business Intelligence (BI) can help companies gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting their business, enabling them to make informed business decisions. To achieve this, organizations use BI... applications or technologies to analyze information from external and internal sources. This information can help companies get a better understanding of changing trends in the market, customer behavior and spending patterns, empowering managers to make informed business decisions for better results. However, while BI vendors have developed software tools to gather and analyze large quantities of data, it is difficult to obtain the correct business requirements that guide metric definition and analysis. This paper examines why this happens and shows how visual representation of requirements using clickable mock-ups can provide an effective way to overcome the problem. Logistics Optimization

Leveraging Internal Visibility to Reduce Item Landed Cost

Traditional approaches that help companies reduce landed costs focus on the symptoms and not the causes of the problem. If a company views transportation as a problem area, it may implement a Transportation Management System (TMS), expecting... it to curtail creeping landed costs. While any TMS streamlines transportation procurement and generates optimal loads and routes, it is constrained by inputs. This paper goes beyond the symptoms contributing to landed cost and, instead, examines underlying factors to provide a solution. While the reasons for a rise in transportation spend, such as rising fuel costs and external supply chain visibility, are well known, the oft-overlooked causes pertain to organizational behavior. Infosys' Logistics Optimization (LogO) solution, which ensures internal visibility coupled with collaboration, can go a long way in addressing this issue. Master Data Management

Global Data Synchronization Alone is Not Enough

A comprehensive approach to ensure accuracy of item data helps realize benefits from global data synchronization and also provides a springboard for the success of initiatives related to RFID, micro-merchandizing, price optimization and multi-channel and vendor collaboration. Merchandise Optimization

Store Clustering - More Than One Right Answer

Retailers need to focus on customer retention due to intense competition. While sophisticated clustering tools provide market insight, retailers are often unable to choose the right clustering approach. This white paper explains how... a clustering approach is effective only if it addresses a retailer's business objectives. It demonstrates how the right clustering approach - by performance benchmarking, price optimization, and assortment and space planning - can meet these objectives.

Shrink Management

Better use of technology can tackle shrink, from mitigating theft to POS error reduction. The reasons behind shrink are varied, depending on the kinds of product and clientele. In this paper we provide an approach that ensures... diligence in identifying the primary causes of shrink before proceeding to mitigate them, thus ensuring maximum return on investment.

Using Advanced Category Analytics to Fuel Consumer-Centric Merchandising

The age-old question "Who is buying what, when, where and why, and what will they want tomorrow?" will always exist in the retail-distributor-manufacturer chain. The challenge is to learn as much... as possible, as quickly as possible, and as accurately as possible, and about consumers' shopping habits and to effect changes that will influence consumers to buy specific products within specific categories, shaping predictable demand patterns.

Collaboration in Category Management

Collaboration in category management has become a business requirement. It provides retail and CPG companies the agility to react quickly and effectively to rapid changes in consumer tastes and behavior. Multi-Channel Commerce

Click 'n' Mortar: Achieving Multi-Channel Integration

This paper provides insights into multi-channel retailing based on client experiences and provides recommendations for building a customer-centric retail enterprise.

Enabling Productive Searches for Consumers in a Multi-Channel Commerce Environment

In multi-channel commerce, searches must ideally generate instant and accurate results for consumers seeking products, content or services – across channels. However, the 'perfect' search is usually elusive due to diversity of systems, applications, databases and platforms.... Multi-channel retailers must adopt an integrated approach to provide consumers the information they need at the first pass.

Harnessing the Power of Web 2.0 in Online Retail

Traditional retailers with a growing online presence as well as pure-play online retailers are all coping with similar challenges in the face of competitive pressures: the need to differentiate... themselves, expand reach to the consumer, improve conversion and sustain customer loyalty.

This paper is the second of two parts. This paper provides insights into an implementation roadmap for the Web 2.0 principles and technologies that retailers can choose.

Multi-Channel Retailing Goes Mainstream

This paper provides insights into multi-channel retailing based on client experiences and provides recommendations for building a customer-centric retail enterprise.

Presenting a Great Gifting Experience with Registries

Gift registries – where people expecting gifts on special occasions make and share wish lists with friends and families – are a major revenue stream and marketing tool for multi-channel retailers.... By using appropriate methodologies to understand and address needs of the registrant and the gift giver for a great shopping experience, deploying best-of-breed systems and seamlessly integrating them with in-store and online systems, retailers can maximize benefits from their investment.

Reverse Logistics Management: Turning the Misery of Product Returns into a Strategic Differentiator in Multi-Channel Commerce

The retail industry seeks to satisfy consumer demand with a range of products and variants. Ironically, the myriad choices elevate consumer expectations to such high levels that the slightest variation in product attributes cause dissatisfaction and returns.... In their quest to compete with traditional retailers and overcome the challenge of physical connect with shoppers, online retailers have adopted extremely liberal, high-cost return policies. A focused approach to reverse logistics management can improve back-office operations, efficiency, customer experience and brand loyalty.

