To whom and when it is necessary to implement a "trade" ERP system? "User's portrait"

When the unity of data is required

All specified functions (or their certain subset, depending on ERP system "power") work with the single database, within the single interface and the hardware-software platform, are implemented and are supported by one developer. Except the general advantages of approach "all in one", the ERP system provides, on the one hand, flexible configuration, and with another - tough fixing of business processes, impossibility "rollback back" the executed transactions and their recording that increases transparency of trade operations and reduces the losses connected with errors and fraud of personnel.

Possibilities of the analysis of business data with the different level of depth allow to monitor the state of affairs, to reveal "bottlenecks", to define efficiency of separate divisions and employees, to reveal the perspective directions of business and to make optimal management decisions. The analytics focused on demand analysis and behavior of buyers provides opportunities for identification and encouragement of loyal clients, planning of marketing efforts, identification of saleable articles and cross-sales, determination of correctness of pricing and efficiency of the used system of discounts and bonuses.

When approval of work of guidance loops is necessary

The unified information system connecting order management and/or retail sales with inventory management provides with supply chains and logistics to the company constantly available and reliable information about existence of goods in warehouses and in trading floors, including, geographically distributed, reduces the probability of exhaustion of a stock of goods, providing its timely replenishment and also allows to accept and perform orders (depending on delivery/shipment term) on the goods which still are absent in a warehouse, but which are en route or ordered from the supplier. The same communication by data allows to keep track of excesses of goods and also type of goods which slowly are implemented. According to this information making decision on reduction of purchases or additional measures for promotion of goods is possible.

Information communication between CRM and HRM blocks provides a possibility of encouragement of a sales personnel depending on volume and dynamics of sales, accounting and payment of working time depending on the mode of trade, time of day, location of outlet and other parameters, stimulation of cross-sales and the offer by personnel to clients of joint products and services to already purchased goods.

Among other things, implementation of the ERP system for trade assumes use of the experience of business management accumulated in development of a system. It can be formalized, as in foreign "heavy" ERP systems, or concluded in industry expertize of developers and implementers. Anyway, the developed solution of the class ERP can be essential help for maintaining and business development of the trading company as often it contains the functionality "for growth" allowing it is rather easy to implement new initiatives without the need for software customization.

"Phase transition" to ERP

To a certain level of development of business of requirement of the company can satisfy also the separate software solutions allowing to automate separate guidance loops business activities. For example, the trade organization can use a separate system for management of warehouse transactions, the separate automation system of accounting, the CRM system, BI and, for example, the solution for mobile trade. Such composite system can be quite operable. At the same time, its use is integrated to a problem of integration and mutual data exchange. Information exchange of a certain type happens it is necessary to organize in real time, other data can be synchronized with the set frequency. Not always data exchange can be implemented in the necessary mode, besides, at simultaneous maintaining several databases (often different formats) there are problems of duplication of information and complexity with determination of a source of up-to-date data with which it is necessary to synchronize all other bases.

As a rule, all specified problems are solvable. However with increase in volumes of the processed information and toughening of requirements to efficiency of its processing a part from diverse information systems can cease to cope with the functions. Besides, costs for maintenance of a system begin to grow in a "collected" status seriously. In these conditions, the companies, as a rule, also begin to think of transition to single solution "from some hands" which can cope with processing of large volumes of data (due to use of industrial DBMS) and does not require serious costs for maintenance.

Who exactly does need it?

Proceeding from the aforesaid, it is possible to specify that a typical user of a "trade" ERP system is the trading company, with the need for operational processing of large volumes of information for ensuring the competitive advantage. Similar requirement can be caused by the big range and the range of traded goods, their high cost, large volumes of sales and purchases, complexity of supply chains, geographically distributed structure of the company, big number of staff difficult or often changing structure of goods, a business model of the trading company and some other factors or their combination. By separate estimates, the need for the ERP system for trade organizations becomes objective at achievement of 100 - 200 thousand transactions a day.