Retail Tech Insights: Specials Magazine

n the upcoming edition of Retail Tech Insights, Yang Lu, shares her transformation and innovation journey within the retail sector. As the driving force behind Tapestry’s digital evolution, Lu has redefined what it means to blend technology with customer-centric strategies. This exclusive feature will highlight her outstanding contributions to the success of iconic brands such as Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. It promises to provide readers with an inside look at her leadership philosophy, strategic vision and the initiatives that have positioned Tapestry as a leader in the retail industry. Determination, Innovation and a Passion for Technology When I immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12, I didn’t speak a word of English. It was a challenging transition, but I quickly realized that technology could be a great equalizer. I discovered a passion for programming and problemsolving, which eventually led me to pursue a tech career. Today, I lead Tapestry’s global technology operations, overseeing digital transformation initiatives that enhance customer experiences and empower employees through data-driven tools. I’m proud our team has ushered in a new era of productivity and engagement across Tapestry’s iconic brands. Adapting to Retail Challenges with Technology and Sustainability The retail landscape is evolving rapidly, with challenges including the rise of direct-to-consumer brands and changing customer expectations. At Tapestry, we tackle these challenges by investing in an unified customer engagement platform and end-to-end technology transformation. This platform integrates ERP, OMS, eCommerce, retail and analytics, offering critical insights through our Customer 360, Product 360 and Inventory 360. These innovations enable smarter decisionmaking and drive better outcomes for our brands. "To meet this demand, we’ve launched initiatives like Coach’s ‘Re-loved’ program and Coachtopia, a circular sub-brand made entirely

Why does inventory planning break down for mid-size manufacturers? For mid-size manufacturers working with large retail partners, inventory planning often breaks down at a specific point. As product assortments expand and selling environments grow complex, spreadsheets no longer hold up, and enterprise planning systems remain too expensive and resource-intensive to implement. Teams are expected to track demand shifts, manage allocations and determine buy levels with precision with manual analysis and fragmented tools. Enhanced Retail Solutions (ERS) was purpose-built to help mid-size businesses improve inventory planning. It combines customized analytics, AI-driven forecasting intelligence refined over more than a decade and hands-on expertise into a system that advances planning capabilities without the investment and internal demands of enterprise systems. “Our inventory planning solution is geared to those companies that want to bring a much more powerful and customizable tool set with baked-in intelligence to their company, but at a much more affordable price and a much more easily integratable product,” says James Lewis, CEO. How does ERS customize planning tools to individual business models? Differentiating ERS is the way customization shapes how the system is built and used. Instead of locking clients into fixed screens and predefined logic, ERS configures views, metrics, time frames and calculations around how each business evaluates performance. This flexibility supports a range of product categories, each with distinct selling patterns and planning requirements..