Truth #1: There is very little difference in retail performance based solely on a technology decision. In fact, any decision you make has an equal chance of negatively, positively or not affecting your critical KPI’s performance. THAT’s not something the folks in the big booths at the front of the convention floor are going to tell you. If you want the proof, check out the McKinsey Quarterly article Getting Supply Chain Software Right by Kanakamedala, Ramsdell and Srivatsan.
See it here
Truth #2: What determines success is the CHANGE and the PROCESSES that are implemented, integrated and adopted by the people who have to use the new technology. Those are the real determining factors that separate bold initiatives that change the game and IT investments that never pay back on their original business case. I probably dont have to tell you how many times the goal of a new implementation is to work “just like my old spreadsheet.” Implementations of new technology are usually shoe horned into the processes, job roles and contact points of old systems. The implementation team gets to claim they had high rates of adoption – but the business leaders are usually disappointed with the results.
Truth #2.5: Because of truth #2, efficient retailers know that they can almost always wring out increased productivity by revisiting past technology implementations and exploiting capabilities that are lying dormant. Examples? Connecting real estate databases to store planning CAD’s to increase store productivity and renegotiate lease terms. Using the assortment planning module of merchandise planning or space planning software to distribute assortment decisions closer to stores. Scouring all the “under the desk” Access databases and requiring the IT team to build a data repository that adapts to the real needs of the organization. ANY idea will work. The productivity comes from…wait for it…SEE Truth #2!!