Project Description
Comprehensive support for the implementation of a new price optimization solution to support strategic zone pricing capabilities.
The Client
A $6.7B+ multi-channel retailer of pet products and services with more than 1,300 stores in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
The Challenge
Client leadership recognized the need to improve the sophistication of their regular retail pricing processes and wished to capture the margin benefits of zone-based pricing. The client had selected a solution to replace their aging price optimization software suite and enable the desired capabilities. The new solution would help the client greatly enhance their regular price optimization and management processes; however, the client did not have the internal bandwidth or skills required to successfully implement the solution and capabilities.
Furthermore, the client needed help identifying and minimizing potential negative customer perception impacts resulting from the pricing changes.
The Parker Avery Solution
The Parker Avery Group provided industry expertise and led discovery activities, business process design and change management / training activities to ensure successful implementation of the new price optimization solution. Specific accomplishments included:
- Facilitated technical and discovery sessions to review data and system infrastructure and to identify required transformations and gaps
- Led business process design, including future state processes, roles & responsibilities and timing for domestic, international, and e-commerce divisions
- Managed system configuration workshops to determine all required configuration decisions and document them for future review
- Coordinated change management and training activities including strategy development, enterprise communications, training materials design and documentation, as well as delivery of end user training
- Developed user acceptance testing (UAT) plans and oversaw system testing
- Supported the client through implementation and roll-out
- Provided guidance to manage potential customer impacts
The Result
The new price optimization solution was ready for deployment one month ahead of the initial project timeline. After full implementation of the software and integration of new business processes are complete, the client expects to achieve a margin increase of $22M a year, translating to project ROI of more than 600%.