The cloud and “as-a-service” business models are making inroads within the retail industry due to a promise of more seamless operations and instant access to data. Hallmark Cards, Inc., has announced a new agreement with Fujitsu to help decrease spending within U.S. locations and improve overall business processes.
Through the partnership, Fujitsu will provide a cloud-based, retail-as-a-service (RaaS) solution for Hallmark’s 2,500+ independent retailers and corporate stores nationwide. The retailer and its storeowners will leverage a monthly subscription model for Fujitsu’s TeamPOS, in addition to a selection of hardware, software, support. The merchants also will receive maintenance and data center hosting services provided by Fujitsu partners.
“With our commitment to a RaaS strategy, our stores will essentially be able to run their POS and merchandise management operations through a subscription service, making those processes easier, faster and less expensive, ” said Mike Goodwin, CIO at Hallmark Cards, Inc., in a press statement. “By creating a single, centralized platform that provides real-time updates on merchandise status, this end-to-end solution from Fujitsu will allow our stores and our sales associates to stop worrying about computing systems and focus all their attention on providing great customer service.”
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By leveraging RaaS, storeowners will be able to “get all services from one location and have the simplicity of one monthly bill,” Mark Vayda, EVP of Sales and Marketing for Fujitsu America, told Retail TouchPoints. “While this allows for easy upgrading, it also is a more seamless way to deliver service, which allows for lower capital costs.”
The deployment currently is in a pilot phase, and should be completed by the end of Q1 2013, Vayda explained.
Solutions and offerings provided by Fujitsu include:
- Deployment, support and maintenance of Hallmark’s retail software technology infrastructure on the Tomax Retail.net solution, which will provide a private on-demand cloud platform hosted by Fujitsu Cloud;
- POS integration services;
- Real-time inventory management services;
- Web portal ordering service; and
- Installation, de-installation, maintenance and repair of all equipment.
