Soft Solutions

Soft Solutions' Vision

Information systems one step beyond market changes

In the current context of retail changes, the Information System must efficiently lead in process and retailer's evolution. Considering the first challenge as merging activities from the various channels into a single synchronized activity, the IT system must not be limited to adapt and even drive changes by proposing best practices from the market. The most relevant situation is the current trend for GM in Europe of adding a commute (order on the internet, drive to a store and pick up the purchase in the next hour) channel to its store business format. Each banner has a different approach that is both driven by need and limitations of their systems:

• Build a web store for customers to access your whole assortment and allocate a dedicated taskforce to pick products directly in your stores. This choice is often due to limitations of both systems and resources and does not allow any management of supply and products availability.
• Build a dedicated channel fully separated from the store. This choice is often related to an actual will of pushing on the media but limitations in information management and centralization between stores and drive. As a result, stocks are fully separated, no optimization can be done and policy and information are duplicated with the whole risk of inconsistency.
• Build a dedicated channel in collaboration with stores. This choice is the most ambitious but the most efficient. It requires a fully common information management (MDM and supply) to authorize building a strong sales policy without cannibalization, and optimize stock management. Channels can then be complementary.

the ongoing battle for information

As we can see in the above case, the control of information is still the ground for any IS policy. Moreover, with the changes in business today and the mix between channels and communication media, the availability of information is a pre-requisite to build a strong strategy and strengthen positions on the market.

“SOFT SOLUTIONS PROVIDES THE WHOLE SET OF SOLUTIONS TO MANAGE SUCH COMPLEX AND CHANGING CONTEXT, SUPPORTING THE MULTI-CHANNEL CONSUMER-CENTRIC STRATEGY
FOR TOP RETAILERS.”