Oliver Guy
Senior Director, Industry Solutions at Software AG
With significant experience in Digital Transformation and technology strategy, Oliver advises organizations seeking to compete more effectively. Working with the biggest names in retail and consumer goods across the globe for 25 years, he has provided deep experience in supply chain, omni-channel strategy, operations and optimization. This enables a broad and creative perspective on how data drives value through optimization and transformation. Prior to Software AG, Oliver held senior consulting and advisory positions in Europe and Asia.
Recent posts
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IoT -
Integration & APIs
Is your retail technology agile – or fragile?
Legacy technology could be one of the biggest inhibitors for retailers seeking agility – and agility is essential for their survival. Covid-19 has been the ultimate disruptor and 2020 has shown the need for all businesses to be agile – more than ever before. The need to adapt – and quickly – has never been so important. But, in a recent report, RSR Research found… -
Integration & APIs
A harmonized future for retail
For many industries, predicting the future during a pandemic would be difficult – if not impossible. Retail is different. Why? Because Covid-19 has acted as an accelerant for digital transformation - fueling and amplifying trends that have been creeping in for years. You could even call this “Covid acceleration.” McKinsey recently determined that, over a 10-week period in 2020, digital business penetration had… -
IoT
Peak usage = peak holiday sales?
The holiday shopping season is fast approaching. While back-to-school shopping was flat this year, online sales of higher-end electronics grew by 28% thanks to more people working and learning from home. Analysts say this is going to be similar for this Covid-19 holiday season. Retailers must be prepared - focusing on conveying value AND being hyper-available to the consumer at a literal click. More than… -
IoT
Store technology climbs out of the trough
Operating margins for in-store grocery retailing typically run at between 2% and 4%. The impact of Covid-19 lock-downs, subsequent restrictions and changes to operating practices has put this under greater pressure. As a response to this, retailers are focusing even more efforts on digital transformation and are driving interest in innovative technologies. I have discussed before how retail is going to change forever –… -
IoT
The End of Supply Chain Management?
Did you know that your country’s lockdown restrictions were probably determined by the analysis of Covid-19 infection rate data? The power of data in making actionable insights is irrefutable, but this event has highlighted the need for timeliness and precision in the data used. Few will forget the shortages in grocery stores during March and April. Online shopping was also… -
Business Transformation
Supply chain booboo for Boohoo
There is an old expression in business: “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the WSJ business section.“ So when fashion retailer Boohoo woke up to see headlines about the treatment of workers in one of its UK factories, it had to act fast. With its reputation at stake and its share price plummeting,… -
Integration & APIs
Making grocery delivery work
Despite dramatic growth in grocery deliveries due to the pandemic, grocers are not necessarily making higher profits.Thus, the current situation has brought a much stronger focus on operational efficiencies. Covid-19 upended the way consumers shop for everything - especially groceries. Last year, delivery represented 3% of US grocery sales but, in the last months, statistics show that 9% of US grocery sales… -
IoT
Three ways retail will change permanently
It’s morning and you are out of coffee. In fact, you don’t have anything to make for dinner tonight. But there is a pandemic on, and all the shops are closed. You go to your grocery store website and it says you cannot get home delivery for two weeks – at least. What do you do? This is the situation… -
IoT
Can Ecosystems Help Prevent Food Shortages?
Grocers have “won back lunch and dinner,” as per advice offered 15 months ago, but not quite in the way McKinsey envisioned. The current pandemic is having a dramatic impact on grocery supply chains; with wide media coverage of shortages, empty shelves and queues. Demand is undeniably higher than normal, creating huge operational challenges with supply chain and home delivery capacity being…
