Today, apparel industry is striving to achieve operational excellence. Unfortunately, industry has lesser capabilities to understand customer needs and bottlenecks in their internal operations. Some organizations are able to prioritize their sales and operational targets focusing on lowering costs, improving quality, and providing consistent and the reliable customer service. But all of this does not constitute the whole picture. In the fast changing apparel industry, operational excellence is combined with customer intimacy i.e. tailoring solutions for individual customers based on a deep understanding of their needs – is where the world is going.
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Apparel Retailers in general and footwear retailers in particular are faced with a list of operational challenges. Fast changing fashion trends, cost sensitive consumer, tough competition from departmental stores, discount shoe stores and outlets, as well as general merchandise discounters, exert additional pressure on the apparel retailer. Not only is the logistics of delivery is crucial, it is equally critical to source the right mix of style, size and color. Ability to analyze and act on consumer buying patterns, sales trends and changes in fashion industry are important to succeed in the Apparel industry.
Apparel Retailers & Suppliers – Opportunities In Today’s World
Effective and efficient warehouse management, inventory management and optimal retail distribution is a major customer service and cost reduction issue. The organizations doing it right are gaining considerable competitive advantage. Organizations dealing in apparel are more concerned about inventory tracking as compare to all other industries. They prefer doing it by using retail management software that helps them in managing point of sale system and inventory system.
Following are the 6-opportunities in terms of Operational Excellence and Customer Intimacy:
1 – Management of Assortments
Apparel retailers need to keep similar and matching products together. They want to be sure that they are receiving products in a sensible manner so that they can be allocated and stored correctly without trouble. They strive for a procedure for inventory management, prevent losses and handle any concerns that may arise throughout business procedures. If they are able to effectively and efficiently manage assortments, they can easily grow as a business unit.
2 – Efficient/Optimal Apparel Stock Transfers
Stock transfers between the head office to retail shops and also between retail shops is a major concern for Apparel retailers and suppliers. There’s a definite need of point of sale system for retailing that may help them in transfer of the stock and also the demands and supply of the stock between head office and retail shops. Retail stores seeks more efficient point of sale system, returns management and data exchange in their retail chain.
3 – Stronger Stocks Transfers Visibility
Tracking of the stock in the head office and retail outlets is also a big opportunity for Apparel retailers and suppliers. They need an inventory tracking software that can help them to manage the flow of items throughout the retail chain.
Small business software provide services of warehouse management by providing and inventory system. that helps the organizations to be efficient in inventory tracking as well as cutting short the chances of loss.
4 – Increasing sales with minimum stock levels
Apparel retailers needs a business management solution that helps them to understand diverse & unique demands of customers to monitor sales trend. An inventory management system that integrates all business processes from the point of sale at store to the management at the head office decreasing the overall cost of operations, managing stock levels and analyzing what the customer demands helps retailers to increase sale and return on investment.
Retail Management software helps the retailers and manufacturers to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction with customer relationship management tools that support multiple channels and employ powerful analysis tools.
5 – Stronger Apparel Sales Visibility – Cross Channel
Manufacturer needs to have a clear view of the demand of their items in the market so they can produce items accordingly. Managing the production can help them to cut short the expenses of producing the items that are not demanded in the market. Also they can easily analyze the purchasing pattern of their target market.
Monitoring daily sales activities throughout the retail chain is very critical to be efficient and cost effective in your business processes. Small business software provide inventory management and record the sale volume so the manufacturer has a clear view of the inventory and sale ratio. Also it helps them to leverage cross-channel selling to satisfy the customers with styles and sizes they want from anywhere in the retail chain.
6 – Auto Generated Order Sheets
Apparel retailers have an opportunity to analyze their sales in the history and forecast it for future using auto generated order sheets. Order sheets are based on seasons, events calendars, days of months using the data of higher sales for specific product/s comparing multiple year history to forecast the expected orders on each shop location. It not only provides us a forecast about product, item or brand but also enables us to analyze it geographically.
Way Forward
As the specialist organization operating in the retail management and distribution sector that supplies businesses retails management system integrated with the existing ERP/Business Operations systems.
RMS Consulting have a Retail Management System Candela with unmatched features for the Apparel manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers.
Candela has proven track record of helping Apparel retailers in (clothing and footwear industries) in their growth and increased profitability. Candela is working at single location stores and also multi-location chain stores. Management of assortments is a big challenge for Apparel retailers as they have to manage large number of designs in varying categories like fashion wear, sports wear, dress shoes, sandals, sports shoes etc, that can be strongly managed with the solutions provided by RMS Consulting.
Case Studies
RMS Consulting has all the capabilities to help Apparel retailers identify and respond to strategic growth opportunities and achieve significant levels of growth in their sales and profits. See in the following examples, how these brands are using our solutions for successful and smooth execution of their business processes.
Focus: Tight Integration Between Franchisee & Franchisor
Maria B. (A leading designer and retail brand of garments) was able to boost sales for certain brands by 50%. Also dead stocks were reduced by 80% in some outlets. During the same period the ROI was 100% and the investment break-even was achieved within two quarters of implementation. Therefore this proved to be one of the best investments for the business. This became possible by integrating all the retail outlets with head-office.
The information flow between the head-office and outlets was seamless (both ways). In the head office the information was rolled-up to create a complete business picture. Analysis was available on different designs, categories, and groups which helped in optimizing the stocks at different retail outlets.
After system implementation accurate inventory was reflected in the system which enabled the management to take timely decisions. Stocks were shuffled between outlets according to shops sales trends. Reconciliation of cash and stocks between head-office and retail outlets became very effective and leakages and pilferage was greatly reduced. Shop staff, instead of preparing reports, was able to pay more attention of customer and thus their productivity was increased.
Focus: Stock Tracking
Urban Sole – Pierre Cardin found this product well built because it keeps track of the stock in the head office and retail outlets as well. They are also monitoring daily sales activities with the help of daily data replicated feature from Shops to Head Office. The system manages stock transfers between the head office to retail shops and also between retail shops. Keeping in view the future prognosis, they are also using auto generated order sheets with the help of Candela Software.
Focus: Maximum Sales With Minimum Stock Levels
EPCOT is using Candela for last 8 years and they admire its capabilities. They are using Candela to manage footwear retail and footwear wholesale business. In their opinion, Candela is really very helpful in increasing sales with minimum stock levels, through refilling the stock assortment levels and inventory remains updated always. It is also very helpful in managing stock dispatches. They strongly recommend Candela to all footwear retail chain and wholesale business for management of their sales, inventories, future planning, and accounts receivable positions of customers.
Focus: POS Driven Inventories
Comely Shoes started using Candela few years back to manage their footwear and fashion items retail chain stores. According to them, Candela is the best of class available solution for managing footwear business. They have find Candela as very good POS with all required functionality and is excellent at management of inventories. Stock distribution and cut size management makes the operations very easy and efficient. They have encouraged footwear retail businesses to go for Candela and streamline their operations
Focus: Getting Rid Of Dead Stocks ASAP
Foot Lookz have been using Candela for quite a few months. They think that it has really been an amazing experience with this software as it helps them really efficiently in organizing and maintaining the huge collection of the footwears and shoes both . Candela is the best of class available solution for managing footwear business. Candela is good for all required functionality and is excellent at management of inventories. Candela has really been a systematic help for them in dealing with a record of the items sold and those in stock. They strongly recommend this software.