Demand Management in a Multi-Channel Commerce Environment - How Complex is it?

As customers and business partners get more demanding, manufacturers are under pressure to get their orders right when it comes to delivery. Customers want the 'perfect order' - the correct product sent and delivered... on time in perfect condition. A company's ability to forecast demand can help in such a scenario as it will be able to stock products based on demand-driven customer requirements. However, in today's multi-channel commerce (MCC) environment, forecasting demand has become a complex process. This paper examines the steps an organization can take to manage demand more effectively.

Retail Multi and Cross Channel Fulfillment: The Challenges and Requirements

In a multi-brand, multi-channel business environment, retailers are challenged to deliver a seamless shopping experience. The challenges span item data management, merchandising, customer marketing, pricing... and promotions, order capture and supply chain fulfillment. Multi-Channel Retailing has gained board level visibility because of its strategic benefits, scope of impact and level of investment required. It has been well documented that online consumers typically shop across channels, spend more money per visit, are significantly more profitable and tend to be early adopters of technology. However, the perception of multi-channel windfall profits may be slowing according to a 2007 benchmark report by RSAG entitled "The State of Multi-Channel Fulfillment". If this perception proves true, companies must provide superior customer service to all their customers, not only from the e-commerce side, but also from the DC to the door step . However, designing a multi-channel commerce (MCC) solution has its challenges that can impact the entire supply chain.

Harnessing the power of Web 2.0 in online retail - Part 2

Traditional retailers with online presence as well as pure-play online retailers are coping with similar challenges in the face of competitive pressures: the need to differentiate themselves, expand reach to the... consumer, improve conversion, and sustain customer loyalty. Web 2.0 - the next-generation open standards web technologies and frameworks - can help retailers address these challenges. Pharmacy Retail

Plugging Retail Pharmacy Revenue Leaks

With rising insurance-driven revenues, pharmacies need to ensure that they receive payments at contractually agreed rates. Non-compliance with this prerequisite results in 2%-4% leakage in pharmacy third-party revenues.... Given the complexity of the pharmacy business, identifying and preventing revenue leakage is a challenge. This paper offers insights and approaches to better third-party pharmacy revenue management.

The Right Pharmacy Management System

The benefits of pharmacy management systems include automating processes, streamlining workflow and enhancing customer base. However, choices are tough with limited products and the high cost of customized solutions. This paper offers guidelines for selecting the right system.

Improving the Online Pharmacy Experience

An improved online pharmacy experience helps pharmacy retailers in several ways, enabling them to attract new customers, enhance customer loyalty and increase sales of prescription drugs, services and front-end items. This paper identifies... some of the common pitfalls seen in a typical online pharmacy operation and lists some additional services that can provide a unique, unified and seamless customer experience. Revenue Optimization

Enabling Enhanced Consumer-Centric Pricing

Price optimization solutions provide a scientific approach to help retailers improve margins and increase sales. Insights into strategies, methodologies and best practices in price optimization can help retailers mitigate risks in implementing these solutions and also maximize benefits. RFID and Pervasive Technologies

Impact of RFID/EPC-based Information Visibility

With large retailers adopting RFID, there has been a knee-jerk response from retailers under pressure to comply. There is immense value to be derived from RFID through timely sharing of accurate information between trading partners.... This value can be realized by understanding the nature of RFID information and sharing and quantifying its impact.

Real-Time Information for the Pervasive Enterprise

Pervasive technologies provide real-time visibility, transforming the way companies make decisions. However, only certain architecture helps leverage these technologies to transform an organization into a pervasive enterprise. Store Execution Excellence

Integrating Task Management and Labor Scheduling to Boost Store Productivity

Store task management aims to streamline workflow and communication between the corporate and stores, and optimize and drive execution compliance. While it helps improve customer shopping experience, ensuring that it does not impact labor costs is a challenge.... Can this challenge be met by integrating task management with labor scheduling?

Successful Store Execution – A Holistic Approach

Successful store execution involves selling profitably and satisfying customers, while keeping store associates motivated. However, retailers’ in-store efforts and investments have traditionally been piecemeal and disorganized.... Store execution excellence can be achieved only by adopting a holistic approach. Supply - Demand Synchronization

Increasing Consumer-Centricity by Reducing Cycle Time

Global sourcing presents benefits as well as challenges for apparel and footwear companies. In this landscape, retailers need to explore ways to reduce cycle-times and change merchandise assortments to match consumer... demand. The approach adopted include implementation of new PLM, planning and execution systems. This paper discusses the capabilities required for product development, planning and execution to address the cycle-time problem.

Infosys Supply Chain Transformation Solutions

The Flat World has created opportunities as well as challenges. Networked operations are placing enormous demands on businesses due to the emergence of new markets. The efficient planning, implementation and control of supply chain operations... in such a scenario is the key to success. To ensure this, organizations need to achieve supply chain visibility, secure demand-supply synchronization and reduce landed costs. This paper examines how Infosys' Supply Chain Transformation solutions help businesses achieve these objectives.