Three improvements to expect after retail ERP implementation

Once your new retail ERP system is in place there are many benefits to look forward to. Here are a few process improvements to expect after you’ve put the effort in at the implementation stage.

Better merchandise management

Retail businesses of all kinds depend on merchandise to make sales.  If you do not have it on hand, a sale can easily be lost. If you have too much on hand, you tie up cash and that merchandise can have no value as some time in the near future.  Retail ERP systems will track your stock from the time you place a purchase order until it a sale. You know exactly how much money is tied up on any product now and in the future as purchases arrive.  When sales slow down, you can quickly take steps to sell the slower-moving products and when sales beat your expectations, you can order more and take advantage of faster-moving, more profitable items.

More efficient fulfillment control

In a retail store, fulfillment means displaying your stock in the optimal location. Your retail ERP tracks the shelf locations you keep your stock and you can easily see which shelves lead to the best sales.  Retail ERP tracks every sale made along with details necessary for your business. Analysis of that data can help find relationships that might be missed.  For example, you might find that a product often is sold along with another product. You decide to place those products near each other to encourage customers to choose both products.

Implement retail ERP effectively with this comprehensive ERP implementation guide

Your retail business is an online store.  Now fulfillment is a little different. Your want to stock your fastest moving products as close to your shipping station as possible to minimize wasted movement.  You want to know which suppliers can deliver drop-shipped merchandise speedily and at the highest margin to you. Retail ERP will help you every day to support the best possible choices.

More accurate customer databases

You have sales slips dating back years.  You might have even saved that data in a spreadsheet.  You have mailing lists you put together with prospective customers.  Retail ERP systems include customer management modules that will help use that customer data to produce tomorrow’s sales and increase the profitability of those sales. Categorize those customers by the demographics that will help your business.

Maybe you have a sale upcoming on a women’s product. There is no need to advertise to your male customers, unless you have family data - in which case you can direct your communication to your customer’s spouse!  If that customer data is easily used by retail personnel or by customer service teams, you can use it to tailor your customer’s experience. You know already that a customer returned a blue purse last year and might suggest another color before the sale is complete.