EmployBridge Puts People to Work Across the US With Help From Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Press release:

EmployBridge Puts People to Work Across the US With Help From Microsoft Dynamics CRM

July 30, 2012

Staffing firm streamlines its online applications process to help qualified applicants get back to work faster.

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REDMOND, Wash. — July 30, 2012 — EmployBridge, a national leader in staffing and workforce solutions with more than 155 locations throughout the U.S., has chosen Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to develop and implement an online solution that enables the company to fill “great jobs with great people.” This new solution supports the entire job-seeking process, from the candidate’s initial application to final matching of candidates to jobs.

With the help of Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Credera, EmployBridge developed what came to be known as the Online Applicant Entry (OAE), a specialty solution using the Dynamics CRM solution that is transparent to end users but supports the entire application process. The new OAE was further integrated with other applications used by EmployBridge for finding the best candidates for clients, including pre-employment screening, skills and personality profile testing. The time savings were tremendous — a process that could take weeks, according to EmployBridge CIO Chris Loope, dwindled to a few days.

“After initially reviewing customer relationship management (CRM) solutions from several providers, we determined that Microsoft Dynamics would be the best solution for our broad range of needs,” Loope said. “Better yet, it leveraged our existing investment in Microsoft technology with our applicant tracking system.”

Previously the process required applicants to visit their nearest branch location in person to fill out an application that consisted of several pages, which could take in excess of 20 minutes, followed by hours of time-consuming paperwork and processing by EmployBridge employees.

Since the implementation, applicants can now access the application process online at any time, from any computer with an Internet connection. Easy-to-understand instructions carefully guide them through each step, helping to ensure that forms are fully completed with the proper information. Applicants also can electronically “sign” and submit documents such as W-4 forms, which eliminates the need to fax, mail or hand deliver documents that require a signature. As a result of the OAE solution, EmployBridge processes four times as many applicants as it was processing previously, improving the organization’s ability to find the right person for the right job.

For EmployBridge managers, OAE has helped reduce tasks that could take hours to mere minutes. Managers can quickly review each application to determine the best candidates for specific job opportunities. Detailed qualification checks required by each client are conducted automatically, helping to increase the speed and accuracy of the qualification process.

“We can calculate a clear return on investment with our OAE solution, based on greater efficiencies and lower operating costs,” Loope said. “Equally important, this solution has helped us serve our applicants and clients even better ― and that’s always our goal at EmployBridge.”

Learn more about the creation of EmployBridge’s innovative business solution with Credera athttp://blog.credera.com/type/videos/great-work-with-great-clients-employbridge.

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available in theMicrosoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

About EmployBridge

EmployBridge is the fastest-growing national provider of staffing and workforce solutions in the country. Created from the combination of several successful staffing organizations during the 1990s, EmployBridge provides staffing solutions for a specific number of work areas, including logistics staffing, transportation services, administrative and manufacturing support, accounting services, and medical staffing. The company now has 155 locations throughout the U.S. Learn more about the company at www.employbridge.com.

About Credera

Credera is a full-service management and technology consulting firm. Our clients range from Fortune 1,000 companies to emerging industry leaders. We provide expert, objective advice to help solve complex business and technology challenges. Our deep capabilities in strategy, organization, process, analytics and technology help our clients improve their performance. Clients depend on our ability to anticipate, recognize and address their specific needs. Credera’s consultants work with some of the world’s best known brands in a variety of industries, including Brinker, C Spire, EmployBridge, GameStop, Interstate Batteries, National Geographic, Neiman Marcus, Pep Boys, The Container Store and many more emerging industry leaders around the country. Founded in 1999, Credera is headquartered in Dallas, TX, and hosts offices and staffing locations around the country, including Houston, Austin and Denver. More information is available at www.credera.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Oracle to Hold Customer Experience Online Forum July 31, 2012 Speakers include Customer Experience Visionaries from Temkin Group and Marriott International

Press release:

Oracle Press Release

Oracle to Hold Customer Experience Online Forum July 31, 2012

Speakers include Customer Experience Visionaries from Temkin Group and Marriott International

Redwood Shores, CA – July 23, 2012 

News Facts

On July 31, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT, Oracle will hold its Customer Experience Online Forum.

This online event is essential for business and IT executives who want to help their organizations succeed in the Experience Revolution – the new era of the empowered customer where customer experience has become the most important driver of business advantage and results.

