Retail ERP:
core features, benefits, and integrations

Retail ERP: core features, benefits, and integrations

August 15, 2023

Konstantin Pilkevich
by Konstantin Pilkevich, Head of Itransition's ERP Center of Excellence

Retail ERP is enterprise resource planning software that leverages a combination of built-in modules and software integrations to support B2B and B2C retailers in a variety of tasks and corporate functions. Itransition delivers retail ERP systems to bring together data from across the departments of your online and offline business, provide real-time visibility into your merchandising processes, and help you make smarter, evidence-based decisions.

of the retail companies surveyed achieved their intended customer experience goals after adopting an ERP

Panorama Consulting, 2022

About Itransition

10+ years delivering ERP services

50+ completed projects of different scales across various industries

Hands-on expertise in delivering out-of-the-box, custom, and hybrid ERP solutions

An Odoo Silver Partner

Core ERP features for retail

Asset management
Itransition’s team develops ERP software to monitor and utilize your fixed assets, including equipment and real estate properties, in the most productive way while optimizing maintenance costs.
Inventory management
Our team develops solutions to provide retailers with an updated view of inventory levels and order delivery statuses, enable perpetual cycle counting, and improve inventory and replenishment planning accuracy.
Warehouse management
Our solutions can facilitate a smooth exchange of stock input, output, and movement information between your warehouse and front-office systems and apps, and alert managers about sales order status changes.
Supply chain management
By harmonizing logistics and warehousing processes via real-time data synchronization, an ERP solution for retail can help you streamline your supply chain operations and enhance supplier management.
BI and reporting
Our experts can equip your ERP with a module for business intelligence and reporting, allowing you to analyze business data, share it across your organization, and make informed decisions.

Inventory management

Warehouse management

Order management

Customer relationship management

Finance management

Loyalty management

Returns management

BI and reporting

Supply chain management

Asset management

Core ERP features for retail

To expedite your order-to-cash process, we can build an enterprise resource planning tool that syncs product information, sales and stock availability data in real time and provides order fulfillment visibility.

Customer relationship management

Our custom CRM solutions provide marketing and sales teams with a unified view of customer and supply-side data, assist with customer segmentation and targeting, and enable demand forecasting.
Returns management
Itransition provides your retail company with a solution to facilitate product return and resale, review faulty items, and issue refunds, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and minimizing waste.
Loyalty management
We deliver solutions that capture customer behavior across touchpoints, help you identify returning customers, and create meaningful loyalty programs to reward them.
Finance management
To enable effective management of financial data, we can craft a tool to unite it from across your retail operations into centralized storage and generate accounting reports in a few clicks.

Looking for a trustworthy ERP consultant?

Contact us

We integrate retail ERP into your established software infrastructure and facilitate real-time data exchange between the systems, making the ERP solution a single source of truth for your business. We use available APIs and integration tools or develop custom connectors to tie ERP software with the following systems:

To supervise your ecommerce ecosystem and promote your sales channel strategies.

To amplify ERP's built-in analytical features and foster data-driven decision making.

Marketing automation

To automate routine marketing workflows, such as email campaigns and lead qualification.

To fast-track day-to-day HR processes, assess employee performance, and optimize staff allocation.

Key integrations
Brick-and-mortar retail software

To harmonize your order, warehouse, and inventory management operations across multiple retail stores.

To monitor asset conditions and equipment operation in real time via sensors and cameras.

To support personalized customer journeys and identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

To speed up transaction processing, gather sales data, and adjust product restocking.

Retail ERP selection checklist

Retail ERP selection checklist

Custom vs out-of-the-box

Custom ERP
Tailored ERP features and modules, but higher upfront costs and longer development times.

Out-of-the-box
Faster deployment, but limited customization capabilities and long-term costs for licenses.

On-premises vs cloud-based

On-premise
Full control over your system and data security, but reduced scalability.

Cloud-based
Faster implementation and superior storage flexibility, but potential licensing concerns.

Horizontal vs vertical

Horizontal
Comprehensive suite for businesses with complex operations, including manufacturing and logistics.

Vertical
Highly specialized ERP for companies requiring a smaller set of advanced, retail-focused features.

Software costs

Variables to consider for budgeting:
  • Deployment model
  • The range of features and modules
  • Customizations
  • Adoption urgency
  • License fees
  • Post-release maintenance and support
  • Technical and non-technical resources

Need help with choosing an optimal tech stack for your retail ERP project?

Contact us

Best ERP platforms for retail

If you opt for a platform-based ERP retail solution, we recommend you pay attention to the following market-leading tools.

Offering our experience as an Odoo Silver Partner, we set up a retail ERP solution built on top of this suite to give you access to:
  • Real-time order and stock visibility
  • Products and prices management
  • Marketing and sales automation
  • Quote automation
Deployment model
  • Online SaaS
  • PaaS
  • On-premises
Target companies
Small, medium, and large enterprises looking for a solution that can scale with them.

Retail ERP implementation roadmap

1

Assessment

Business case identification
Analysis of your current ecosystem
Defining technical specifications

2

Design

Feature set definition
UX/UI wireframes
Choosing an optimal technology stack

3

Planning

Project scoping and deliverables and strategy definition
Budgeting and ROI evaluation
Data migration planning

4

Development

Software configuration
Integration setup
End-to-end testing and QA

5

Deployment

ERP deployment to production
Data migration
User training and onboarding

6

Post-launch support

Platform user support
Platform infrastructure support
Technology upgrades

Business benefits of ERP in retail

Increased productivity and profitability

  • Process automation and standardization
  • Accurate KPI assessment
  • Streamlined human resources operations
  • Improved staff allocation

Build a solid retail ERP solution with Itransition

We offer ERP consulting services for retailers who want to implement a scalable ERP management system to accommodate their retail business growth or optimize the existing solution with minimal project risks and high ROI:
  • Analysis of business needs and technology environment
  • ERP solution architecture design
  • ERP software selection
  • ERP strategy creation and roadmapping
  • ERP implementation support

Retail ERP adoption challenges and their solutions

Concern

Recommendation

Unexpected implementation costs

Concern

Recommendation

Cost overruns are not uncommon in ERP adoption, but you can mitigate this risk through careful budgeting. Don't overlook the costs of staff training, software licensing, customization, and other expenses you may incur after the release.

Finding the right ERP provider

Concern

Recommendation

After defining your software requirements and shortlisting suitable retail ERP vendors based on their offer, ask them for POCs and demos, clarify their TCO, and don't underestimate negotiations, as they may result in remarkable savings.

Resistance to change

Concern

Recommendation

Ensuring top management's commitment and overcoming your staff's hesitation can be facilitated by highlighting early ERP adoption successes, involving end-users in the planning phase, and promoting effective training initiatives.

All-at-once or progressive adoption

Concern

Recommendation

While implementing a full array of ERP modules into your workflow represents the best option to save time and money, a phased adoption may be a good choice for companies with established business processes and a conservative corporate culture.

Get value from your retail ERP with Itransition

Let’s talk

Automating your retail business end to end

In addition to retail ERP, Itransition can deliver a wide range of management software solutions tailored to your needs and upgrade your business infrastructure further.

Customer experience consulting

Customer experience consulting

We help you streamline customer service, simplify communications, and data analysis with custom or platform-based CX solutions.

Digital commerce

We digitize your front- and back-office operations to help your business make its digital presence competitive.

Customer portals

We build portals for customers to manage their orders, deliveries, and requests in addition to self-service options.

Robotic process automation

Robotic process automation

We integrate RPA bots into your workflows to automate manual data handling, customer support, and reporting tasks.