In a perfect world, functionality and ease of use would be the top criteria manufacturers use when deciding to purchase, replace, or upgrade their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution. Unfortunately, in the real world, cost considerations rear their ugly head. Business leaders are concerned about the price of not only purchasing the solution, but also how much it will cost to implement, support, and maintain. Further, there is significant concern that an ERP implementation will cause significant disruption to the business, cause the organization to lose focus, or even “break” business processes that the company looked upon as core to their success.

Digital technology is changing the world, one industry at a time. With these changes comes a reimagining of the supply chain, from the systems businesses use to communicate and interact, to the strategies they deploy to move goods around the world.

Digitalization gives rise to new business models, in which real-time connectivity, greater visibility, reactivity, and anticipation become the underlying characteristics of our supply chains. But this kind of change isn’t easy, and transformation doesn’t happen overnight.

By taking a staged approach to digital transformation, and building greater connectivity across the supply chain, businesses can pave the way toward a fully connected future, while still being able to tackle the biggest challenges they face right now.

For Corey Tollefson, SVP and GM of Infor® Retail and Fashion, retail isn’t a job. It’s not a hobby. It’s not just another customer. He lives and breathes the industry—and inspires teams of the best and brightest to follow him on the path to the Golden Age of Retail. Infor understands the symbiosis of retail and technology, and that harmony between them is the key to unlocking the greatest customer experiences of all time. 

With the advent of “cashier-less” stores like Amazon Go, tomorrow’s retail shopping experience has the potential to transform in a big way—but are retailers ready? We discuss the benefits and pitfalls of adopting this exciting retail technology in its early stages. Listen now and learn more about the next generation of retail software here.

Direct mail is back—but this time, it’s providing advanced analytics about the buyer journey, intent, and conversion.

In this episode, Matt Gunn chats with Tom Barbaro of PebblePost, the company that invented programmatic direct mail. As most retailers have gone digital in their marketing efforts, the mailbox has become relatively vacant, clearing the way for “digitally reactive mail”—allowing retailers to retarget customers at home and capture advanced analytics about buyer intent and conversion.

Leave your legacy with the next generation of retail and fashion software.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the highest-ranked executive in a company. The CEO has many responsibilities, ranging from setting strategy and direction to configuring the company’s culture, values and behavior. The chief executive is also responsible for building an executive leadership team and allocating funds to match the company’s goals and priorities. Some CEOs have even more on their plate, especially those at the head of startups. Oftentimes they are responsible for more than just the traditional duties, and can include anything from brewing coffee to marketing their product. 

The list, compiled by ERP's Solution Review, includes Infor CEO, Charles Phillips.

What deep learning means for Retail CX

Matt Gunn and Puneet Mehta of msg.ai, a Silicon Valley startup focused on conversational AI, discuss how deep learning will shape the future of retail as consumers engage with brands (and their AI) to achieve more personalized, intimate shopping experiences.

In this episode of Reinventing Retail, Matt Gunn and Jenny Reese Potter chat with Tomer Tagrin, CEO and founder of Yotpo: a company out of Tel Aviv that leverages user generated content throughout the buyer journey to increase trust, social proof, and sales.

This time last year, we looked at the Fashion Revolution movement and its clarion call for transparency across fashion supply chains. Since then, the movement has gained even more momentum; 2017 numbers reflect greater participation on social media with more consumers asking #whomademyclothes, and more workers posting photos of themselves replying, #imadeyourclothes. 

Crucially, more brands are responding to the demand for transparency. 2017’s Fashion Revolution Week had over 1,000 mainstream clothing brands respond to #whomademyclothes, up from around 400 the previous year. It’s a safe bet that this form of engagement will keep growing in the coming years. So the real question becomes, what’s next?