Attendees will learn about the ROI of customer experience, the strategies that leading companies use to differentiate their brand, to attract and retain customers, and how Oracle solutions can help companies succeed in the Experience Revolution.

Speakers and topics include:

The Customer Experience Revolution, Anthony Lye, Oracle. As the architect of Oracle’s customer experience strategy, Lye will discuss the age of the empowered customer, and the emergence of customer experience as the primary differentiator and driver of business value.

The ROI of Customer Experience, Bruce Temkin, Temkin Group. This leading customer experience expert will discuss the ROI of customer experience and identify the bottom-line benefits of improving customer service.

Customer Experience in Action, Tim Streightiff and Amanda Skura, Marriott International. These customer experience visionaries will present real world case studies that highlight exceptional customer experience in action.

Delivering Great Marketing Experiences, Melissa Boxer, Oracle. An expert in leveraging marketing automation, social marketing and loyalty technologies to drive superior customer experiences, Boxer will discuss radical shifts in the customer buying process and ways that companies can reach, communicate and respond to existing and potential customers. 

Commerce:  Providing Great Experiences Across All Customer Touch Points, John Andrews, Oracle. Offering strategies for a comprehensive cross-channel customer experience, Andrews will talk about how Commerce has emerged as a multi-channel activity with customers demanding a consistent, relevant, and personalized customer experience whenever and wherever they interact with brands.

Customer Experience for Customer Service: Delivering on Your Brand Promise, Brian Curran, Oracle. A dynamic speaker, well versed in the importance of stellar customer service to the success of customer experience, Curran will articulate how service and support activities are the most influential customer experience touch points in driving long term customer relationships and customer value.

Where to Start Your Organization's Revolution, John Kembel, Oracle. Providing his expertise in designing great customer experiences, Kembel will articulate how organizations can begin mapping a sound customer experience strategy.

Register for the Customer Experience Online Forum here.

Oracle will continue the conversation at the Oracle Customer Experience Summit @ OpenWorld, which will take place in San Francisco October 3 – 5, 2012 during Oracle OpenWorld 2012. This unique summit will bring together leading brands and experts to share insights, success stories and lessons learned.

Supporting Resources

Customer Experience Online Forum Registration

Customer Experience Online Forum Hashtag: #OracleCX

Oracle Customer Experience Summit @ OpenWorld 2012 Registration

Oracle OpenWorld 2012 Social Media Hashtag: #OOW

Oracle Customer Experience Solutions

Oracle CX on Social Media

• Twitter – Oracle CX
• Facebook – Oracle Customer Experience
• YouTube – Oracle Customer Experience

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center.  For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com

Oracle to Hold Customer Experience Online Forum July 31, 2012 Speakers include Customer Experience Visionaries from Temkin Group and Marriott International

Oracle Press Release

Oracle to Hold Customer Experience Online Forum July 31, 2012

Speakers include Customer Experience Visionaries from Temkin Group and Marriott International

Redwood Shores, CA – July 23, 2012 

News Facts

On July 31, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PT, Oracle will hold its Customer Experience Online Forum.

This online event is essential for business and IT executives who want to help their organizations succeed in the Experience Revolution – the new era of the empowered customer where customer experience has become the most important driver of business advantage and results.

Attendees will learn about the ROI of customer experience, the strategies that leading companies use to differentiate their brand, to attract and retain customers, and how Oracle solutions can help companies succeed in the Experience Revolution.

Speakers and topics include:

The Customer Experience Revolution, Anthony Lye, Oracle. As the architect of Oracle’s customer experience strategy, Lye will discuss the age of the empowered customer, and the emergence of customer experience as the primary differentiator and driver of business value.

The ROI of Customer Experience, Bruce Temkin, Temkin Group. This leading customer experience expert will discuss the ROI of customer experience and identify the bottom-line benefits of improving customer service.

Customer Experience in Action, Tim Streightiff and Amanda Skura, Marriott International. These customer experience visionaries will present real world case studies that highlight exceptional customer experience in action.

Delivering Great Marketing Experiences, Melissa Boxer, Oracle. An expert in leveraging marketing automation, social marketing and loyalty technologies to drive superior customer experiences, Boxer will discuss radical shifts in the customer buying process and ways that companies can reach, communicate and respond to existing and potential customers. 

