Comments for TradeStone Software Blog http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog Inspire a Brand Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:36:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on STARS Shine Brightly by Marshall http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=64#comment-2342 Marshall Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:36:23 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=64#comment-2342 Sounds like it was a great event! While on site at JDW the other week, I heard only positive things - specifically that the aura of the event was all about collaboration among our customer base - and sharing experiences using TradeStone and about future opportunities as well. Great job! Regards, Marshall Sounds like it was a great event! While on site at JDW the other week, I heard only positive things – specifically that the aura of the event was all about collaboration among our customer base – and sharing experiences using TradeStone and about future opportunities as well. Great job! Regards, Marshall

]]> Comment on Hurray! Applause! BABOOM! Thank YOU! by Marshall Taplits http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=55#comment-1794 Marshall Taplits Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:30:11 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=55#comment-1794 What a great accomplishment to lead in the new year with! Great job. What a great accomplishment to lead in the new year with! Great job.

]]> Comment on Does this submarine make my Boeing 767 look fat? by Kevin Smith http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-476 Kevin Smith Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:25:11 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-476 Hi Sue, 5 years since we met in Manchester. And with the outsize market your title brings back memories of my former business! Anyone who thinks end to end on the overall demand / supply chain should get the principle of MLM. Even 2 season home shopping companies view this season / this week sales data and feed back to inform product decisions for the next like season. It's not Zara but still shows full lifecycle thinking. If others don't get it they'll continue to operate in discrete areas of the business cycle only. My question - What's the Tradestone view on the role of ERP alonside MLM - Which processes sit with ERP, where are the links. Are there even some businesses where ERP is no longer required? Hi Sue,
5 years since we met in Manchester. And with the outsize market your title brings back memories of my former business!
Anyone who thinks end to end on the overall demand / supply chain should get the principle of MLM. Even 2 season home shopping companies view this season / this week sales data and feed back to inform product decisions for the next like season. It’s not Zara but still shows full lifecycle thinking. If others don’t get it they’ll continue to operate in discrete areas of the business cycle only.
My question – What’s the Tradestone view on the role of ERP alonside MLM – Which processes sit with ERP, where are the links. Are there even some businesses where ERP is no longer required?

]]> Comment on Why TradeStone Software Prepared for the Cotton Shortage – in 2005 by Andrew Lambert http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=52#comment-1677 Andrew Lambert Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:36:27 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=52#comment-1677 Hi Sue - I'm going to ask the obvious question but I don't necessarily expect an immediate reply!! What do you think will be the event of 2015 that mirrors the cotton shortage of 2010 and beyond? Regards Andrew Hi Sue – I’m going to ask the obvious question but I don’t necessarily expect an immediate reply!! What do you think will be the event of 2015 that mirrors the cotton shortage of 2010 and beyond?
Regards
Andrew

]]> Comment on Does this submarine make my Boeing 767 look fat? by Sahir Anand http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-355 Sahir Anand Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:44:51 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-355 Good comments, Sue. There is a world of difference in the PLM needs of retailers and discreet manufacturers. The enormity of SKUs, high levels of supply chain risks and market agility requirements are constant complexities that retailers need to deal with at all stages from source to shelf. Merchandise lifecycle management is constantly evolving for large and mid-size retailers in an ever-expanding cross-channel retail environment. In fact, sourcing, ordering and delivery stages are the most challenging for retailers in terms of dealing with several supplier risks, on-time delivery uncertainties, and quality compliance. Good comments, Sue. There is a world of difference in the PLM needs of retailers and discreet manufacturers. The enormity of SKUs, high levels of supply chain risks and market agility requirements are constant complexities that retailers need to deal with at all stages from source to shelf. Merchandise lifecycle management is constantly evolving for large and mid-size retailers in an ever-expanding cross-channel retail environment. In fact, sourcing, ordering and delivery stages are the most challenging for retailers in terms of dealing with several supplier risks, on-time delivery uncertainties, and quality compliance.

]]> Comment on Does this submarine make my Boeing 767 look fat? by Janet Suleski http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-354 Janet Suleski Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:47:53 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-354 The thoughts here are dead on with what we speak to retail and brand clients about every day. The extention of PLM to MLM is a solid line of thinking -- where I believe MLM needs to go next is to incorporate demand-shaping capabilities to create consumer-centric product development and delivery. We speak about customer needs management for PLM in non-retail industries - we should avoid the mistake of applying this term to retail so we don't end up with a "terminology mismatch" the way we did with PLM. But expanding the definition of a product to encompass a retail "experience" in terms of pricing, promotions, links to social media, etc. would be a powerful weapon for demand-shaping activities to support true private label management. Looking forward to your next post, Sue! The thoughts here are dead on with what we speak to retail and brand clients about every day. The extention of PLM to MLM is a solid line of thinking — where I believe MLM needs to go next is to incorporate demand-shaping capabilities to create consumer-centric product development and delivery.

We speak about customer needs management for PLM in non-retail industries – we should avoid the mistake of applying this term to retail so we don’t end up with a “terminology mismatch” the way we did with PLM. But expanding the definition of a product to encompass a retail “experience” in terms of pricing, promotions, links to social media, etc. would be a powerful weapon for demand-shaping activities to support true private label management.
Looking forward to your next post, Sue!

