Retailer Expects Strong Results from Best-of-Breed Merchandising Solution

Parker Avery guided this global footwear retailer in assessing options and selecting a best-of-breed solution set to improve retail planning, allocation, and size/pack optimization capabilities

Vendor Short List Identified

Merchandising Systems Assessed

Best-of-Breed Solution Set Selected

Client Challenge

This global retailer designs, produces, and distributes quality, on-trend footwear and accessories with multiple banners and varied distribution points. The company was using a legacy merchandise financial planning (MFP) system, but other activities were performed using a proliferation of spreadsheets. The company recognized this practice was highly inefficient, given their global business model.

The client had initiated an effort to select software to update its retail planning, allocation, and size/pack processes. The retailer desired objective expertise and a structured, proven approach to navigate them through the retail system selection demonstration and evaluation process.

Parker Avery Solution

Parker Avery provided guidance, industry and solution expertise, and a neutral perspective throughout the solution selection initiative. Given a tight timeframe, Parker Avery’s activities and deliverables included:

Reviewed RFP and vendor responses and narrowed to a vendor shortlist
Developed demonstration agendas
Identified and wrote relevant demonstration scripts for MFP, assortment and item planning, allocation, and size/pack optimization
Defined meaningful client data and prepared client participants and vendors for the demos
Prepared evaluation scoring approach and configured Parker Avery’s online feedback tool to quickly manage responses from over 25 client attendees across four vendors
Compiled feedback results and assisted in assessing vendor performance upon demo completion
Evaluated vendor approaches to implementation strategy, timeline, and resources
Analyzed costs, risks, and stakeholder preferences for each solution provider

Results

Using a best-of-breed approach, the client selected two vendor applications as the solution set across the four capability areas. One vendor will provide planning and allocation capabilities, while the other will handle size/pack optimization. The client expects to achieve better use, placement, and visibility of inventory, improved assortment offerings, improved data accuracy, and reduction of manual activities.

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