This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: dabs.com chooses multi-channel retail software from Junction Solutions and Microsoft Dynamics.
Multi-channel retail pioneer dabs.com, which sells through a combination of online retailing and telephone based business-to-business account management, has started to implement a business management solution from Junction Solutions and Microsoft Dynamics to support its planned growth, improve efficiency and deliver better customer service.
Junction Solutions, a provider of multi-channel retail enterprise software and services based on the Microsoft Dynamics AX platform, today announced that dabs.com, part of BT PLC group and one of the leading direct retailers of electronics goods and services in the UK, has selected Junction RES from Junction Solutions to underpin their entire operation, to drive growth, enable efficiency and deliver improved customer service.
Established in 1987, dabs.com sells a huge range of home computing, consumer electronics and business IT products to consumer and B2B customers across the UK and Eire. Beginning as mainly a business to consumer operation, the company has also grown its business to business channel over recent years. dabs.com now sells around 15,000 products via catalogues, inbound and out bound call centres and via six different website stores including dabs.com and dabs4work.com.
The company needed to replace its home-grown systems due to their decreasing ability to keep up with the fast paced evolution of the business. They decided to replace them with a new multi-channel retail enterprisewide (ERP) solution to better manage planning, purchasing, warehouse, order processing, customer services, returns and marketing. After reviewing many software vendors, dabs.com chose Junction Solutions and Microsoft Dynamics.
Neil Catto, Financial Director at dabs.com said: Our business operates across many channels on single digit margins. With prices changing daily on short life-cycle product lines that can last for as little as 3 weeks, efficient and flexible technology is absolutely fundamental to our success. Having looked at the marketplace, we felt that Microsoft Dynamics AX stood out as the most flexible, intuitive and powerful ERP platform around.
The company said that because it holds only around 3-4 weeks stock at any time, accurately forecasting demand and knowing the quantities and types of stock it needs to order is the best way of avoiding over- or out-of-stocks.
Junction Solutions demonstrated an intimate understanding of multi-channel retail and also provided a proven retail solution built on Microsoft Dynamics AX, so it was an obvious choice for us, continued Catto. The deep integration of JunctionRES and Consumer Driven Planning, along with the technology stack offered through the Microsoft Dynamics AX architecture provides endless opportunities for us as a company.
Once the project is complete, Dabs anticipates a reduced cost of purchasing from its suppliers due to improved supply chain visibility, shorter lead times and reduced levels of reserve stock. Improved stock availability and more targeted analysis of marketing initiatives are likely to give rise to increased sales. Other benefits cited include: improved reporting across the business; tighter controls; cost reductions through the automation of administrative functions; and improved operational speeds, for instance on customer orders and logistics. Hector Hickmott, Sales Director at Junction Solutions, said: We are delighted to welcome another key multi-channel retailer to our customer community. Junction Solutions is completely focused on developing deep functionality for this sector and look forward to a long and successful relationship with Dabs. It is great to see successful companies like Dabs endorsing the huge amount investment we have made, over the last five years, in our multi-channel retail solution on Microsoft Dynamics AX.
About Junction Solutions
Junction Solutions offers advanced, industry-specific functionality built on the latest standard technologies from Microsoft, including Microsofts flexible and proven ERP application, Microsoft Dynamics AX. Junction Solutions focuses 100% on solving business issues in the Retail and Consumer Goods industries. As a Gold Certified Microsoft Business Partner, we provide our customers with the sound technology platform required for a long term enterprise scale software solution. Read more about our retail software solutions, or visit us at www.junctionsolutions.com
About dabs.com
dabs.com (www.dabs.com) is one of the UKs most successful online IT retailers with over 9 years of online retail experience. Growing from its roots as the traditional mail order reseller Dabs Direct, the Dabs business model has evolved significantly during recent years in line with a drive to enhance the customers online buying experience through the exploitation of advancements in digital technology. The dabs.com website offers around 15,000 products to its 2 million registered online buyers across the entire UK. On 28th April 2006, dabs.com became a wholly owned subsidiary of British Telecommunications plc (BT). The team at Dabs also runs the BT Shop (www.bt.com/shop), as well as dabs4work.com (www.dabs4work.com) a website exclusively focused on business-to-business transactions.
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