Company News • 29.06.2015
Aptos launches new brand
Readies retailers to engage customers differently
Aptos, formerly Epicor Retail Solutions, announced its official launch as an independent company and new brand, following its spin-off from Epicor Software Corporation.
Leveraging years of experience as a leading provider of technology and professional solutions for retailers, the new company will focus on “engaging customers differently” by delivering a singular commerce platform for seamless customer experiences.
This mission positions Aptos to meet a growing need expressed by retailers: to unify and streamline complex omni-channel environments and operations, and to deliver exceptional, consistent experiences to their customers no matter when, where, and how they choose to shop. The company will fulfill this mission with a suite of integrated end-to-end solutions to optimize customer engagement, store and digital commerce operations, merchandise and inventory management; enterprise order management, and data analytics.
A market and cloud leader
Aptos delivers all these solutions via the Cloud to optimize efficiency and cost management. This includes stand-alone cloud-based POS, a sector for which Aptos (as Epicor Retail) has been recognized as the market leader in North America by IHL Group and Boston Retail Partners. On-premises solutions are also available for retailers who prefer traditional implementations.
Currently, Aptos has 122,000 stores live on its platform. Additionally, more than 100 web sites generating well over $1 billion in web orders are managed and fulfilled on Aptos solutions. The company has helped more than 500 retail brands generate over $523 billion in annual revenues to date.
Noel Goggin, formerly executive vice president and general manager of Epicor Retail Solutions, will serve as chief executive officer for Aptos. “There has never been a more exciting time to be in the retail industry,” said Goggin. “There’s an incredible urgency for transformation and innovation, and Aptos is uniquely positioned to help retailers succeed in today’s fast-paced global retailing environment. Personalized, seamless customer experiences are the ultimate proof of a retailer’s ability to do everything else right, and a singular commerce platform is the only real way to make that happen.”
Aptos board member and Epicor Software Chairman of the Board Jason Wright of Apax Partners, a global private equity firm with focus areas in technology and retail, said, “We have been deeply involved with Aptos since its heritage as Epicor Retail Solutions. We are confident that the company can deliver even more customer value going forward as a focused, independent entity.”
The power of one
Aptos’ focus on singular commerce addresses the changing dynamics of retailing that are being driven by the rising expectations of today’s consumers, who are increasingly empowered by technology, information and shopping options.
To meet these expectations, retailers must engage customers differently – with deep knowledge of who they are, what they want and how they shop, and the ability to respond quickly, efficiently, and profitably. Goggin believes that these goals are unattainable with fractured and disconnected systems for ordering, distributing, selling and replenishing merchandise, and which impede retailers’ understanding of customers and their preferences and needs.
Aptos solutions solve this critical issue by unifying omni-channel retail enterprises through what it calls “The Power of One”: The ability to deliver solutions that enable one view and effective, consolidated management of a retailer’s brand, customers, experiences, inventory, orders, and information.
Engaging its own customers differently
Aptos is also applying its core engagement focus to its relationships with its own customers. The company is committed to delivering products and services that are informed by a deep understanding of each client’s needs, and to supporting long-term partnerships to foster shared success.
This approach is another way Aptos aspires to be a “different” kind of company, says Goggin, who explains the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction. “We believe in collaborating with customers on a level that goes far beyond where other vendors are prepared to go. When customers do business with Aptos, every Aptos employee invests in their success. Our employees’ compensations are tied directly to the Net Promoter Score (NPS) we receive from our clients, and are reduced if specific NPS targets are not met.”
An agent of change
One additional element shaping the Aptos company culture, says Goggin, is its dedication to supporting community-minded causes – both within the neighborhoods where its employees and customers work and live, as well as in distant geographies. “We aspire to be an agent of positive change, both in the realm of retail and in the world at large. There is a very palpable community element in our company DNA,” said Goggin, citing the company’s most recent donation to the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI), as part of its long-standing partnership with the non-profit.
“Behind the economic engine that is the retail sector is a community of people engaging with people,” said Goggin. “Our goal is to establish long-term satisfying relationships with our retailer customers that are built on value and trust – so that they can do the same with their customers – the people they serve. And at the end of the day, we want to give back and share our success in doing this with those in need. When we accomplish all this, we can truly call ourselves a successful company.”
Source: Aptos