Commerce:  Providing Great Experiences Across All Customer Touch Points, John Andrews, Oracle. Offering strategies for a comprehensive cross-channel customer experience, Andrews will talk about how Commerce has emerged as a multi-channel activity with customers demanding a consistent, relevant, and personalized customer experience whenever and wherever they interact with brands.

Customer Experience for Customer Service: Delivering on Your Brand Promise, Brian Curran, Oracle. A dynamic speaker, well versed in the importance of stellar customer service to the success of customer experience, Curran will articulate how service and support activities are the most influential customer experience touch points in driving long term customer relationships and customer value.

Harnessing Social Interactions to Drive Customer Experiences, Bulent Cinarkaya, Oracle. An authority on the role that social plays in driving exceptional customer experiences, Cinarkaya will explain how organizations can use proactive social engagements to build stronger relationships with customers and deliver consistent, relevant brand experiences.

Where to Start Your Organization's Revolution, John Kembel, Oracle. Providing his expertise in designing great customer experiences, Kembel will articulate how organizations can begin mapping a sound customer experience strategy.

Register for the Customer Experience Online Forum here.

Oracle will continue the conversation at the Oracle Customer Experience Summit @ OpenWorld, which will take place in San Francisco October 3 – 5, 2012 during Oracle OpenWorld 2012. This unique summit will bring together leading brands and experts to share insights, success stories and lessons learned.

Supporting Resources

Customer Experience Online Forum Registration

Customer Experience Online Forum Hashtag: #OracleCX

Oracle Customer Experience Summit @ OpenWorld 2012 Registration

Oracle OpenWorld 2012 Social Media Hashtag: #OOW

Oracle Customer Experience Solutions

Oracle CX on Social Media

• Twitter – Oracle CX
• Facebook – Oracle Customer Experience
• YouTube – Oracle Customer Experience

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center.  For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Launches Trust Center

Press release:

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Launches Trust Center

July 23, 2012

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online becomes first cloud CRM service to register with CSA STAR.

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REDMOND, Wash. — July 23, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced the availability of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center, a website that provides in-depth information about the privacy and security practices for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Onlineservice. As data security and compliance are critical key considerations for organizations evaluating cloud services, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center delivers to customers and potential customers high-level information about the privacy, transparency, independent verification and security features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

This follows Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online’s registration with the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Security, Trust & Assurance Registry (STAR) program, making Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online the first cloud CRM service to provide this level of transparency. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online joins Microsoft Office 365 and Windows Azure with their Trust Centers and CSA STAR registrations, underscoring Microsoft’s commitment to customers’ data security and privacy.

“Customers have to be confident that their business solutions are meeting their high-level security features and privacy needs. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center ensures transparency in how we operate Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online and handle these critical customer needs,” said Dennis Michalis, general manager, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Corp. “Our customers need business solutions they can depend on, and the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center helps remove some of the anxiety they may have as they consider going to the cloud.”

Gartner Inc. in the research report “Look Before You Leap Into Cloud Computing,” published May 25, 2012, predicts that “by year-end 2016, more than 50 percent of Global 1000 companies will have stored customer-sensitive data in the public cloud.” And it adds, “many enterprises are reaping great benefits from cloud computing, primarily in added business agility and cost savings .… However, as with any significant new form of technology, many eager new customers rush to take advantage of it before all the risks and risk mitigations have been fully explored.”

“Enterprises should ensure that potential cloud service providers are trustworthy in areas of security, privacy and operational characteristics,” said Gene Phifer, vice president distinguished analyst, Gartner. “Enterprises should perform due diligence on potential cloud service providers through the use of emerging cloud standards, certifications, cloud services brokers, questionnaires and interviews, and by generally ‘doing your homework.’ Transparency in a cloud vendor is key and security should be as big of a concern with online deployments as with on-premises deployments.”

Designed to offer the performance, scalability, security and service levels organizations expect, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online has built-in capabilities for compliance with a wide range of regulations and privacy mandates, including EU Safe Harbor, EU Model Clauses, ISO 27001, SSAE 16 SOC 1 Type II, and HIPAA-HITECH.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Trust Center is available at http://crm.dynamics.com/trust-center. Those who want to follow and engage with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Twitter community can do so at @MSDynamicsCRM, using #MSDYNCRM and #CRM2011.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics solutions empower your people to be more productive and your systems to last longer and scale as your business grows, while enabling you to derive the insights necessary to respond quickly in an ever-changing world of business.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Press release:

Mobile Retail Commerce Rises While Social Shopping Drops in Second Quarter, Reports IBM

Consumers Buy More Per Online Transaction

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Armonk, N.Y. - 16 Jul 2012: Mobile shopping rose while social media sales fell, providing an indication of where US retailers may invest in order to capture the attention and loyalty of the digital consumer, according to a new report from IBM (NYSE: IBM). The IBM Retail Online Index, a cloud-based analysis of the online retail sector reported that retailers experienced 15 percent growth in sales from mobile devices but saw a 20 percent decline in sales traced to social media based on a much smaller base over this three-month period.

