This new report by niche analyst firm, EKN Research, analyzes the main trends, challenges and business process-technology essentials that help bridge the Omni-channel product management or merchandise gaps for increased revenue, operating margin and sell-through of merchandise in a growing Omni-channel retail economy.

1. ACCELERATED PRODUCT & SOURCING
COLLABORATION FOR OMNI-CHANNEL GROWTH:
EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONINTERNAL COLLABORATION
Source: EKN Retail Innovation & Technology- Viewpoint on Merchandise Innovation Study, 2014
Enhancing collaboration with
other internal departments
and teams is the #1 process
change being considered
within product development
More than 6 in 10 retailers
will integrate product design/
development and product
catalog data with merchan-
dise management system by
the end of 2015
80% of retailers will integrate
merchandising planning with
vendors/suppliers and ware-
house lead-times by the end
of 2015
68% of retailers will integrate
real-time communication
systems between headquarters,
suppliers and selling channels
by the end of 2015
A ROADMAP
Supply chain Sourcing
Product
Development
Marketing Merchandising
Suppliers
Retailers Factories
Manufacturers Brokers
Others
1
STAKEHOLDERS
Best Practices To Collaborate
With External Stackeholders
Best Practices To Collaborate
With Internal Stackeholders
Create
product/item-
level visibility
Arrive at an ideal Omni-
channel assortment mix
(private label & branded SKUs)
Invest in new
product
idea/new
product
development
Implement common KPIs
related to open-to-buy,
strategic & agile sourcing and
gross margin return on
inventory investment (GMROII)
Develop integrated
product workflow
planning &
execution
Apply strategic,
agile and
ethical multi-
country sourcing
strategies
Implement real-timeOmni-channel
product/merchandisedata collaboration
processes
Create
global supplier/
partner network
management
Dedicate resources towards
product innovation/social
campaigning &
collaboration toolsDevelop multi-
country quality
& compliance
management
programs
Institute global supplier/
partner network collaboration
scorecard and KPIs