RETAIL
SPOTLIGHT
Retail Associates: Driving retail
innovation in the Philippine setting
When it was
established in the
Philippines in 2006,
Retail Associates was
greeted by a retail
landscape where
majority of retailers
struggle with
disconnected systems
and lack of ability to
analyze operational
data.
Its President and CEO Bo
Lundqvist wanted to bring world-class technology
to a growing Filipino retail industry then, and after
almost 14 years, Retail Associates is still focused on
its core mission of enabling retailers by
automating processes. This is possible with the
help of its almost 100 Filipino staff who serve
customers not only in the Philippines but in
several countries around Asia Pacific, some of
which are global retailers.
He shared with the Philippine Retailing about the
work they do, challenges, and some tips on how
retailers should approach digital transformation:
What would you say are the major
milestones for the company in the
Philippine setting?
We are immensely proud to have been recognized
as one of the leading Partners of LS Retail in the
world. Diamond level partnership is awarded only
16 partners out of several hundred worldwide,
with Retail Associates being one of few in
Asia-Pacific. This reinforces the fact that Filipino
talent is at global parity.
What are the biggest challenges of the
company and how did you overcome these?
A major challenge to any technology provider in
the Philippines is the availability of reliable
connectivity. Retail is by default a geographically
distributed business, with its core customer
interaction happening at store-fronts. Modern
technology typically requires always-on
connectivity to deliver the customer
experience expected. In the Philippines,
this is a major challenge to anyone.
Technology vendors like us have to find
ways to deliver solutions based on that
premise.
Please share some of the
solutions/products you provide to
the retail industry.
We specialize in the delivery,
implementation and support of LS Retail.
LS Retail is a global ERP solution for Retail
and Hospitality, built on the Microsoft
Dynamics platform. We also offer integrated
solutions for eCommerce, Business Analytics,
Property Management and very soon a solution for
Hotels and Resorts. Finally, we help customers to
refresh and keep current their IT infrastructure
through our partnership with HP.
What was the biggest compliment you
received from clients?
We often receive feedback from customers in
positive terms related to our people, and it makes
us happy each time. We are proud that our large
pool of competent consulting resources are sought
after not only in the Philippines, but are deployed
also on LS Retail projects abroad, and possess
therefore a wealth of experience.
Likewise, expertise on local compliance has been
appreciated by many customers, especially foreign
retailers which often find Filipino compliance
standards difficult to understand and comply with.
What suggestions would you give to
retailers in terms of transforming digitally
or getting updated with the current trends?
Retailers need to realize that technology is a key
enabler for success, an investment and not a cost
of doing business. Customers today expect unique
and connected experiences at stores and online,
and will quickly abandon retailers that cannot
deliver on expectations. That puts IT at the very
core of retailing, not only supporting the business,
but as a key Customer Experience enabler.
That said, retailers of all sizes should elevate IT
strategy to the board rooms by hiring a qualified
CIO and make him or her a key part of its vision
and strategy.
Digital transformation does not just happen, or
happen over-night. A successful transformation
from brick and mortar to Omni-channel needs
have a plan in place, a plan that is firmly supported
by the owners of the business. We believe a robust
Finance and Operations solution is the core of any
successful digital transformation, and suggest
retailers focus its efforts on fully automating its
current retail business as a first step.
Please share with us the experience being
part of the Stores Asia Expo at the 26th
NRCE and how does this help the business?
Retail Associates has been very supportive of PRA’s
endeavors towards upgrading the country’s retail
setting, including the NRCE and Stores Asia Expo.
Being the key touchpoint to the large scale of
retailers in the Philippines, the NRCE and Stores
Asia Expo paved way for Retail Associates to
generate business, create network and obtain
followings for better sales and marketing
campaign results. In addition, the conference
provides us valuable knowledge and insight into
the industry, and the future of the industry.
What value do you get by becoming a
member of PRA?
PRA in truly the “pulse and voice of the Philippine
Retail Industry”, catering not only to the large and
established retailers, but also the smaller players
and the startups. As a provider of solutions to the
industry, our membership in PRA is an important
platform for us to better understand the local
industry requirements, and also for us to be able to
reach out to retailers with the solutions we offer.
Retail Spotlight aims to share the success stories and insights of PRA
members. Share your story with us! if you have an inspiring story on
how you started your business, or an employee who has served as
inspiration within the company or the retailing community, we’d love
to publish them on the Philippine Retailing magazine. Email your
pitch at [email protected] and let’s share beautiful,
inspiring stories to the retailing community.