This report follows today’s news from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau which announced its estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales. According to the findings, retail sales fell 0.5 percent in June from May, the third straight month sales have been down from the month before. On a positive note, June 2012 sales were 3.8 percent above the pace of June 2011. 

The IBM Retail Online Index integrates factual marketplace data from its analytics offerings including the Benchmark with insights from the IBM Social Sentiment Index, an advanced analytics and natural language processing tool that analyzes large volumes of social media data to assess public opinions. The combination of these two offerings provides the most accurate and immediate snap shot on the state of the online retail market. 

IBM’s Retail Online Index identified several trends of importance to chief marketing officers (CMO), e-commerce leaders and customer service professionals. Over the second quarter consumers continued to embrace mobile devices as a shopping tool, with mobile commerce accounting for 15.1 percent of all online purchases, an increase of more than 14 percent. Despite this momentum retailers are still struggling to sustain substantial success with their social media efforts, evidenced by a more than 20 percent drop in social shopping.  

According to IBM’s State of Marketing 2012 survey, one explanation for social commerce’s failure may be the absence of a CMO and CIO alliance which is critical as marketing and online commerce become increasingly technology-driven. The lack of this alliance hinders the deployment of integrated technologies capable of fueling effective social media efforts. A second factor is marketing’s inability to form a clear consensus on how to utilize social channels. As a result, the retail online index saw a decline in positive sentiment around social media, which according to the online index dropped from 25.1 percent in Q1 to 18.6 percent in Q2. Leading factors for this shift were the lack of deals being offered by retailers through these channels, which were more prevalent in Q1. 

“Shoppers today are shifting from a singular online approach to a multi-channel experience that includes both mobile and social media. As a result, retailers must be prepared to connect with their customers on all fronts, or lose them to the competition,” said Craig Hayman, General Manager, IBM Industry Solutions. “As we enter the home stretch for the 2012 holiday season, we will continue to watch how CMOs and CIOs tackle these challenges and create social media efforts that deliver value to the customer while driving revenue for the business.” 

Over the second quarter, while online traffic and sales for Q2 were down 6.7 percent and 2.3 percent from Q1 respectively, there were signs of optimism. Specifically, for completed orders, shoppers bought more items (average items per order grew 2.6 percent) and spent more for each transaction (average order values for each purchase grew by 2.3 percent) over the second quarter. 

Part of IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative, the Retail Online Index draws data and insights from IBM's big data offerings to provide the industry’s most comprehensive look into the pulse of online retail through traditional and social media channels. The index analysis for second-quarter 2012 reveals the following trends:  

Online Retail Sales for Q2 2012 versus Q1 2012:

·     Consumer Spending: Total online sales for the quarter were down 2.3 percent over Q1 2012.

·     Average Order Value: The average value for each order in Q2 grew by 2.3 percent.

·     Items Per Order: The average number of items per order increased by 2.6 percent.

·     Page view Per Session: Page views per session dropped by 2 percent to 6.4 pages.

·     Mobile Sales: Sales from mobile devices reached 15.1 percent, up from the 13.3 percent in Q1 2012.

·     Mobile Devices: While Apple’s iPhone continued to rank one for mobile device retail traffic at 8.2 percent, Android surpassed the iPad which finished at 6.8 percent and 6.7 percent respectively.

·     Social Traffic: Shoppers referred from social networks generated 1.3 percent of all online traffic over Q2 2012, a slight increase from the 1.1 percent seen the previous quarter.

·     Social Sales: Shoppers referred to retailer sites from social networks generated 1.9 percent of all online sales over Q2 2012, a decrease from the 2.4 percent seen in Q1. 

Online Retail Categories for Q2 2012 versus Q1 2012:

·     Consumers further intensified their focus on the home with home goods sales growing by 35.3 percent in Q2.

