INDUSTRY

Independent panel of industry experts will recognise best examples of innovation and excellence in the retail sector. Microsoft Corp today announced that the Retail Applications Developer (RAD) Awards, now in their seventh year, are open for entries for 2007. The awards will reward EMEA independent software vendors (ISVs) and retailer IT departments that can successfully demonstrate innovation and excellence by delivering business value using Microsoft technologies in the retail sector. There are five award categories: Store Systems Solutions, Communication and Collaboration Solutions, Supply Chain Solutions, Multi-Channel Retailing Solutions and Business Insight Solutions. In addition, a new special award -- "People-Ready Business in Retail" -- has been added to recognise the solution that best empowers a retailer's most important asset, its people, to develop relationships, ensure operational excellence, build connections and lead innovation. Dilip Popat, managing director of the retail industry solutions unit, Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said, "Today it is more important than ever to provide people with the tools that will help them fulfil their own potential while also enabling them to be more efficient and bringing success to the retail business. With the RAD Awards, we want to recognise people and projects that have demonstrated the benefits of innovative and effective use of technology in retail businesses." The deadline for submitting entries is 19 Jan 2007 and winners will be announced at a gala dinner, which will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany, 27 Feb 2007. This year, the panel of independent judges will be looking at entries in the following areas: - Store Systems Solutions: consumer-oriented solutions that help retailers achieve competitive advantage through enhanced customer experience, improved employee productivity and efficient store operations by better connecting information, systems and people. This category includes point-of-service solutions (checkout, kiosk and payment solutions), order and inventory (in-store ordering and delivery processing, availability and in-store visual merchandising solutions) and store operations (infrastructure optimisation, workforce management, cash management and e-learning solutions). - Communication and Collaboration Solutions: success in retail relies on effective communication and interaction with people inside and outside the organisation -- not only with employees within headquarters and stores, but also with external parties such as suppliers. Key elements of this category are the ability to access, share and modify content and information depending on specific requirements. Solutions should be based on the Microsoft Office system. Examples include: enterprise, store or supplier portals, electronic templates for data capturing, electronic workflow processes, task management and real-time communication solutions. - Supply Chain Solutions: product- and supplier-oriented solutions that provide a cost-effective, integrated approach. These help retailers drive enhanced supply chain efficiency and trading partner collaboration by better connecting product information, processes, systems and people. This category includes solutions that deal with product information management/synchronisation, warehouse management, merchandising systems, supplier collaboration, returns management, planning/forecasting systems and RFID implementations along the supply chain. - Multi-Channel Retailing Solutions: solutions that enhance retailers' ability to offer a better, more integrated customer experience across channels. These applications address the business need to sell products through multiple channels such as stores, petrol stations, online, telephone and television, while maintaining or improving profitability. - Business Insight Solutions: solutions that help retailers' improve visibility and gain real-time insight into all the factors that affect their business such as customer spending and preferences, product and category performance, inventory efficiency, vendor analysis and the state of other economic indicators. This category includes solutions that deal with performance management (store dashboards and analytics, fraud prevention), supply chain optimisation (supplier dashboard and analytics, out of stock control) and financial management (budgeting and forecasting, corporate reporting, activity based costing) for retail enterprise customers. Entries will be judged based on various criteria, including the following: business benefits that the solution has brought to the customer; best use of Microsoft technology; ease of adoption; best example of integration and exploitation of intranet and internet technology; best example of enhanced customer experience; innovative use of technology, and best example of increased operational efficiency. Last year's winners in the five categories included WorkPlace Systems (In-store system), IVIS Group Ltd (Multi-Channel), Torex Retail Solutions (Supply Chain), BT Auto-ID (Enterprise Collaboration), and Sysrepublic Ltd (Business Intelligence). To find out more about the EMEA RAD Awards 2007 or to download an entry form, please visit its Web site .