Retail

Financial Workbench Planning

Instead of disconnected systems and processes, retail organizations need an integrated planning process. In a coordinated planning environment, departments and divisions work toward common objectives and goals and there is a consistent business strategy. The result is better revenue and profitability targets. Moreover, chains can experience higher margins and increased market share, and improve customer satisfaction.

Coordinate planning and measurement across the chain

The IBM Cognos Financial Workbench and Scorecard Performance Blueprint uses IBM Cognos 8 Planning and IBM Cognos 8 BI to provide integrated planning and analysis of results against plans. So retailers meet growth and profitability objectives, while improving customer service and loyalty:

• Integrate the planning process so that merchandising, finance, operations, and marketing work towards common objectives and projects.
• Perform ‘what-if’ analysis for sales and costs to determine the impact on financial statements and metrics.
• Model business scenarios to determine the financial impact of decisions.
• Pro-rate revenue and costs to meet investment goals, and change assumptions and drivers to see the affect of these changes on financial metrics.
• Rapidly re-forecast to adjust to changes in costs or revenue.
• Drive collaboration, and streamline the approval and monitoring process.
• Set, measure, and monitor key performance metrics based on standard financial statements.
• Ensure ownership and accountability for performance.

Learn more about the IBM Cognos Financial Workbench and Scorecard Performance Blueprint. Download the following:

• Financial Workbench and Scorecard Issue Paper
• Financial Workbench and Scorecard On-Line Demo

Additional Resources:

Retail Performance Management: Increase Visibility and Drive Profitable Growth

White Paper

Learn about the benefits of using Cognos performance management to gain deep business insight, improve decision-making, and succeed in the highly competitive retail marketplace.

Retail Perspectives: Maximize the Return on Customer

Article

Three perspectives on the retail industry. Learn how customer data drives more successful campaigns, why retailers need tighter integration with their supply chains, and how the IBM Cognos Financial Merchandise Planning Performance Blueprint can improve inventory planning.

Selecting the Right Retail Planning Solution

White Paper

This software selection guide provides some key factors to consider when evaluating enterprise planning solutions, and it makes the business case for Cognos as the best-in-class performance management system provider.

IBM Cognos Retail Store Development Planning Performance Blueprint

Online Demo

Learn how Cognos retail performance management solutions can help chains align corporate objectives with operating plans to operate more profitably and efficiently.

Retail Performance Management Podcast with JCB Partners

Podcast

An interview with Brad Smith of JCB partners. Includes a survey of current trends in the retail industry and how JCB and Cognos partner to provide a retail performance management solution to improve performance in merchandising, pricing, and other key areas and walks through a typical retail performance management engagement.

IBM Cognos Financial Merchandise Planning Blueprint: Align Merchandise Plans with Corporate Strategies, Customer Demands

Issue Paper

Learn how retail chains can meet sales objectives and profitability goals through a merchandise planning process that is synchronized with both finance and operations.

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