·     Department stores continued to catch the attention of consumers with sales growing 3.7 percent

·     Jewelry stores maintained its upward track with sales growing by 1.4 percent.  

Consumer Sentiment for Department Stores for Q2 2012 versus Q1 2012 based on the IBM Social Sentiment Index:

·     Social Media:  A potential result of retailers failing to deliver compelling campaigns through these channels, positive sentiment around social media dropped by 6.5 percentage points, from 25.1 percent in Q1 to 18.6 percent in Q2.

·     Loyalty and Pricing: Where sales and clearing inventory were priorities in Q1, retailer prices returned to more normal rates in Q2, a shift that fueled negative sentiment around pricing which grew by 2.1 percentage points. These factors also impacted consumer loyalty where negative sentiment grew by 2.1 percentage points.  

IBM Retail Online Index

The IBM Retail Online Index features data from IBM's analytics offerings including the Benchmark and IBM Cognos Consumer Insight. The IBM Benchmark is the only analytics-based, peer-level benchmarking solution that measures online marketing results, including real-time sales data. All of the data is aggregated and anonymous. Analysis of public social media content came via IBM Cognos Consumer Insight which provides insight into underlying holiday shopping trends, hot topics of discussion and consumer sentiment. This index is combined with the IBM Social Sentiment Index to measure positive, negative and neutral sentiments shared in public forums such as Twitter, blogs, message boards and other social media, and provides quick insights into consumer conversations about issues, products and services. Follow the conversation at #bigdata #IBMIndex 

About IBM Smarter Commerce

IBM's Smarter Commerce initiative delivers software and services to help companies transform their business processes to more quickly respond to shifting customer demands in today's digitally transformed marketplace. The initiative is driven by the demands from organizations who are increasingly looking for ways to bring new levels of automation to marketing, sales and fulfillment to secure greater customer loyalty. The growth of mobile, social and online commerce are key trends within Smarter Commerce. 

News release:

ACI Delivers Comprehensive Online Banking Solution for Associated Banc-Corp

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

New York, N.Y. — MAY 29, 2012 — ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading international provider of payment systems, announced today that Associated Banc-Corp has chosen ACI Enterprise Banker™ to upgrade its online business banking offering. Associated Banc-Corp has more than 270 offices in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, serving more than one million customers with assets totaling $22 billion. The company will use Enterprise Banker to offer a flexible, yet robust, solution for the needs of a very diverse customer base.

“Choosing ACI and the Enterprise Banker solution provided our organization with a product that met all of our needs,” said Eldon Passey, head of commercial deposits and treasury management, Associated Banc-Corp. “The product comes from a trusted vendor with a proven record of accomplishment in our market. We sought a solution that could be adapted to meet the needs of our existing business customers, as well as supporting our plans for growth. We are confident that Enterprise Banker will allow us to meet the high customer satisfaction goals we have set for ourselves”

Enterprise Banker delivers the scalability the bank requires for continued growth. Associated Banc-Corp chose this solution because it could be implemented quickly, and provided the industry accepted standards believed necessary for its needs. Enterprise Banker allows financial institutions of all sizes to uniquely package products and services for different market segments, or even individual customers, from a single, flexible product base. The product offers a full range of functionality including: balance and transaction reporting,  ACH and wire transfer origination and reporting, cash concentration and tightly integrated third party applications such as bill pay and remote check deposit.

“ACI strives to offer financial institutions like Associated Banc the tools needed to compete in a rapidly changing environment,” said Ralph Dangelmaier, president, Global Markets and Services, ACI Worldwide.  “The online channel continues to grow in importance. Organizations need to be able to manage all aspects of their banking activity through one secure portal and we are pleased that Associated has chosen ACI to ensure its business will continue to meet all the changes of a rapidly changing industry.”

Microsoft Exchange Online Is Most Fashionable Email Solution for Otto Japan

Microsoft Exchange Online Is Most Fashionable Email Solution for Otto Japan

May 25, 2012

Japan fashion retailer chooses Microsoft cloud service for its large-capacity mailboxes, low cost and efficiency.

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REDMOND, Wash. — May 25, 2012 — Otto Japan Inc. has upgraded its email platform by adopting Microsoft Exchange Online from Microsoft Office 365. The fashion retailer, which sells its diverse product line through catalogues, stores and online, wanted to move away from Notes, its previous email software, in favor of a comprehensive solution that allowed for large-capacity mailboxes, fewer operational management hours and the optimization of IT costs.

