Retail Systems 2001 Conference & Exposition Wrap-Up
Iport/Export CG’s See Real World Savings with Web-enabled Logistics Solutions
Top of the Net, June 2001 - By Dennis Eskow, Contributing Editor

The Retail Systems 2001 Conference & Exhibition kicked off in grand fashion as Gerald L. Storch, Vice Chairman of Target Corporation, enlightened the crowd with his thought-provoking Opening Keynote address. Storch explained how retailers and suppliers could better improve upon existing business systems and improve end results by working together to develop a united exchange of industry standards. In this marketplace of the future, retailers will realize a plethora of new opportunities, including diversity of competition and extended customer benefits. The lecture concluded with a brief light show as spectators were whisked onto the exhibit floor.

Since we couldn't possibly cover everything that happened at the show, the following is all the news that was fit to print, the highlights of the show so to speak:

One news item that really stuck out at the show had to do with the recent announcement made by Blue Martini, who hosted a press release with strategic partners NRF, TrueSpectra, QRS, and Symbol to announce a Web Ready Content Initiative standard. The group's primary focus will be creating a matrix of information about companies and their requirements for warehousing images of Web-ready content. The group will continue to survey retailers to find out current methods of transforming and adding images to databases, which could end up saving retailers upwards of 57 percent in product management, while enhancing the searchability of products.

This year's Retail Systems 2001 event was co-located with the VICS Collaborative Commerce conference, which focused on CPFR, global supply chain partnerships and Internet-based B2B commerce. Sessions included Schering-Plough, Pharmavite, Best Buy, and TruServ discussing their implementations of CPFR, as well as a discussion of several standards-based initiatives, including UCCnet and the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI). Thursday's events included an Internal Supply Chain Systems R&D Breakfast, hosted by Deloitte & Touche. In addition, Transora presented a lecture entitled "Streamline Participation in an Internet Trading Exchange." For more information on the VICS Collaborative Commerce Conference, visit www.vics.org.

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies must integrate technology systems to realize the maximum potential offered by the Web. In an effort to help retailers, Sapient hosted an informative all-star panel breakfast on the do's and don'ts of multi-channel retailing. The panel included representatives from Found, CommercialWare, IBM, 360 Commerce, and MarketMax.

In vendor news, CommerceHub's Drop-Ship Master solution has been selected by target.direct, a division of Target Corporation, to manage its drop-ship fulfillment program. CommerceHub's open platform enables the retailer to electronically integrate with all of its suppliers. The new tools also allow target.direct to closely monitor shipments from suppliers throughout the entire purchase order process, helping to assure high levels of customer satisfaction.

Another vendor that provides a very similar service is Blinco Systems Inc. It is a considerably smaller company, whose size allows it to better focus and adapt to the changing needs of its customers. Blinco Systems offers its 3rdwave Retail and 3rdwave Fashion solutions that provide retailers with a fully-integrated and synchronized supply chain sourcing and distribution solution. One of its most recent customer acquisitions include Honda Trading Corporation, an international importer/exporter of steel, aluminum, plastic raw materials, and automotive parts. It's been dubbed a best-of-breed solution in its class, providing in-depth visibility, synchronization, integration, and control of the entire supply chain process.

Other exhibitors of note were Symbol, whose Mobile POS system provides retailers the ability to set up a checkout station virtually anywhere in the store, even the parking lot. The mobile computers, equipped with Symbol's Spectrum24 wireless LAN radio card, transmit information via radio waves to the host computer in real time.

MarketMax, a leading provider of retail planning software, has been selected by Finish Line, a mall-based specialty retailer of name brand athletic outdoor and casual footwear. The Merchandise Planning Solution provides better financial and assortment planning, micro-marketing, and clustering capabilities which help create targeted space planning for fashion-focused retailers.

All in all the show was a success. Despite the bursting of the dotcom bubble, retail IT still proved itself to be a vibrant field. Both attendees and exhibitors were generally pleased and we can all look forward to bigger and better things in 2002.

For related information, please go to:
3rdwave Retail
3rdwave Fashion
3rdwave CGD (for Consumer Goods Distributors)
Rothco Case Study