Merret from Retail Assist chosen to support online fashion retailer's growth

Merret from Retail Assist chosen to support online fashion retailer's growth

ASOS, the UK online fashion and beauty retailer, has selected the Merret supply chain solution from Retail Assist to replace its core buying and merchandising systems.

The new system covers product creation, purchase order management, supplier management, stock valuation, markdowns and promotions.

ASOS has invested in a strategic programme to replace its back-office systems, as the company’s IT director, Dan West, explained: “We’re growing at a phenomenal pace. Our systems need to be capable of underpinning our business strategies, including international expansion, ensuring we maintain our competitive edge. While in-house systems have met our needs to date, we now need stronger and more consistent controls and processes. This is a great opportunity to re-map our processes for the benefit of the business.”

Move to best-of-breed improves processes

ASOS has been systematically replacing its core systems with best-of-breed solutions and selected Merret to enhance the control and visibility of its supply chain.

West added: “We believe that [Retail Assist] are capable of building solutions that make a positive contribution to operations, customer service and the bottom line. We also feel comfortable with the company culture, and are looking forward to building a partnership with them.”

The project is underway to deliver a Merret merhcandising management solution (MMS) solution that includes development of data interfaces to integrate with ASOS’ suite of applications. Retail Assist will also provide project management and implementation services.

Retail Assist’s product director, Nigel Illingworth added: “ASOS will gain in lots of ways from using Merret, including promotion management options and greater flexibility in managing multiple drop dates for intake. Supplier management will also improve, as Merret’s method of generating SKU [stock-keeping unit] level POs [purchase orders] based on pre-defined criteria is fast and efficient. And, by further developing Merret to meet the needs of ASOS, we too will benefit from our new partnership in terms of enriching our online retailing solution.”