SAP AG is taking a broad-based, high-end approach to retail, talking up its SAP for Retail portfolio, which is based on its Netweaver platform. The company said it has 250 customers using its retail applications. Much of its retail momentum has come as a result of its Triversity acquisition. It is concentrating on in-store applications such as in-store inventory management, POS, and its Transactionware General Merchandising application, and is looking to capitalize on market predictions such as AMR’s forecast that retailers will invest heavily in POS between now and 2009. AMR estimates that 83% of retailers will upgrade their POS systems over the next 36 months.
Oracle Corp was also out to promote its retail credentials, particularly in emerging markets, by claiming strength in countries like Slovakia, Russia, Kenya, and Turkey, as well as more established markets such as Norway. However, although it talked about specific wins it did not reveal numbers. It is marketing on the basis that it can provide a complete and scalable solution, something it is able to do following a set of retail-specific acquisitions including the fought-over Retek. It introduced two new applications at the show: Retail Promotion Planning and Optimization and Retail Returns Management.
Microsoft is also going to market with the comprehensive portfolio message. While announcing new editions in the Dynamics portfolio in the form of the Dynamics Point of Sale 2.0 and the mid-range Dynamics Retail Management System 2.0, it also revealed its plan to work with First Data Corp and HP to put together a complete PC-based POS and payment system for small retailers, designed to replace cash registers and dial-up lines. This type of offering pits Microsoft and Oracle as the closest combatants, rather than SAP and Oracle.
Lawson Software, a long-time retail specialist, which is currently wrestling with the post-acquisition integration of Intentia, also reasserted its role as a player in the retail vertical. It announced that 24 out of a total of 50 retail customers had signed up to use its retail software on its latest foundation 9 platform during the last quarter.
