Unimaginable Gratitude: The JEDI Challenge
As we approach Thanksgiving week and the 2021 holiday season, The Parker Avery Group wrapped up what may be the most important project in our firm’s almost 15 years. It wasn’t for a multibillion-dollar global retailer. It wasn’t a strategic supply chain software implementation spanning [...]
Retail Employee Engagement: Three Key Factors
With the holiday shopping surge fast approaching, supply chain issues a top concern, and the stark realization that retailers are still struggling to fill holes in their store labor schedules, it is paramount that retail employee engagement is given top priority. Retailers need to [...]
Delivering Success: A Best-of-Breed Approach to Change Management
Back in our July newsletter, we proclaimed that “software is not your solution.” We received some interesting feedback from our technology partners and colleagues, but we meant it. It is our steadfast belief that regardless of vendor reputation, strength of functionality, and the number of [...]
The Bright Future of Brick-and-Mortar Retail: Four Key Drivers
Amazon’s continued move into brick-and-mortar (aka physical) retail can be seen as further proof that the terminal demise of the physical store has been slightly—if not largely—exaggerated. Rather, brick-and-mortar retail is evolving to meet new customer expectations and address the continuous change in the overall retail [...]
The Demand Intelligence Advantage
Driven by deep retail and CPG industry expertise, Demand Intelligence is Parker Avery’s software-as-a-service demand planning platform powered by the latest in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. But it seems like every software company in the industry touts this same story. On a recent “Talk Retail to Me” [...]
Groceryshop 2021: Omnichannel, Wellness, Sustainability, and Supply Chain
Last week, we had the privilege of presenting at the Groceryshop conference in Las Vegas. This four-day event was filled with great content and insights from grocery and CPG industry leaders, as well as research firms. Best of all: it was in person! The conference [...]
Launching a Best-in-Class Analytics Solution
When I joined Parker Avery in 2014, we started discussing bringing in analytics capabilities to complement the firm’s already best-in-class services around merchandising, omnichannel, and supply chain for retail and CPG brands. Parker Avery’s expertise in business processes, systems, and change management was well known, allowing [...]
Project Planning: Four Considerations for Data Readiness
One of the most overlooked aspects that can have significant impact on project estimations and timelines is client data readiness. If proper analysis of data availability and cleanliness is not factored into the overall timeline, project estimates will become woefully underestimated. In this post, Senior [...]
True Business Transformation Needs Change Management
A few weeks ago, Parker Avery blogged about the key distinction between software and solutions. We suggested that despite the proclamations of most technology vendors, software alone will not solve business challenges. Solutions will. This week, we take a different perspective on that same theme [...]
Organizational Culture: Leaning on Strength
Most will agree, this is a tough time of year on multiple fronts. It’s almost the end of summer, and many are returning from what may have been their first family vacation in well over a year. Recent unsettling world events and back to school [...]
Software is Not Your Solution
Through many conversations with Parker Avery clients and technology partners, as well as in industry articles about the latest innovations and technologies, the words solution, system, and software are used interchangeably. Despite what most technology vendors proclaim, neither software nor a system alone will solve your business [...]
How COVID Changed the Role of the CIO
Recently Parker Avery's CEO Robert Kaufman was interviewed by a media analyst about how COVID changed the role of the CIO. We all know the global pandemic brought about severe changes in most industries. However, to a large extent, the focus was on how things [...]
Considerations for Remote Software Selection Projects
A few weeks ago, Partner Amanda Astrologo and Senior Manager Julie Cheney were featured on Parker Avery’s “Talk Retail to Me” podcast, where they discussed remote software selection projects. The two retail experts provided their perspectives on how software selections have changed since the onset [...]
Opportunities Backed up with Belief
“The best opportunities are the opportunities that are backed up with belief.” ~ Coach Mike Krzyzewski Although Clay and I are die-hard Georgia Tech fans, having spent our college years toiling on the Flats, last week, I took a moment to watch a portion of Coach K’s retirement [...]
Facing Reality: Which System Implementation Activities Should Not Be Done Remotely
Recently, Principal Marty Anderson and Senior Manager Russ Smith got together on Parker Avery’s “Talk Retail to Me” podcast to discuss how system implementation projects changed over the past year due to the myriad of global and national disruptions. During the podcast, the two experts [...]
Driving Success in 2021
As we quickly approach the summer season, our retail and consumer goods clients are increasingly becoming more optimistic about their prospects for a successful 2021. With many parts of the country progressing in getting the COVID pandemic under control and as personal freedoms return, we are [...]
AI Adoption in Supply Chain Planning
This past Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of joining panel of analytics and supply chain experts on the Clubhouse social media platform for a discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in supply chain planning. The panel included Jay Koganti—Vice President Supply Chain COE at [...]
Demystifying the Centralized Demand Signal
A couple weeks ago, Parker Avery's Chief Analytics Officer Sam Iosevich and Partner Amanda Astrologo participated in a CGT webinar where they discussed the benefits of a centralized demand signal. Over the last few months, Parker Avery has helped several clients realize tremendous improvements from [...]
Analytics: A Win-Win Approach
Recently on Parker Avery’s Talk Retail to Me," podcast, our Chief Analytics Officer, Sam Iosevich, and his long-time colleague, George Arutyunyants discussed George’s continuous journey through advanced analytics. As the firm’s Senior Director of Analytics, George explained how Parker Avery uses a win-win approach to analytics [...]
Gaining Proficiency Through Virtual Learning
Training alone does not lead to proficiency. There must be intentional knowledge transfer and sustainment activities. A few weeks ago, a few of our change management and training experts got together on Parker Avery's podcast, "Talk Retail to Me," and discussed the quick evolution [...]
2021: The Year of Collaborative Decisiveness
Retailers and consumer brands cannot rely solely on past performance to predict the future. This tenet has always been true, but 2020 and the pandemic have intensified the focus and accelerated the need for self-reflection and change. Key Focus Areas [...]
Overcoming Resistance to Change
A few weeks ago, on our “Talk Retail to Me” podcast, Parker Avery’s change leader Kathi Toll interviewed change management expert Carrie Habel. The two retail veterans discussed how company leaders can understand and address their teams’ and their own resistance to change. This week’s blog [...]
A Game-Changing Advanced Analytics Solution
On a recent Parker Avery “Talk Retail to Me” podcast episode, Chief Analytics Officer Sam Iosevich discussed Parker Avery's advanced analytics solution development efforts with the firm's Director of Solutions Architecture, Leo Greyz. Leo is enhancing Parker Avery’s “Results as a Service” (RaaS) offering and bringing it to [...]
More than Success: ROI Significance
We talk often about change management for our clients, but last Friday, The Parker Avery Group sponsored an event that has the ability to truly change the world: the RetailROI (Retail Orphan Initiative) SuperFriday Virtual Event. Spearheaded by Greg Buzek, Founder and President of IHL [...]
2021 Focus Areas for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers
Despite the hesitancy of many consumers to venture back into brick-and-mortar stores in the waning weeks of 2020, the industry realized that physical shopping channels—while undeniably and forever altered—are indeed here to stay. Recently, we were asked by several media analysts about the future of [...]