Base Technologies

Prada wants to reinvent retailing. So its first Epicenter store features everything from antennas and chips embedded in clothing tags, to video displays hanging from the racks, to clear doors on fitting rooms that are supposed to fog up when you walk in.

Base Technologies

Prada deployed everything from radio-wave readers to video monitors with an aura so it could tap into shoppers' wants and fulfill their desires.

PRADA (Corporate)

Data repository: Oracle 9i, Oracle

Applications server: Oracle 9i applications server, Oracle

Business analytics: Business intelligence systems, Business Objects

Logistics software: Stealth, Computer Sciences Corp.

Sales/distribution management:(*) mySAP consumer products, SAP

Applications integration software: LegaSuite, Seagull

Inventory management: IMS, in-house

Point-of-sale system:(**) Retail Pro, Retail Technologies

Hardware/operating systems: IBM server running AIX; Compaq and IBM workstations running Windows 2000 and Windows NT

EPICENTER STORE (New York)

Customer information system: Custom, IconNicholson

Content management system: Custom, IconNicholson

Radio Frequency Identification equipment: RFID Tag-it, Texas Instruments

Handheld sales terminals: Staff Device, IDEO

Video software: MediaPlayer, Microsoft

Video processors: Custom, ScharffWeisberg

Network software: pcAnywhere, Symantec

Web site:(***) virtual closet, IconNicholson

Inventory system: IMS, in-house

Point-of-sale system: IMS, in-house

Workstations: Compaq

* Used by Prada Services
** not in all stores
*** not yet active
Sources: Vendors, vendor-published reports, Baseline