Paul Smith deploys Cegid SaaS in preparation for digital future

Omnichannel technology, click-and-collect and in-store mobility just some areas fashion retailer is working on, says head of IT Lee Bingham

Mobile devices and other digital services are key to the future of retail, which is why luxury fashion brand Paul Smith selected Cegid to provide cloud-based retail software.

Speaking at the Cegid Connections conference in Berlin, Lee Bingham, head of IT at Paul Smith, outlined why Paul Smith selected Cegid to provide a software-as-a-service (SaaS) omni-channel retail management solution.

"First and foremost, the primary reason was the alignment with the IT strategy," he said. "For the SaaS model, the primary reason for selection was around the scalability, the delivery and actual service provisioning from an expert service provider. That was the key criterion from a business perspective but also from an IT perspective," he said.

Financial considerations also played a role in the deal, especially with respect to "the removal of capital investment and the necessary overhead for any business to invest in a significant size and scale solution".

By using Cegid software, Bingham explained, Paul Smith is able to remove unpredictability from financial models, bringing efficiencies to the business.

"It moves it to an operating model so the operating and the investment is much more predictable, it's much more cost-effective and the business has a much clearer visibility and understanding of this investment service."

Like all retailers, Bingham said, Paul Smith faces challenges as retail moves away from traditional high-street outlets and towards the internet and other digital services.

"The significant challenge for Paul Smith is that predominantly we're in a mixed wholesale and retail market space. That is now subsequently being eroded by direct digital and online marketspaces," he explained.

Bingham told the audience that Paul Smith needs to keep up with customers and how they want to shop, be it in store or online.

"Fundamentally it's about the move towards new retail services and trying to maintain and analyse the demands customers are bringing to market," he said, before going on to list digital, omnichannel technology, click and collect and in-store mobility as just some of the areas the retailer has identified as key to its future.

"Those are obvious points of reference and I think they're absolutely key to the future of retail," Bingham concluded.

Speaking last year, Harpinder Singh, mobile commerce manager for Mothercare and Early Learning Centre, discussed how that company planned to use beacon technology in a bid to provide customers with a better in-store experience