Hawaiian retailer reaps benefits from new POS and merchandising solution

Westborough, Mass. Hilo Hattie Fashion Centers, a Hawaiian retailer of island apparel and merchandise, has gone live with a new, end-to-end point-of-sale and merchandising solution from Micros-Retail, a division of Micros Systems, Westborough, Mass.

With a goal of moving its merchandising entirely to cloud computing, the retailer achieved its goal in just three weeks with the Micros system.

“We have already saved tens of thousands of dollars compared to our legacy ERP system,” said Bruce Bonar, CIO at Hilo Hattie, Honolulu, which operates seven stores throughout Hawaii. “Also, the new system’s reporting functions are far superior. It gives us a huge boost in productivity. We saw benefits on day one, and expect to achieve full ROI by the end of the 2009 calendar year.”

Hilo Hattie is Micros’ first customer to use the new solution in a fully hosted model. The package was designed to enable chains with fewer than 100 stores to offer services comparable to large operations and to enjoy the benefits of enhanced operating performance.

Hilo Hattie uses the integrated system for everything from merchandise planning and OTB (open-to-buy) to completing the sale in the store. It had already installed the point-of-sale system, and interfacing with the new merchandising system took only one day.

The company undertook the challenge of the upgrade in the midst of its peak season.

"We required the solution immediately and Micros-Retail was able to develop and deliver on an aggressive plan," Bonar said. "Everything went according to schedule. Micros-Retail has been a great partner throughout this accelerated project."

The greatest strength of the new system is the total integration it offers Hilo Hattie, according to Bonar.

"Interface, troubleshooting and productivity are all enhanced,” he said. “We are operating a lean organization, with dramatically lower costs, while offering better customer service."