Then and Now

By Elizabeth Bennett  |  Posted 2006-10-02 Email Print this article Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Retailers including the $3.4 billion supermarket chain are using consolidated, faster data networks to make key business decisions—such as how much ribeye to put out on a Wednesday.

Then and Now

Retail: High-speed Data Networks
10 Years Ago Today
Inventory data is sent via dial-up connections and paper-based systems between stores, distribution centers and headquarters. Retailers send inventory, order, returns and financial data via high-speed broadband connections.
Store financial and product information is largely decentralized, mostly residing on in-store servers, with little opportunity for meaningful analysis. Data resides on a single server in the back office, with transmissions to and from stores. Data is more reliable and can be analyzed by stores and headquarters.
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Senior Writer
Elizabeth has been writing and reporting at Baselinesince its inaugural issue. Most recently, Liz helped Fortune 500 companies with their online strategies as a customer experience analyst at Creative Good. Prior to that, she worked in the organization practice at McKinsey & Co. She holds a B.A. from Vassar College.
 
 
 
 
 
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