Everything You Need to Know About Implementing ERP for Retail Business

What is an ERP?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning, which is a type of software that helps businesses manage various business processes such as accounting, inventory, human resources, and customer relationship management. ERP for retail is specifically designed for the retail sector to manage and integrate various functions across multiple channels of business.

Retail ERP software provides a centralized database to store and manage critical business data, allowing retailers to streamline their operations and make informed decisions based on real-time insights. By integrating data from various sales channels, retail ERP solutions can help them gain a comprehensive view of their business, enabling them to identify and address operational inefficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience.

How Multichannel Sellers (Retail Brands) Use ERP

In today's retail landscape, customers expect a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels, including brick-and-mortar stores, online marketplaces, social media, and mobile apps. Multichannel selling allows retailers to expand their reach, attract new customers, and drive revenue growth. However, managing sales channels in isolation can lead to data silos, operational inefficiencies, and poor customer experience.

This is where ERP for retail comes in. By integrating data from multiple channels, retailers can gain a 360-degree view of their business, enabling them to manage inventory, sales, and customer data across all channels. Retail ERP software can also automate various processes, such as order management, fulfillment, and invoicing, reducing manual errors and freeing up time for employees to focus on more value-added tasks.

Challenges of Multichannel Selling Without ERP Integration

Multichannel selling has become a popular strategy for retailers looking to increase their customer reach and revenue streams. However, without proper integration with an ERP system, multichannel selling can present several challenges that can hinder a retailer's growth and success. Here are some of the common challenges of multichannel selling without ERP integration:

• Inefficient inventory management: Managing inventory across multiple channels manually can lead to overstocking, understocking, and stockouts, resulting in lost sales and decreased customer satisfaction.
• Manual processes: Manual processes such as data entry and order fulfillment can lead to errors and delays, impacting the customer experience and operational efficiency.
• Lack of real-time insights: Without real-time insights, retailers may miss opportunities to optimize their operations, such as reducing shipping costs or increasing the efficiency of their supply chain.
• Siloed data: When data is not integrated across channels, it becomes difficult for retailers to get a holistic view of their business operations. This can lead to data silos, which means that different teams have access to different data sets, making it difficult to get a complete picture of the business.
• Inaccurate inventory management: Managing inventory across multiple sales channels can be a challenge, especially if the data is not integrated. This can lead to inaccurate inventory levels, stockouts, and overstocks, which can impact sales and customer satisfaction.

• Inefficient processes: Without proper integration, retailers may have to rely on manual processes to manage their operations, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. This can impact productivity and increase operational costs.
• Poor customer experience: When data is not integrated across channels, it can be difficult to provide customers with a seamless experience. This can lead to issues such as out-of-stock items, delayed shipments and inconsistent pricing, which can impact customer satisfaction.

Why Should you Integrate your ERP System with your Multichannel Systems?

Integrating ERP with multichannel systems can help retailers overcome the challenges mentioned above and achieve various benefits, including:

1. Centralized data management: Retail ERP software provides a single source of truth for all critical business data, enabling retailers to make informed decisions based on real-time insights.
2. Improved inventory management: By integrating inventory across multiple channels, retailers can optimize their inventory levels, reducing the risk of stockouts and overstocking.
3. Automated processes: Retail ERP solutions can automate various processes such as order management, fulfillment, and invoicing, reducing manual errors and freeing up time for employees to focus on more value-added tasks.
4. Real-time insights: By integrating data from multiple channels, retailers can gain a complete view of their business, enabling them to identify and address operational inefficiencies and optimize their operations for increased profitability.

When to implement ERP in a retail business?

Implementing an ERP system is a significant investment for any retail business. It is essential to evaluate the readiness of the business before implementing an ERP. Here are some key indicators that suggest the right time to implement ERP in a retail business:

1. Number of stores: If the business has more than three stores, it may be time to consider implementing an ERP system.
2. SKU or unique item count: If the business has a large number of SKUs or unique items, implementing an ERP system can help manage them effectively

Why Integrate Your ERP System with Your Multichannel Systems?

