Business Intelligence Tool to streamline inventory management collaboration in the retail industry

Abstract

The client’s product is a simple to use, cloud-based business intelligence tool, designed specifically for the retail industry to assist retailers and their suppliers to collaborate around point of sales scan data.

Challenges

• Develop a SaaS (Software as a Service) based BI and Analytics product for managing retail supply chain to help key stakeholders in making business decisions for establishing equilibrium between demand and supply of the articles.

• Architecture needed to support multi-tenancy, multiple file formats, data formats from different retailers

• Source system issues, pre-validations and post-validations on the data

• Application level security and performance tuning

Technology

• Microsoft SQL Server

• Microsoft SSIS

• Microsoft SSRS

• Microsoft Analysis Services

• MS .Net Framework

• Devexpress

Solution

• End-to-end product development for the solution (initiation to implementation), having regard to the features below

• SaaS based BI and Analytics application

• Generic, scalable, secure, configurable, high usability …..etc..

• Set of dashboards/minis to give the high level view to top management

• Canned reports for normal users

• Reports with drill-down and drill-through for advanced users

• Ad-hoc query and reporting for analyst and planners

• Statistical analytics and geo-analytics for planners and business analyst

• Providing ongoing post deployment support to client’s customers (80 customers) and also enhancing the product with the new features and functionalities

Results

• Higher sell through, reduced stock outs

• Visibility at the granular level (by store and SKU level) of business

• Helps in building transparency and trust in aligning supply chain objectives

• Better utilisation of internal resources

• Streamlined processes and operational efficiency gains

• Offshore support and development - high cost benefit

• 100+ tenants on the product