Recent research in the retail market shows that the biggest returns from automation to retailers are projects related to marketing and customer relationship management, product distribution and supply chain management, demand forecasting and assortment planning. The solution of such problems is especially important for retail companies with a wide range of products and geographically distributed structure. Interestingly, more than a third of the retail chain executives surveyed consider business intelligence tools critical to the successful development of the company, its accurate and operational management, and are already implementing relevant projects.
Comfy is among them – leader of the Ukrainian retail market of household appliances and electronics. To date, the branded network has 78 stores in 38 cities of Ukraine and continues to grow rapidly. Comfy is more than 10,000 different models of household appliances, electronics and accessories at the most attractive prices.
; network assortment planning. As a software product, the management of the retail chain chose a solution based on IBM Cognos TM1. At that time, the specialists of Odyssey Consulting Group sequentially implemented the new a corporate information system based on the Microsoft Dynamics AX platform and solutions for automation of a warehouse complex of the WMS class in-house development of Odyssey Consulting Group.
The experience of cooperation turned out to be very successful, so the choice of Comfy in favor of the same partner was almost preordained. An additional criterion for the Ukrainian retailer was that the solution based on IBM Cognos TM1, proposed by the experts of the Odyssey Consulting Group, allowed for flexible management of the assortment of the network in terms of the seats of each store. The complexity of implementing this approach eventually determined the choice of Comfy retail chain. The new project was launched in autumn 2011.
Currently, with the help of the IBM Cognos TM1 solution, implemented with the assistance of the Odyssey Consulting Group specialists, the Comfy retail network's commercial department employees determine and, if necessary, adjust the plans for the development of the network over a five-year horizon. This solution allows you to draw up and control the implementation of a strategic sales plan for a retail network in the context of each product category. In the process of analysis, Comfy specialists take into account actual sales data from previous periods, forecasts of changes in consumer demand from market experts, plans to open new and old stores and other indicators.
The new system also performs the tasks of operational assortment management. With a solution based on IBM Cognos TM1, created by the Odyssey Consulting Group project team, Comfy specialists analyze, approve and adjust the sales plan for a period of a year to a week. Planning is carried out down to the level of the product category, future promotions and "happy hours" are determined at the level of nomenclature items. Next, Comfy's category managers refine the plan down to the level of seats in each specific store, which makes it possible to build forecasts for the retailer's purchasing activities.
from an ERP system based on the Microsoft Dynamics AX platform, previously implemented by Odyssey Consulting Group. Remarkably, that the integration of Microsoft Dynamics AX and IBM Cognos TM1 solutions was completed by the project team in just a few weeks.
Prior to implementation, Comfy's sales team performed all the labor-intensive work of assortment planning in Excel spreadsheets . Now all forms and reports are presented visually, the decision-making process has noticeably accelerated. It should also be noted that the IBM Cognos TM1 solution, deployed with the assistance of the Odyssey Consulting Group team, is distinguished by the simplicity reconfiguration of algorithms and forms in accordance with the new business challenges of the company. This allows the company's specialists to develop the implemented system independently, without involving third-party specialists.
