By Joe Skorupa
Marking an X on the calendar for a go-live date is a big deal for any retailer. Leading up to the date, the CIO and members of the IT team work around the clock or are on call 24/7. When the date arrives it means testing is over, the switch is flipped, and the enterprise hums along oblivious to the fact that a major back-end system has been replaced.
It's a high-wire act and something CIOs should be proud of. Unfortunately, a go-live doesn't get much notice outside the four walls of the company doing it. There are lots of reasons for this including fear of the big what-if scenario. What if it doesn't work and the business of the enterprise doesn't hum along when the switch is flipped?
However, CIOs and technology have come a long way in the last 10 years, and ways to avoid the what-if scenario have become fairly (but not completely) bulletproof.
So, in an effort to bring a measure of recognition to retailers who have successfully performed recent go-lives, this is the first of a series of stories covering the subject.
As mentioned, announcements about go-lives aren't widely distributed, but they can be found if you look hard enough through media interviews and quarterly earnings filings. Based on these publicly available resources, here is a list of 10 major retail Oracle go-lives in the last 12 months.
A.C. Moore: This mid-size retailer had a go-live on Oracle Retail merchandising applications to help increase sell-through of seasonal merchandise and derive more value from customer visits. The applications use a hosted and Managed Application Solution (MAS) model, and are installed and managed on Oracle Enterprise Linux to provide a more flexible, reliable, and cost-effective solution.
Abercrombie & Fitch: This apparel all-star will open more of the company's thriving Hollister brand stores this year, complete with new IBM registers running on Linux and using the Oracle application server and database on the back-end. The new POS solution is part of a broader transformation program that will implement Oracle Retail's merchandising, planning, supply chain and stores solutions while also licensing Oracle technology and back-office capabilities.
Dress Barn: The specialty retailer implements the Oracle Retail Merchandising System and Oracle Retail Data Warehouse. According to Dress Barn, the Oracle Retail systems have helped increase same-store sales through improved buying, allocation and inventory planning decisions. "We required a partner that would provide a solid IT foundation to help us support growth for many years," says Dress Barn CEO David Jaffe. "Oracle understood our retail environment and helped us make our operations more efficient."
El Corte Ingles: Spain's largest retail group implements Oracle Retail planning applications to support expansion plans and increase profitability through enhanced product lifecycle management. The chain has 99 department stores in Spain and Portugal. The Oracle solutions are used to more effectively forecast and plan pre-season, track in-season performance, manage markdowns and improve margin control.
Gymboree: This beat-the-recession retailer enjoys a fiercely loyal customer base of moms who expect prompt, accurate service in stores, including quick checkout, easy returns and the ability for sales associates to instantly locate sizes and colors in store inventory. The company implemented a new point-of-sale system in 2008 to all of its stores using Fujitsu hardware and Oracle Retail POS software. The system is integrated with inventory management, time and attendance management, and signature capture to speed service and impact business processes.
Marionnaud: Europe's largest cosmetics retail chain implements Oracle Retail merchandising applications to improve inventory management and boost financial performance in the ultra-competitive French market. The Oracle Retail implementation provides Marionnaud with improved visibility to data connecting the supply chain, stores and back office.
New Look: Leading UK fashion retailer implements the Oracle SOA Suite to increase operational flexibility and strengthen its ability for future growth as it expands internationally. The Oracle SOA Suite is being used to accelerate business performance in buying and merchandising processes, such as markdown management and purchase ordering.
Staples: The office products leader implements the newest release of Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Capital Management solution to support the roll out of its long-term, talent management strategy. Staples is using the solution to monitor key performance indicators to increase productivity and control labor costs.
Supervalu: The giant grocer completes the first phase of a planned three-year implementation of Oracle retail technology, going live with Oracle's call-center application as well as planning and forecasting modules. During an October conference call regarding earnings, Supervalu vice president and chief financial officer Pamela Knous reports the forecasting solution "greatly enhances our understanding of retail performance at the category and item level, enabling us to make better business decisions, and represents a major step in achieving a best-in-class merchandising organization."
Wal-Mart: The world's largest retailer implements Oracle Retail applications including Oracle Retail Merchandise Financial Planning, Oracle Retail Item Planning, and other elements of the Oracle Retail Suite as part of its merchandising transformation initiatives.
