Holiday seasons are notable for the feelings of change that surround them.
Regardless of what else may be going on in our lives, our mood is changed – usually for the better – knowing that time dedicated to family, friends and celebration is around the corner. And after the holidays have passed, this shift in mood can stay with us for several weeks.
The reason I bring up the holiday season, just an inkling into September, is because holiday preparations are in full and frantic swing for many companies.
In the past, we have talked a lot about how companies in the manufacturing industry depend on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to reduce costs and increase efficiency. But these companies represent just a portion of the types of industries that benefit from ERP software.
To-Increase, recently wrote Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail for the Microsoft Dynamics Community blog. Within, we discusses the concept of ‘Connected Retail,’ or essentially, a bridge connecting consumer preferences with retail supplies. The idea behind Connected Retail is that consumers feel like they are purchasing products uniquely geared towards their wants and needs while still enjoying mass marketing pricing.
To achieve the Connected Retail model, supply chains must run lean and flexible with manufacturers carrying more of the stock risk. While this is a goal for retailers regardless of the economic climate, it is a goal far more difficult to achieve during times of recovery, marked by volatile pricing and shifting consumer loyalties.
ERP software solutions, like Microsoft Dynamics, can help retailers achieve this retail model by:
- Streamlining and managing customer information
- Helping leverage local tastes to stock shelves with niche products
- Realizing and fine tuning for local market specifications – on a daily basis
Full disclosure – Microsoft Dynamics is one of our primary offerings at To-Increase, so forgive me if I sound a bit biased towards this particular ERP software solution.
But another piece of full disclosure – each day I see everyone from manufacturers to retailers benefit from this software. In so doing, I also see the struggles they experience before they made the change.
We are moving closer to a defining holiday season for the retail industry. I encourage retailers to take heart in the lessons imparted in this article, and realize there is still time this year to make the changes that will control how they are defined in this year’s holiday marketplace.
If you are ready to learn more about Microsoft Dynamics AX, I’d be happy to share more.
Simply leave a question via a comment below or register for a complimentary demo on this post’s sidebar.
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Excellent article for new software users like me who want to learn about what software is available. There appears to be so much to know that it is overwhelming, but resources like this really help. Cheers!