36 CASESTUDY
SIMON PEARCE OVERHAULS
MANAGEMENT IT Speciality retailer and manufacturer streamlines business process and improves customer service with business management systems consolidation project
We needed a new platform that could manage multiple channels as well as the
warehouse and production functions. And it needed to fl ex and move as quickly as we did
S
imon Pearce, founded in Ireland and now based in the US, is known for its handcrafted design, jewellery and pottery. It operates a wholesale
business, an online store and a catalogue, in addition to eight retail shops, one of which includes an award- winning restaurant. It also has a corporate award business, offering personalised merchandise. When the vendor for the legacy Unix-based platform
Simon Pearce was using discontinued its support, it was running 20 disparate business management systems, including a series of Excel spreadsheets and Access databases across multiple departments, which was limiting productivity and growth. Terri Pare, Simon Pearce controller told Retail Technology that the company had grown used to fi nding workarounds that accommodated its ageing management systems. “This allowed us to function, but not grow,” she said. Simon Pearce chose Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail implemented by Microsoft partner, Junction Solutions. Pare explained: “We needed a new platform that could manage multiple channels as well as the warehouse and production functions. And it needed to fl ex and move as quickly as we did. The objective was not to lose any of the functionality we had before and make a couple of areas better.” Using the JunctionMCR solution set, integrated to the Microsoft Dynamics AX enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, the company was able to obtain the functionality and fl exibility required without heavy customisation. The new ERP system was implemented in just six
months, going live in November 2011 before the busy festive season during which Simon Pearce generates
a large proportion of its revenues. By working with Junction Solutions, a cross-functional team was central to the successful implementation. Pare commented: “We tried to get people invested in the process by involving people who carry out the day-to-day processes all the time. We purposefully set out with the intent to change processes and optimise the business.” The two companies also worked to integrate the third-party e-commerce system. The retailer did add some customisations to Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail PoS to optimise the integration of key business processes involving the point of sale (PoS), which was extended to enable order taking in any channel and fulfi lment of the order in any channel. This means orders can be entered at the PoS that include special requests, such as gift boxing, engraving and gift tags. These request details are fed through Dynamics AX to trigger their fulfi lment, while the PoS system can adjust order information and also trigger alerts to notify customers that their orders are ready. A large part of Simon Pearce is its bridal business.
To address the need for a robust gift registry capability, Junction Solutions developed a new module that provides registrants with the ability to view updates in real time, as well as inventory availability. By making Dynamics AX the central repository for registries, items purchased online or in a store generate automatic updates, eliminating the need for manual or dual entry, as well as customer dissatisfaction as a result of inaccurate registry or inventory information. Pare confi rmed how the new PoS ordering and gift
registry capabilities were examples of how the company had been able to improve customer service through the ERP implementation. “We really want to be able to connect with our customers across all channels,” she added. In addition, the company has achieved greater visibility of and access to information, automating manual processes and unifying business system functionality, so the organisation operates from one set of data. “We needed to get onto a platform that was
more universal and fl exible and made decision-making easier,” concluded Pare. “But even without making that decision, you can never say your business is ever done in terms of having a continuing improvement process. Having said that, and it is very early days, overall we’ve achieved business as usual and did better during Christmas than we did the previous year. We wanted to reach a stable point and then build on that.”
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY MAY/JUNE 2012
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