Saks to use CRM and gift registry kiosks from NCR

WM Circle Logo

By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on January 28, 2004

Saks to use CRM and gift registry kiosks from NCR

Several retail brands of fashion retailer, Saks Inc., are to deploy business solutions from NCR Corporation to enhance customer relationships. Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE) is to implement the customer relationship management (CRM) suite from Teradata (a division of NCR) to help extend its customers' loyalty.

In addition, four of Saks Department Store Group's (SDSG) brands are adopting NCR's EasyPoint kiosks to improve gift registry shopping and real-time customer interactions. Working with SFAE's newly created CRM division, Teradata is combining its expertise in building enterprise-wide data warehousing solutions with Saks Fifth Avenue's market research and loyalty programmes to enable Saks to better define shopping preferences in all of its market segments.

The data warehouse will provide a common link between procurement and marketing activities, enabling enterprise gross profit reporting, and delivering more data collection and reporting capabilities. "Teradata is providing us with a system that can feed data to our store-level associates, which helps drive our optimal customer engagement business model," commented Bill Franks, CIO for Saks.

Kiosks Using NCR touch-screen kiosks, shoppers can access Saks' online Celebration Wedding & Gift Registry while visiting some SDSG stores. The kiosks make it easy for customers to create a registry or to view and print a registrant's gift preferences. Customers can purchase gifts at a store checkout station, or they can use the kiosk to place an order for shipment direct to the registrant.

"With NCR EasyPoint, we found an aesthetically pleasing off-the-shelf kiosk that met our operational and store-design requirements without the need for a custom enclosure," said Joe Pelej, vice president of information systems for Saks. "Our initial deployments showed that shoppers enjoy using the EasyPoint kiosks. And store associates appreciate the fact that the kiosks are self-sufficient, and allow them more time to assist other customers."

The kiosks have been installed in nearly 100 Carson Pirie Scott, Herberger's, Boston, and Bergner's stores throughout the central United States.

For additional information: ·  Visit Saks at http://www.saksincorporated.com ·  Visit Teradata at http://www.teradata.com ·  Visit NCR at http://www.ncr.com