Integrating your ERP system with your multichannel systems can help retailers overcome the challenges of managing multiple sales channels. Some of the benefits of ERP integration include:

1. Holistic view of operations: ERP integration provides retailers with a complete view of their business operations across channels. This can help them make more informed decisions and improve their overall business performance.
2. Accurate inventory management: With ERP integration, retailers can ensure that their inventory levels are accurate across channels. This can help them avoid stockouts and overstocks, which can impact sales and customer satisfaction.
3. Streamlined processes: ERP integration can help retailers streamline their business processes, reducing the need for manual intervention. This can help them save time and reduce operational costs.
4. Improved customer experience: Through ERP integration, retailers can provide customers with a seamless experience across channels, helping enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

When to Implement ERP in a Retail Business?

1. Managing multiple stores: Managing multiple stores can be challenging, especially when it comes to inventory management, financial reporting, and data analysis. An ERP system can help you streamline your operations, allowing you to manage all your stores from a single platform.
2. Managing all your SKUs: As your business grows, managing your inventory becomes more complex. An ERP system can help you keep track of all your SKUs, allowing you to optimize your inventory levels and avoid stockouts.
3. Managing multiple transactions: Manual data entry can be time-consuming and prone to errors, especially if you have a high volume of transactions. An ERP system can automate your transaction processing, allowing you to reduce errors and save time.
4. Managing large-scale orders: Managing online orders can be challenging, especially if you have multiple sales channels. An ERP system can help you consolidate your online orders, allowing you to process them more efficiently.
5. Managing high inventory value: As your inventory value grows, managing it becomes more critical. An ERP system can help you optimize your inventory levels, reduce carrying costs, and avoid stockouts.
6. Managing a business across multiple states: Managing a business across multiple states can be challenging, especially when it comes to compliance, taxes, and regulations. An ERP system can help you streamline your operations, allowing you to comply with regulations and avoid penalties.
7. Managing multiple sales channels: Managing multiple sales channels, such as online, in-store, and wholesale can be challenging, especially when it comes to inventory management and financial reporting. An ERP system can help you consolidate your operations, allowing you to manage all your channels from a single platform.
8. Dealing with multiple customers: Managing wholesale orders can be complex, especially if you have multiple customers. An ERP system can help you manage your wholesale orders more efficiently, allowing you to process them faster and with fewer errors.

How to select an ERP for a retail business?

When selecting an ERP system, it is important to ensure that it is able to integrate and support all the channels of your retail business. This includes not only your brick and mortar stores, but also your online marketplaces, e-commerce platforms, and mobile applications. It is essential that your ERP system is able to consolidate and manage data from all these different channels in one place, providing a complete view of your business operations.

1. Check for case studies on similar segments: Researching case studies for similar retail segments can give you a good idea of the suitability of an ERP system for your business. For example, if you run a fashion retail business, you may want to look for case studies of other fashion retailers who have successfully implemented an ERP system. This will help you understand the specific features and functionalities that are important for your segment, and also help you identify potential challenges and limitations.
2. Consider aspirational size: It is important to select an ERP system that can accommodate your growth plans for the future. Think about where you want your business to be in the next 5 years, and select an ERP system that can scale with the business. Your ERP system should be able to handle an increase in the number of stores, products, transactions, and customers, without compromising on performance or functionality. It should also have the flexibility to adapt to changing business needs and market conditions.

In addition to these factors, there are other important considerations when selecting an ERP system for a retail business, such as integration capabilities, customized options, and training and support. It is essential to evaluate each ERP system on these criteria to ensure that you select the right one for your business.

How to implement ERP for retail businesses?

