Apparel supplier Nygård extends BI Platform with MicroStrategy

30 Nov '09

3 min read

In conjunction with the announcement of the recipients of the 2009 Vision Awards for Business Impact, Mary Jo Nott, Executive Editor of the BeyeNETWORK, interviewed Len Nicolas, CIO; Laurie Oliver, Director Retail Solutions and Merchandizing, Marketing and Communications; and Alex Campomanes, Business IQ Manager for Nygård International, about its award-winning submission in the operational business intelligence category.

Nygård's corporate culture of real-time information anywhere at any time drove its BI initiative that was then extended to the mobile workforce. As a supplier of apparel to a number of retail clients, millions of dollars in orders are placed daily and must be shipped on time. Tracking product performance across store locations and reseller channels is a necessity and using cutting-edge technology enables greater efficiency in the always-on world.

Nicolas stated that the impetus for this effort came from Peter Nygård, the founder who wanted any desktop applications extended to the BlackBerry as well. Nicolas continued, “Overall, four applications – reports and KPIs, alerts, quick lookups and full-blown applications like surveys, product questionnaires were developed and extended to mobile users.”

Describing the impact that the MicroStrategy had on the organization, Oliver provided hard ROI numbers, “Adoption of this solution has reduced home office time ½ day per week; created the ability to deliver key store reports and drill down to store KPIs; and the latest rollout included the ability to perform store audits electronically instead of the manual process previously required. This is a complete solution with the BlackBerry being the delivery device.”

In September 2007, Campomanes stated that Nygård implemented MicroStrategy Mobile in conjunction with a custom-built mobile application for the retail business as part of the corporate mobile business initiative (MBIZ). “All applications are developed having operational BI integrated within the applications which is a natural evolution of business processes becoming smarter. With MicroStrategy we have a huge advantage in controlling operational reporting, providing an additional level of insight on operational systems and then the ability to reintegrate operational KPIs back into the business. Going to mobile was just an extension of our applications and platforms to provide our workforce with information at their fingertips.”

“The BeyeNETWORK presents the Vision Award for Business Impact each year to recognize true business value that well-implemented software solutions provide for an organization,” said Nott. “Congratulations to Nygård International and MicroStrategy for their cutting edge application of making processes smarter and enabling users to make decisions faster and accurately.”

BeyeNETWORK is an online network of sites that provide free resources for business intelligence professionals. The Network offers media in a variety of formats to fit the needs of Network subscribers and visitors, leading the industry with news, articles from industry experts, newsletters, executive spotlights, podcasts, expert-hosted channels and blogs.

Nygård International, headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, is a leading fashion company that designs and markets women's fashion apparel. Nygård supplies apparel to a broad range of retail clientele, including Dillard's, Sears Canada and Hudson's Bay Company.

MicroStrategyis a global leader in business intelligence with thousands of customers worldwide.

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