Its latest SMART Retail program aims to create better customer experiences through smarter operations and more efficient inventory optimization
The operator of a major wholesale chain and e-commerce business in Thailand and Malaysia has transformed its operations to take advantage of a data-driven infrastructure.
Having in the past already implemented a cloud infrastructure to drive efficiency and reliability in its Makro retail management operations (comprising over 150 Makro wholesale stores), Siam Makro Public Company Limited subsequently adopted enterprise resource management (ERP) solutions in its Lotus’s business (comprising more than 2,600 retail stores in six countries) to gain greater operational agility.
The firm is already a major wholesaler in Asia, and it recently set on a mission to be a “New SMART Retailer” where innovative technology seamlessly connects offline stores with an online platform to offer best customer experience and convenient shopping. In Sep 2022, the firm had announced a 12.5–13.5bn baht investment for new Lotus’ stores and mall expansion and makeover plans; rebranding and other activities including new businesses, capital maintenance and energy saving.
According to the firm’s Group Chief Information Technology Officer, Paul Stephen Howe, the firm that supplied the earlier cloud infrastructure and ERP solutions was chosen for the latest digital transformation: “Oracle provided the holistic technology we needed, from infrastructure and finance to retail technology, to support our SMART Retail plans. This implementation creates better customer experiences through smarter operations and more efficient inventory optimization.”
With the latest implementation of retail technology, the firm expects to boost management of its sales, inventory, orders, invoices, and customer data to ensure it has the right products in the right locations to meet customer expectations.
Said Mike Webster, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Retail: “Lotus’s can leverage the proven combination of Merchandising, Store Inventory, and ERP financials to support the company’s growth.”