Implementing an ERP system for a retail business can be a complex process, but it can also be highly beneficial in streamlining operations and improving efficiency. Here are some steps to consider when implementing an ERP system for a retail business:

1. Prepare opening stock item-wise and location wise: Before implementing an ERP system, it is essential to ensure that you have an accurate inventory count, including the location of each item. This will help ensure that your inventory management system is set up correctly.
2. Align sales and operations teams: It is essential to ensure that your sales and operations teams are aligned and have a clear understanding of how the retail ERP system will be used. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the system is used efficiently and effectively.
3. Create a project plan: A project plan is essential for ERP implementation. This plan should include timelines, milestones, and the responsibilities of each team member.
4. Have a SPOC to coordinate with the implementation team: A Single Point of Contact (SPOC) should be appointed to coordinate with the implementation team. You can then be sure that everyone is working towards the same goal and ensure clear communication.
5. Implement inventory and sales operations: It is important to focus on getting the basics of the system up and running first, such as inventory and sales modules. This will help to ensure that the system is functional and can be used to support day-to-day operations.
6. Perform time-consuming operations later: Once the basic operations are implemented, you can move on to more time-consuming operations such as production. This will ensure system implementation in a logical and efficient manner.
7. View ready to use reports in the system: Once your ERP system is up and running, it is essential to do a sanity check by viewing the reports that are available in the system. You need to make sure that the system is working correctly and that your data is accurate.
8. Opt for customized reporting at a later stage: Customized reporting can be done once your ERP system is fully functional. You will then know that the reports are tailored to the specific needs of your business.

What are the necessary integrations with ERP for retail?

It is essential to integrate various systems with ERP to ensure a smooth flow of data across different functions. Some of the necessary integrations for ERP in retail include:

Point of Sale (POS) integration: This is essential for a retail business to manage their sales, inventory, and accounting efficiently. With Ginesys ERP, retailers can seamlessly integrate their POS system to ensure real-time inventory tracking and accurate accounting. Ginesys has readily integrated its POS system into its ERP software, and is capable of catering to different types of stores, including company-owned stores and franchisees. This integration helps retailers manage their daily operations and streamline their sales and accounting processes more easily.

Order Management System (OMS) integration: This is another critical aspect of ERP integration for retail businesses. This integration allows retailers to manage their orders efficiently and track their inventory levels accurately. Ginesys ERP has an OMS integrated into its software, to help retailers manage their orders, track their inventory levels, and ensure timely delivery of products to their customers. With Ginesys ERP, retailers can manage their orders seamlessly and ensure a smooth order-to-delivery process, ultimately enhancing the customer experience.

Customer loyalty to accounting: Integrating customer loyalty programs with accounting helps in tracking liabilities generated due to issuance and redemption of loyalty points more accurately.

Warehouse Management System (WMS) integration: This integration helps retailers manage their warehouse operations more efficiently, including inventory tracking, order processing, and shipping. Ginesys has WMS integrated with its ERP system.

Production integration: Integrating production with ERP helps in managing the production process and tracking inventory levels accurately. Ginesys already has production integration in place.

Replenishment integration: Replenishment integration helps retailers manage their inventory levels effectively by setting up automatic reorder points. Ginesys has supply chain partners who can help set up replenishment integration.

Business Intelligence (BI) integration: BI integration helps retailers analyze data and make informed decisions. Ginesys has successfully integrated BI in all its systems.

Ginesys One- A one-stop Solution for Retailers

A comprehensive integration of your systems with Ginesys’ ERP and omnichannel retail suite will help retailers manage their business operations seamlessly and enhance their performance. Ginesys provides retailers with a comprehensive solution for all their retail needs, including POS, inventory management, accounting, OMS, WMS, production management, and BI.

Ginesys One offers a one-stop solution for retailers looking to streamline their business operations and improve their overall performance. With our robust system integrations, retailers can manage their entire retail business from a single platform, saving them plenty of time and resources. If you are looking for an ERP system that caters to all your retail needs, look no further than Ginesys. Ask for a demo today!