User experience is at the centre of everything.
Hook & Loop, Infor’s Manhattan-based internal creative agency is at the heart of every new piece of software that Infor provide. They deliver modern user experience platforms for modern users. This doesn’t just mean that the applications run on mobile devices, but that they are mobile device ready at their heart. It includes touch and gesture based commands as well as gamification and although it appears that to date they have not announced the implementation of any voice recognition it may not be long before they do so.
Infor has also taken the interesting step of developing the new software in conjunction with a client, Whole Foods Market stores. In doing this they have managed to truly implement an agile development process for their new platform. The danger of course is that only certain aspects used by that retailer will be tested fully and there may be sections of the system that end up being less mature or workable.
Corey Tollefson, SVP of Infor and head of Infor’s retail business unit consider these early trial by saying: “Retailers have known for years their software has not kept up with the times, so by leveraging our industry relationships we are working to fix that and ensure Infor CloudSuite Retail is relevant for every user.
“Retailers need to orchestrate complex supply chains to satisfy customer demand across an increasingly diverse set of channels; they spend millions on marketing, but don’t have the tools to go beyond a transactional experience to provide the personalization that will keep customers coming back. We have the passion to attempt something great and the scale to make it a reality.”
Conclusion
This would be an interesting announcement except for the timescale. With its availability not until 2016 one wonders why Infor are teasing potential clients with what they cannot have yet. It may be that Infor are so excited by the progress and response to their new software that they couldn’t hold back in revealing what they have achieved to date but one would have expected a more concrete release date.
The target market reach of this platform is large though and if Infor can start the conversations around it with their potential customers the timing for implementation may mean that they hit the ground running whenever it is finally launched.
Angove clearly believes that this is a step change not just for Infor but also for retailers when he comments: “Infor CloudSuite Retail will transform the retail software market, and it has needed transforming for quite a while.
“The future belongs to the networked retailer that embraces the digital revolution, and Infor will provide the modern solution that helps enable retailers to achieve greatness in the digital age. This is retail the way it should be.”
