Metro Shoes Deploys SAP Business One

Metro Shoes, a well know name in the retail shoe market that started with a single show room in Mumbai now boasts of 66 outlets spread all over India. The company also sells accessories under its brand name Metro.

Metro Shoes recently deployed SAP Business One to enhance customer satisfaction and handle the escalating data growth.

Ineffective Tally

The Tally software package used by the management to take care of accounting was highly ineffective as the employees could not retrieve information as and when necessary. Managing the explosive data growth related to sales, distribution and financial deals were other major challenges.

“Customer satisfaction is of paramount importance in the retail industry. Tracking of inventory and keeping an eye on demand and supply are also imprtant. Tally was not self sufficient and we therefore felt the need for a better solution which could solve all our business challenges,” informs Tajdin Gilani, GM IT, Metro Shoes.

Collaborating with Nastek Solution

Metro Shoes wanted a solution that would help the company grow its revenue. Two years back, the company consulted Nastek Solution to help them implement the right solution. Nastek studied the company’s pain points and suggested a business management software to overcome the shortcomings.

According to Gilani, “While attending the SAP retail summit in Mumbai, I heard about SAP Business One from other retailers. After consulting with Nastek, we decided that this would be the ideal solution to match with our business environment. With SAP Business One, you have clear visibility into your operations, so you can make informed decisions quickly.”

The solution has been deployed at Metro’s corporate office and its depot in Mumbai. It has been collaborated with various departments such as merchandising, retail, marketing, billing, HR and some parts of payroll. The implementation was carried out in three months time at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. Metro has taken 21 licenses from SAP and intends to increase it in the near future.

A standard software development kit (SDK) consisting of reusable business objects and user interface customisation tools is available to customise and integrate SAP Business One according to business needs. With the help of this kit, Nastek redesigned the solutions according to the company’s requirements.

Improved Business Agility

SAP Business One has enhanced the company’s business agility, including administration, customer relationship management, operations, distributions and financial calculations. Time-consuming business processes have become automated, leaving more time to focus on core competencies and increased growth.

“SAP Business One has streamlined our operations by seamlessly integrating key business processes such as sales, purchasing, inventory and financials and eliminating redundant data entries and errors. It is now handling inventory levels, item management, price list, special price agreements, transfer between warehouses and stock transactions all via integration with other processes like sales and purchasing”, claims Gilani.

The company is now able to keep track of links in the supply chain and data inputs related to shipping, receiving, packing and filling orders. The solution handles all its financial transactions, including general ledger, journal entries, budgeting and account setup and maintenance in one system, with comprehensive tools and reports.

The company plans to deploy IS Retail solutions from SAP and is in the process of evaluation.