Merchandise Director

Profit in trade may well be made when the merchandise is bought, but for large retailers it is not enough to just buy the right stock. It is equally important to have the right stock in the right store, at the right time. These are the key challenges faced by the Merchandise Director.

It has been said that merchandise management is a combination of art and science. In other words, it means that merchandise management is a combination of great talent and strong systems. If you are a highly talented merchant, you will still need a good system to be truly successful.

What kind of system do you need? Here are some tips:

  • A system that works. This may sound obvious but there are systems in use and sold to retailers that fail this fundamental criteria. The Retail Directions system is widely used. It has been painstakingly scrutinized by numerous investigators. This gives you the comfort that you will not end up with a lemon.
  • A system that is unified. This ensures you easily get all the data you need. Retail Directions is one of only a few organizations in the world that can provide you with a single, retail-specific system to handle all retail functionality. One single system that handles planning, buying, sales, stock management, pricing, promotions, locations and customers. Totally contrary to what is so common in the industry, we did not assemble this powerful solution by buying and interfacing together a range of products from various vendors. We crafted the entire system ourselves.
  • A system that is modern and built using standard components. In contrast, a system that was built in the 1980s or a system that relies on expensive technology will be inflexible and costly. We guarantee your needs will change in time. This is why you need a system than can be readily changed and at low cost. This is why our system uses the latest technology and relies on Microsoft's standard database and standard components.
  • A system that is highly functional. The Retail Directions system is certainly highly functional. It supports allocations, merchandise budgets and plans, OTB and much more. But it is also retail-specific, so whatever we do for you, we do it well.
  • A system that optimizes stock management to significantly reduce your markdowns.
  • A system that is data-rich. Retail Directions software includes hundreds of reports and the industry-famous SalesCubeŽ. SalesCube can generate (in real time) over 1,000 reports, allowing you to analyze down to item level, the performance of your stock and your stores. There wouldn't be a merchant in the world who could resist having a tool such as SalesCube on their desk.

Retail Directions software is the crucial tool you need to supplement your merchandising skills. We give you the means to underpin your art with science.