WHSmith cloud-enables enterprise in North America
WHSmith North America has rolled out multiple SaaS-based solutions to optimize inventory performance and data-driven decision-making.
As part of this technology initiative, the North American operation of global travel retailer WHSmith upgraded to the latest versions of Aptos merchandising, warehouse management and sales audit solutions, transitioning from on-premises to a cloud-based SaaS model.
In addition, WHSmith North America has deployed Aptos analytics technology in an effort to gain a comprehensive view of its enterprise-wide data across its more than 340 specialty retail stores, including Marshall Retail Group (MRG) and InMotion stores, located in airports and resorts across North America. The retailer is focused on driving growth in North America with a significant pipeline of new stores.
[READ MORE: WHSmith to open 50-plus stores in airports across North America]
"WHSmith North America is charting an exciting path forward — and that path requires a technology foundation that is scalable and modern," said Joshua Bellendir, CIO and senior VP of IT at WHSmith North America. "Having relied on Aptos merchandising, warehouse management, and sales audit solutions for years, we recognized the significant benefits of migrating these applications to the cloud while also enhancing our capabilities with Aptos analytics."
By following a cloud-first enterprise approach, the retailer also seeks to accelerate innovation, reduce on-premise infrastructure costs, and seamlessly scale to support new locations, formats and channels.
Leveraging Aptos merchandising, warehousing and analytics solutions together to provide more precise visibility into inventory levels and demand, WHSmith North America intends to strategically position products closer to where they are needed, improving on-shelf availability.
Enhanced sales and inventory data should also aid WHSmith North America with operations of the in-store retail media network called WHS Media it recently launched in partnership with commercial media company SMG.
WHS Media combines in-store and off-site campaigns with data-based customer insights. The retailer intends to leverage insights gained from campaigns to optimize ad strategies using sales data and other metrics such as impressions and click-through rates.
"Aptos provides retailers with the tools they need to effectively manage inventory across their entire operation and swiftly adapt to evolving business conditions," said Aptos GM Jeremy Grunzweig. "We deeply value WHSmith North America’s trust in Aptos technology and are excited to support their continued expansion and momentum in North America and beyond."
