Hotter moves to identify its customers anywhere, anytime with K3 Retail's multi-channel solution

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Hotter moves to identify its customers anywhere, anytime with K3 Retail's multi-channel solution.

Hotter, the UK shoe maker and multi-channel retailer with 46 stores, has implemented a retail omni-channel solution with a vision to create a single view of the customer whether they trade in-store, online or through their mail order service.

Hotter chose K3 Retail, provider of Microsoft Dynamics NAV solutions, to streamline their business and give them a clear view of customer behaviour across all channels.

David Ainsworth, Head of IT at Hotter, says, "As an increasingly multi-channel retailer, we understand how important it is to have a single solution across the entire business which is integrated around the needs of our customers. With Microsoft Dynamics NAV, we know we have a solution that can meet our requirements, and in K3 Retail, a partner that we can work with to achieve its full potential."

The new ERP solution covers all Hotters' operational systems across both its in-store and online operations and since implementation, the business has grown significantly through both these channels with their mail order business continuing to stay strong.

Hotter has implemented a range of integrated retail solutions to give a clear and concise view of the entire business. It has implemented a central finance

ERP system and a Dynamics NAV solution which allows it to effectively manage item creation and pricing and promotion for all sales channels. The Dynamics warehousing solution gives complete visibility across all operations and a real time view of the inventory held within the business and expected delivery date of that on purchase order.

Hotter has also implemented a number of sales channels systems, including K3's call centre which is 120 people strong and services range from transactional and customer interactions.

Ainsworth continued, "The system identifies the customer through all channels, tracking their spend, the items they've bought and which channel they've bought them from; be it online, in-store or through mail order. This functionality will increase our understanding of our customers."

Additionally, K3 Retail has enabled Hotter to manage its customer transactions seamlessly following the successful go-live of a new EFT managed solution provided by K3 and payment provider VeriFone. The EFT terminals offer a tokenised and PCI compliant, managed payment service.

Iain Embrey, Customer Services Director at K3 Retail, "Hotter, like so many retailers, is seeking rapid growth but do not want to create large, internal IT infrastructures. It can depend on K3 Retail and its partners to provide solutions that can manage all major operational systems efficiently."