Quantiv provides sweet merchandise planning solution to Hotel Chocolat

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Quantiv provides sweet merchandise planning solution to Hotel Chocolat.

Manchester-based software provider Quantiv has designed and built a new merchandise and store planning solution for Hotel Chocolat, called Planner.
 
Capable of meeting the stringent demands of the British chocolatier's diverse multi-channel, multi-territory business model, the software is designed to optimise service levels and profitability throughout the company.

 
The Planner application is tailored to ensure the right product is available at the right time across Hotel Chocolat's range of physical stores: including on the high street and concessions, online retailers and caf concept stores in the UK, as well in the USA, Europe, the Middle East and its St Lucia plantation hotel.
 
The software provides a simple, powerful system for unifying, accessing and analysing data across various channels, territories and products. It is capable of helping merchandise planners to analyse trends, create plans, report and take decisions in-season to increase sales and optimise profit margins.
 
Designed to tackle the complex issue of analysing and planning using spreadsheets, which are still heavily relied upon by merchandisers across the globe, Planner significantly reduces the time-consuming process of analysing stock and sales on a daily or weekly basis.
 
Simon Shutt, Head of Merchandising at Hotel Chocolat, says: "We operate in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, so we need a solution that is powerful, robust and flexible enough to cope with the complexity of our merchandising needs.
 
"Planner, being one of the most revolutionary and adaptable tools on the market, fits our requirements exactly. In addition, Quantiv's implementation and development philosophy, along with the company's can-do attitude and reputation for delivery and service, makes Planner the ideal choice for us."
 
Quantiv Business Development Director, Christian Brooks, explains: "The Planner software improves visibility of how products behave in certain locations. Merchandise planners can make decisions at any level and see what is selling, when and where.
 
"The team at Quantiv is delighted to be working with a recognised multi-channel retailer and growth brand like Hotel Chocolat. We are very much looking forward to helping the planning team achieve their goals."