Posted: 3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM by Joseph Skorupa |Marking an X on the calendar for a go-live date is a big deal for any retailer. Leading up to the date, the CIO and members of the IT team work around the clock or are on call 24/7. When the date arrives it means testing is over, the switch is flipped, and the enterprise hums along oblivious to the fact that a major back-end system has been replaced.
It's a high-wire act and something CIOs should be proud of. Unfortunately, a go-live doesn't get much notice outside the four walls of the company doing it. There are lots of reasons for this including fear of the big what-if scenario. What if it doesn't work and the business of the enterprise doesn't hum along when the switch is flipped?
However, CIOs and technology have come a long way in the last 10 years, and ways to avoid the what-if scenario have become fairly (but not completely) bulletproof.
So, in an effort to bring a measure of recognition to retailers who have successfully performed recent go-lives, this is the first of a series of stories covering the subject.
As mentioned, announcements about go-lives aren't widely distributed, but they can be found if you look hard enough through media interviews and quarterly earnings filings. Based on these publicly available resources, here is a list of 10 major retail Oracle go-lives in the last 12 months.
A.C. Moore: This mid-size retailer had a go-live on Oracle Retail merchandising applications to help increase sell-through of seasonal merchandise and derive more value from customer visits. The applications use a hosted and Managed Application Solution (MAS) model, and are installed and managed on Oracle Enterprise Linux to provide a more flexible, reliable, and cost-effective solution.
Abercrombie & Fitch: This apparel all-star will open more of the company's thriving Hollister brand stores this year, complete with new IBM registers running on Linux and using the Oracle application server and database on the back-end. The new POS solution is part of a broader transformation program that will implement Oracle Retail's merchandising, planning, supply chain and stores solutions while also licensing Oracle technology and back-office capabilities.
Dress Barn: The specialty retailer implements the Oracle Retail Merchandising System and Oracle Retail Data Warehouse. According to Dress Barn, the Oracle Retail systems have helped increase same-store sales through improved buying, allocation and inventory planning decisions. "We required a partner that would provide a solid IT foundation to help us support growth for many years," says Dress Barn CEO David Jaffe. "Oracle understood our retail environment and helped us make our operations more efficient."
El Corte Ingles: Spain's largest retail group implements Oracle Retail planning applications to support expansion plans and increase profitability through enhanced product lifecycle management. The chain has 99 department stores in Spain and Portugal. The Oracle solutions are used to more effectively forecast and plan pre-season, track in-season performance, manage markdowns and improve margin control.
Gymboree: This beat-the-recession retailer enjoys a fiercely loyal customer base of moms who expect prompt, accurate service in stores, including quick checkout, easy returns and the ability for sales associates to instantly locate sizes and colors in store inventory. The company implemented a new point-of-sale system in 2008 to all of its stores using Fujitsu hardware and Oracle Retail POS software. The system is integrated with inventory management, time and attendance management, and signature capture to speed service and impact business processes.
Marionnaud: Europe's largest cosmetics retail chain implements Oracle Retail merchandising applications to improve inventory management and boost financial performance in the ultra-competitive French market. The Oracle Retail implementation provides Marionnaud with improved visibility to data connecting the supply chain, stores and back office.
New Look: Leading UK fashion retailer implements the Oracle SOA Suite to increase operational flexibility and strengthen its ability for future growth as it expands internationally. The Oracle SOA Suite is being used to accelerate business performance in buying and merchandising processes, such as markdown management and purchase ordering.
Staples: The office products leader implements the newest release of Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Capital Management solution to support the roll out of its long-term, talent management strategy. Staples is using the solution to monitor key performance indicators to increase productivity and control labor costs.
Supervalu: The giant grocer completes the first phase of a planned three-year implementation of Oracle retail technology, going live with Oracle's call-center application as well as planning and forecasting modules. During an October conference call regarding earnings, Supervalu vice president and chief financial officer Pamela Knous reports the forecasting solution "greatly enhances our understanding of retail performance at the category and item level, enabling us to make better business decisions, and represents a major step in achieving a best-in-class merchandising organization."
Wal-Mart: The world's largest retailer implements Oracle Retail applications including Oracle Retail Merchandise Financial Planning, Oracle Retail Item Planning, and other elements of the Oracle Retail Suite as part of its merchandising transformation initiatives.
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