Contrary to what some may be thinking after

this year's Retail Systems Show in May, all is

not quiet in Retail. What may be mistaken for

quiet is the heads down approach that many

retailers are taking in order to make much needed

transformation happen. With margins on  the rise

due to staggering fuel costs, retailers must not

only  'think' strategically to meet the demands of

tomorrow's customers  they must also 'act'

tactically to keep costs down while improving 

performance today.


The resounding theme from retail roundtable 

discussions seems to be, 'Give me the tools and

information I need to make educated, cost saving

but profit oriented decisions. And do it so I don't

have to start over ever few years!'


To you technology providers, the gauntlet has

been thrown down.  Retailers are asking you to

bring not only your product specs to the table but

also the whole picture. With the typical store

environment supporting a barrage of hardware

types, multiple operating systems and disparate

applications, the question is not "What is the

ROI for your product? But rather, "What is the ROI

from the whole environment? Should I be doing

this first, or what?" Retailers no longer want mere

point solutions to stack on top of an already top 

heavy platform; they want an environment that

will differentiate them and improve the customer

experience. So, if you are not already looking at

the 'Big Picture', you should be!


It is clear that retailers are looking for a new and

better way to buy technology. They need

information; this means sales people who 

understand their issues and objectives as well as

their big picture. They need tools, this means

access to more than one point solution  but rather

access to information regarding each point of

impact and they need to put each initiative into

context with the whole; this means being able to

address the step by step approach and priorities. 

Our aim at Targeted Technology Solutions, is to

provide it to them.