Report • 18.01.2013

“Fashion Select 2.0” - Specialised IT solutions at EuroCIS

Platform for the fashion industry

For the second time in a row now a group of IT providers will be presented with ranges focusing on the fashion sector at a special area at EuroCIS. At Europe’s leading IT trade fair for retail from 19 to 21 February 2013 there will be nine enterprises inviting visitors to the “Fashion Select Village” to view their solutions specifically geared to the fashion industry and trade:  2B Consulting GmbH, Assyst GmbH, BEDAV GmbH, Futura Retail Solution AG, ImPuls AG, K+H Software KG, MobiMedia AG, texdata software GmbH, W+P Solutions GmbH & Co. KG.

Their exhibits provide a wide range of software solutions – from boosting fashion producers’ retail abilities via planning software for specialist sports and apparel retailers (covering all stages from purchasing to floor space management) to the handling of various payment types for online shops or other financial accounting solutions. Commenting on the firm’s repeated participation at EuroCIS, Christiane Kalschik from Marketing Impuls AG said: “We hope that this platform will develop into a “home” for our future customers. We will be debuting our new solution ImPuls fashion web at EuroCIS. The web-based ERP II solution with state-of-the-art Internet technology is now offered for a hosting format. This stands for high mobility and maintenance friendliness.”

Complete planning software for all aspects of fashion retail

Hannes Rambold, Board Member at Mobi Media AG explains the firm’s aim pursued at the trade fair: “Under the heading ‘retailers and manufacturers learn from each other and cooperate’ we want to make contact with the big retail players,” he says and adds “together with Intersport and Engelhorn we have managed to map complete planning software from floor space management and purchasing through to the masterplan for a big retail outfit thereby realising enormous potential. We invite EuroCIS visitors to form their own opinion on this new planning.”

Tools for efficient merchandise management

“We are not currently seeing a slow-down in investment but the fashion sector is scrutinising IT offers more closely. The sector does not necessarily need new technologies but rather products that generate profit – i.e. tools for efficient merchandise management and mark-down handling with the aim of minimising losses,” comments Hans-Jürgen Scholz, Head of Marketing and Distribution at Futura Solution AG, describing the current climate and adds: “Though mobility at the check-out is playing a major role this year – for instance Tablet solutions that make it possible for customers to check out independently of stationary check-outs or access mobile information via dashboards.”

Verticalisation is a key to success

Achim Wieber, General Manager at W + P Solutions, assesses IT demand in the fashion sector as follows: “Verticalisation remains a key to success in the apparel industry. Many manufacturers therefore seek to improve their retail capabilities or expand existing structures. By developing their own sales outlet opportunities companies can often tap into fresh potential for sales growth.” W+P Solutions will be presenting its new ERP system Fashion-AX on the basis of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 with a built-in retail solution and financial accounting at EuroCIS.

New graphic elements for planning software

“Texdata has revised both its commercial agents’ portal WEBAGENT and its product data management system – and is now able to showcase it at EuroCIS. The new PDM.net is based on the latest .Net Technology delivering many new functionalities such as the direct integration of Vector graphic files,” says Sales Manager Daniel Plohnke summing up texdata software GmbH’s trade fair presence.

Accounting systems for the apparel industry

At K + H software AG ranges focus on financial accounting. “K+H Software KG offers special functionalities for the fimox accounting system, especially for the apparel industry, including retail,” says  Sabine Rammelt, Head of Marketing, and goes on to say “This allows the various payment methods offered at online shops to be processed in an automated way and with different accounting routines. Our participation in the “Fashion Select” segment at EuroCIS 2013 means we have found the right platform for making sector-specific initial contacts.”

Preparing fashion retail for the future

“With our solutions we prepare fashion companies for the future – from multi-channel marketing, POS and mobility all the way to modern customer and supplier communication and business software via the Cloud,” says Adrian Günther, Marketing, announcing the innovations at Bedav GmbH. “We are particularly proud to present our sector solution at EuroCIS 2013 built into the latest versions of both Microsoft basic business solutions. BE.Fashion on the basis of “MS Dynamics NAV 2013” and “MS Dynamics AX 2012” are not just new releases – they also ring in a new generation of corporate software.”

Meeting new customers, opening new markets

2b consulting, as an IT provider of Enterprise Content Management and Output-Management systems, has concrete expectations for EuroCIS: “We hope to develop new markets and generate business in the fashion sector by taking part at “Fashion Select”. We have a renowned customer base in the fashion sector and hope the trade fair will extend this customer base in the industry,” explains André Bossink, Sales and Marketing at 2b consulting, and adds “We want to show interested parties how to best manage documents at their companies. From scanning documents to archiving them for safe revision in the ECM System d.3. However, digital personnel files will also be addressed.”

EuroCIS 2013 is open to trade visitors daily from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm from Tuesday, 19 February, to Thursday, 21 February 2013. The Fashion Select Village is located in Hall 9, Stand 26.

channels: data management, data analysis, IT hardware