In a competitive market, Otto Japan makes customer service its first priority and aims to find a balance between creativity and speed in its customer relations. It has particularly demonstrated its brand appeal online, with Internet sales showing an annual growth rate of approximately 20 percent. With the goal of continued growth, Otto Japan recognized the importance of speediness in efficiency and sought to reform its information platform. Leveraging an upcoming expiration of Notes, the company chose to install Microsoft Corp.’s public cloud service after also considering Google Apps.

“Speed and ease of use were essential,” said Nobuhiko Kita of the information systems department at Otto Japan. “Second, we decided cloud software would be an effective measure in our business continuity plan. After experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake, making systems run during a disaster and protecting data on the server have become vital considerations.”

To quickly transition to Office 365, it requested installation support from its business associate Kyoritsu Computer & Communication Co. Ltd., which helped make the migration more effective. 

“If we were allowed to spend one year on migration, we probably could have carried it out by ourselves. But if we spent time doing that, the benefits of adopting cloud services would be weakened,” Kita said. 

Since the company moved to the cloud, Kita estimates that administrative man-hours have decreased by approximately 30 percent. To optimize IT costs over a life cycle of four to five years, approximately 400 users companywide have adopted Office 365 as a global information-sharing environment, and many executives are now using email on company-provided smartphones and tablet PCs.

“The final important point was being able to use the system globally without issues,” Kita said. “Since our employees have to make many trips abroad, a service that allows us to use it freely around the globe was a precondition for adoption.”

More information on Otto Japan’s move to Microsoft Exchange Online is available on theMicrosoft Customer Spotlight News Center.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Press release:

Kiddicare Increases Online Sales by 20 percent with IBM Smarter Commerce

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MADRID - 23 May 2012: At the Smarter Commerce Global Summit, IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced that Kiddicare is boosting online sales with IBM enterprise marketing solutions, which help chief marketing officers (CMO) engage customers in highly relevant, interactive dialogues across digital, social, mobile and traditional marketing channels. IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative has helped Kiddicare strengthen its focus on current customers and realize a 20 percent growth in online sales over just a four month period.

The leading online nursery and baby equipment supplier in the UK, Kiddicare’s success is the result of a plan to broaden its business focus beyond new customer acquisition. Specifically, the retailer looked to place more emphasis on driving repeat business, better customer retention and higher order values.

By adding IBM analytics software to its existing IBM e-commerce infrastructure, Kiddicare has been able to mine the large volume of data it collects, analyze customer behavior (e.g. How are customers shopping? Are they using computers, mobile devices or shopping at its physical location showroom) and personalize communications. With this business intelligence, Kiddicare has quickly identified new sources of revenue, created appropriate customer incentive initiatives and deployed more effective marketing and communications strategies; with each having a direct and immediate impact on online sales.

“We looked at the data in the business and the capital opportunities were very apparent,” said Simon Harrow, technology officer at Kiddicare. “Up to that point, only seven to eight percent of our business came from repeat customers, despite the fact that our analytics and satisfaction tracking said that 98 percent of our customers would recommend us. It felt counterintuitive to have a raving fan base, but no communications strategy post purchase.”

After just four months, the basket value analysis showed an increase of almost 50 percent in the number of items per order. Initiatives such as the introduction of new product ranges, including the ‘Most Popular Everyday Baby Essentials,’ featuring leading items from a portfolio of 650 products, has also led to an increase in repeat business versus one-off purchases. In addition to sales, these new insights have also helped Kiddicare understand the value of new initiatives as they modernize the site, introducing more video and extending the integration with social networking tools to drive conversion and value in sales.

Harrow added, “The value of the data derived from IBM goes beyond our enterprise content management system; it feeds into everything we do from kiosks, to web and email. This will continue as we venture into Android and iPad applications, newer kiosk development and a web site re-design.”

“Kiddicare’s success demonstrates the rewards of taking a customer-centric approach to communications and marketing,” said Andrew Jackson-Proes, IBM Enterprise Marketing Management Leader for UK & Ireland. “The company operates in a sector that provides multiple opportunities to assist each customer through the different stages of raising a family. By using data already available within its system to understand customer behavior and anticipate needs, Kiddicare has ensured a long-term and profitable relationship with its customers.”