Popken Fashion Consolidates BI Systems Using DeltaMaster
The Popken Fashion Group has harmonized its business intelligence landscape and chosen DeltaMaster as its company-wide analysis and reporting solution. The software is used in the areas of marketing and sales, procurement and controlling, including for product analysis, branch controlling, and comparing the company’s online, catalog, B2B, and branch-based sales channels.
Standardized reporting
In the context of integrating the fashion provider Gina Laura into its portfolio, the Popken Fashion Group wanted to harmonize its reporting. Instead of operating two business intelligence solutions in parallel, the fashion retailer wanted to use standardized BI software to analyze all of its brands, merchandise, sales channels, and branches.
Numerous data sources
The data to be consolidated comes from various transactional systems, including the retail system Futura with data from around 600 branches (receipts, customer cards, stock levels, etc.), a mail order application with orders and invoices from around 1.8 million customers, and a wholesale application with orders, deliveries, and invoices from and to around 120 franchises and stores. This is supplemented by sales reports from store partners via EDI, central stock levels from two warehouse management systems, and product data, suppliers, purchase orders, and incoming goods from the product data management and ERP system. Data provision for analyses takes place in Microsoft SQL Server.
DeltaMaster: The first choice
When it came to choosing the right business intelligence software, Ulla Popken wanted to replace its existing analysis and reporting solution. “In particular, the old software did not allow us to create self- service ad hoc analyses as well as standard reports,” explains Dirk Spekker, Project Manager at Popken Fashion Services.
DeltaMaster was included in the evaluation process along with a number of other standard BI products. The software was already in use at Gina Laura prior to the merger – with great success. “After comparing all of the products with our requirements, there was no doubt in our mind that we were going to stick with DeltaMaster,” says Spekker. “No other solution would have justified a change.”
As Dirk Spekker explains, DeltaMaster’s wide range of applications was a key factor: “With DeltaMaster, we have access to standard reports that can be used directly in ad hoc analyses from various perspectives and in varying degrees of detail.”
The continuous development of the software by Bissantz was another important aspect. “Our evaluation found that Delta- Master offered significantly better release planning than the other products. Delta- Master is a living product that is regularly developed further – and new releases do not require extensive work on existing reports.”
Bissantz’s extensive technical expertise allowed the BI project to be quickly realized in joint workshops. “We rapidly developed a prototype and began the roll-out of the live system,” Spekker confirms.
“Thanks to DeltaMaster, we have a uniform reporting system throughout every area of the company. This allows us to assess and compare the performance of our four brands.”
Dirk Spekker, Project Manager, Popken Fashion Services GmbH
Products, collections, and branches at a glance
“We use DeltaMaster to explore data from all of the group’s fashion labels, from a broad overview right down to the tiniest detail, including using the mobile web app,” Spekker concludes. For example, regional sales managers can use their iPads to inspect the sales figures within their region, by branch or for a certain collection within a branch – all while on the move. If that isn’t enough detail for them, they can even examine the sales figures for a particular blouse, broken down by size, color, and sales week. The integration of photos makes it easier for users to match the figures to the products and saves time when searching for specific items. The sales figures for previous product ranges and seasons help the fashion company to shape future collections. For example, they can decide which items should be included in the product range (standard models, seasonal items, etc.), in which colors, sizes, and numbers, and at which price levels.
New applications planned
In the future, Popken Fashion also intends to visualize purchase processes in its online store, as well as analyzing customer responses to advertising tools such as catalogs, flyers, and newsletters.
Highlights
- Standardized, company-wide BI tool for all analysis and reporting requirements
- Mobile access via web app
- Improved acceptance thanks to product photos in report
Popken Fashion Group
- Omni-channel fashion company
- Private labels: Ulla Popken, GINA LAURA, JP1880, STUDIO UNTOLD
- Fashion range distributed to more than 30 countries worldwide
- 600 branches, mail order and Internet retail
- Distribution via selected B2B partners
- More than 4,000 employees
What our retail customers are saying
“Thanks to DeltaMaster, we have a uniform reporting system throughout every area of the company. This allows us to assess and compare the performance of our four brands.”
Christof Maendle, Head of the IT/Applications Development department, KAISER+KRAFT
“DeltaMaster is a phenomenal analysis tool!”
Harald Huber, Head of Accounting and Controlling, Media Markt Switzerland
“DeltaMaster returns results in seconds even when millions of data records are involved. The combination of standard reporting and ad hoc analyses is ingenious!”
Carlo Bearth, Finance & Controlling, Würth International
“DeltaMaster lets us achieve a lot with just a few clicks. We can immediately see where action needs to be taken. We can calculate our items reliably – for intelligently developed prices that we also use tactically.”
David Harms, Head of Procurement and Controlling, Motea GmbH