]]> Comment on Does this submarine make my Boeing 767 look fat? by Greg Girard http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-353 Greg Girard Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:50:46 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-353 Right, for retailers, there are three fundamental issue unique in their managing private labels merchandise which separate them from the engineering-intensive industries the triplets serve (and serve quite well for that matter): speed, agility, and volume. In practical terms: Speed means 1) bringing a new style or other fashionized item to market in weeks with the aim of selling the item through in 13 weeks or so and 2) doing this at least four times a year, if not six or more times annually Agility means responding to unexpected changes in market trends and chasing it Volume means, for large retailers, handling 100s of style ranges or assortments every year with thousands of individual styles. For every retailer volume means handling: - a design ideation pipeline of at least 3X, maybe 6x, the number of styles that make it to their shelves - a handful of attributes for each style in that pipeline, and - possibly 10s of choices for each attribute It gets worse, or better, depending on whether the retailer makes or doesn't make plan on its private label lines. Retailer alone holds the whole bag. There's no vendor or brand to absorb at least some portion of the cost of failure in markdown allowances. But, if the retailer makes plan, it reaps all the rewards. With private label strategies retailers are betting they'll win more often than not. The evidence suggests they are, or at least some of them are. Retailers with successful private labels earn higher gross margins and have greater flexibility in setting price points and the like. There's a critical piece of the puzzle at the front end of the MLM process which no one in the MLM or PLM space supplies, that's technology which helps retailers pick more styles, price points, and assortments that will ultimately reach or exceed their unit and gross margin plans. At IDC we're tracking how retailers are using technology and science to do just that. Proof points are coming in, and the top tier business press is paying attention. In fact, I just finished an interview with a Fortune reporter this morning on this very subject. Ping me at ggirard (at) idc (dot) com if you want to learn more about this. Right, for retailers, there are three fundamental issue unique in their managing private labels merchandise which separate them from the engineering-intensive industries the triplets serve (and serve quite well for that matter): speed, agility, and volume. In practical terms:

Speed means 1) bringing a new style or other fashionized item to market in weeks with the aim of selling the item through in 13 weeks or so and 2) doing this at least four times a year, if not six or more times annually

Agility means responding to unexpected changes in market trends and chasing it

Volume means, for large retailers, handling 100s of style ranges or assortments every year with thousands of individual styles. For every retailer volume means handling:
- a design ideation pipeline of at least 3X, maybe 6x, the number of styles that make it to their shelves
- a handful of attributes for each style in that pipeline, and
- possibly 10s of choices for each attribute

It gets worse, or better, depending on whether the retailer makes or doesn’t make plan on its private label lines. Retailer alone holds the whole bag. There’s no vendor or brand to absorb at least some portion of the cost of failure in markdown allowances. But, if the retailer makes plan, it reaps all the rewards.

With private label strategies retailers are betting they’ll win more often than not. The evidence suggests they are, or at least some of them are. Retailers with successful private labels earn higher gross margins and have greater flexibility in setting price points and the like.

There’s a critical piece of the puzzle at the front end of the MLM process which no one in the MLM or PLM space supplies, that’s technology which helps retailers pick more styles, price points, and assortments that will ultimately reach or exceed their unit and gross margin plans.

At IDC we’re tracking how retailers are using technology and science to do just that. Proof points are coming in, and the top tier business press is paying attention. In fact, I just finished an interview with a Fortune reporter this morning on this very subject.

Ping me at ggirard (at) idc (dot) com if you want to learn more about this.

]]> Comment on Does this submarine make my Boeing 767 look fat? by Huy http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-352 Huy Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:40:06 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-352 In this case, let me posit a question for discussion. If MLM is the clear choice for retailers and others who are not discrete manufacturers, why do they still use the rigid PLM as defined by the Triplets? Is it a resistance to change or is there something in PLM that can still apply? What can MLM still learn from PLM? In this case, let me posit a question for discussion. If MLM is the clear choice for retailers and others who are not discrete manufacturers, why do they still use the rigid PLM as defined by the Triplets? Is it a resistance to change or is there something in PLM that can still apply? What can MLM still learn from PLM?

]]> Comment on Does this submarine make my Boeing 767 look fat? by Mickey http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-350 Mickey Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:47:32 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=43#comment-350 Great article Sue. Love the title and context of what you are presenting on Retail SKUs and Merchandise Lifecycle Management. Reminds me of that all important question.....'does this make X look fat?' in comparison too perhaps buying too much or the wrong product that cold increase expenditures vs. managing the right mix with right tool that is right for a particular company. It really begs the question to the technology buyer of what do I really need to manage my process in my business. Great article Sue. Love the title and context of what you are presenting on Retail SKUs and Merchandise Lifecycle Management. Reminds me of that all important question…..’does this make X look fat?’ in comparison too perhaps buying too much or the wrong product that cold increase expenditures vs. managing the right mix with right tool that is right for a particular company. It really begs the question to the technology buyer of what do I really need to manage my process in my business.

]]> Comment on Proof that Merchant, Technology and Happy is Not a 'Find the Odd Man Out' Word Game by Marc Millstein http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=23#comment-28 Marc Millstein Sun, 23 May 2010 16:45:55 +0000 http://www.tradestonesoftware.com/blog/?p=23#comment-28 Surely TradeStone's STARS conference is terrific and a place to learn and meet great people. And now to have Sue blogging and doing everything else - Wow! A star shines in even more ways now. Thanks for your technology solutions, passion about getting it right and working for the industry. We're lucky! Surely TradeStone’s STARS conference is terrific and a place to learn and meet great people. And now to have Sue blogging and doing everything else – Wow! A star shines in even more ways now. Thanks for your technology solutions, passion about getting it right and working for the industry. We’re lucky!

]]>