Pim Vijftigschild, Chief Commercial and Partner Officer Envision the power of ERP, CRM, POS, warehouse management, sales channels, and payment processing under one banner. It empowers retailers with enhanced demand forecasting, more strategic inventory distribution, and refined fulfilment processes across stores and warehouses. In parallel, shoppers enjoy the same perks like loyalty programs, coupons and recommendations, and convenient fulfilment options, as they move between channels.
This is the immersive and consistent brand experience delivered by New Black, an enterprise solution provider predominantly focusing on fashion, consumer electronics and cosmetics retailers, especially those operating hundreds of stores across different countries.
“Centralising all pertinent information into one, highly scalable platform, EVA, we create a flexible framework where each channel—designated as an ‘organisational unit’—is interconnected in real time to make personalised consumer experiences across diverse touchpoints a reality,” says Max Reckers, Product Owner and Strategic Lead at New Black.
Rightly so, the value of such an integration can be seen in addressing one of the most complex challenges for retailers: fiscal compliance, especially where cross-border transactions are concerned. Often, consumers purchase products online and later wish to return them at a physical store. While this process is relatively straightforward within a single city or country, traditional siloed systems don’t have the bandwidth to tackle the maze of invoicing complexities for cross-border returns. New Black’s unified system simplifies this with its ability to handle mixed orders and enable its fulfilment from the most convenient location.
New Black’s other strategic advantage comes from the unification of logistics, streamlining cost management and enhancing retail responsiveness. Its unified system also facilitates easy alignment of promotions and loyalty programs across all sales channels.
But what powers the system’s ability to instantaneously evaluate stock availability and promotional options?
At the heart of the EVA’s real-time capabilities lies a sophisticated network of approximately 2,100 APIs. This service not only displays information coherently but supports complex decision-making processes. The result is a dynamic system that instantly adds discounts to shopping baskets, enriching the customer’s experience across multiple channels. Or, if a customer chooses to pick up an item in New York, the system immediately provides all relevant information for that location, including store communication. In case an order needs to be picked up or returned, all an employee needs to do is scan the item on the app, and the system is updated within milliseconds.
“The way we view it, a consumer app shouldn’t just be looked at as an isolated entity but a cog in the larger machine that includes social commerce, ecommerce, and POS strategies,” says Pim Vijftigschild, Chief Commercial and Partner Officer at New Black, explaining the vast potential displayed by EVA.
At the heart of the EVA’s real-time capabilities lies a sophisticated network of approximately 2,100 APIs
In fact, EVA’s ‘unified by design’ concept sits at the core of New Black’s strategy, setting it apart from other retail tech players in unified commerce. Rather than stitching together disparate point solutions into a feared ‘frankenstack,’ New Black suggests all facets of online and offline retail, including shipping logistics, in-store pickup, click-and-collect and returns, be architected into one harmonious platform from the outset. This preemptive unification approach ensures every technological advancement or addition, like Atlas, can be aligned with the broader vision of a retail brand’s operational framework. This way, retailers never miss out on opportunities to maximise gross merchandise value (GMV).
The benefits also compound as the platform scales. The total cost of ownership for retailers decreases substantially within the first year of transitioning to New Black’s simplified IT infrastructure. Some instances showcase the cost of ownership dropping from 2.5 percent to less than 1 percent of total sales. The larger the retailer, the more significant the cost savings realised. It is at the intersection of revenue growth and operational efficiency where New Black imprints its value and leads retailers and shoppers on a rewarding journey
