Introduction

The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) of the National Retail Federation is a retailer-driven membership organization dedicated to creating an open environment where both retailers and technology vendors work together to create international retail technology standards.

ARTS is a separate council within the NRF governed by a council of retailers and technology solution providers. Current board members can be reviewed on the Board Page.

Established in 1993, ARTS strives to ensure that technology works to enhance a retailer's ability to implement store-level business solutions, and to:

Develop True Open Systems Standards that:

Provide for Cost Effective Integrated Application Solutions that Protect Investment
Allow "Best of Breed" Hardware and Software Components that will require minimal interfacing.
Enable the Utilization of Hardware and Software Technology at the Rate it Develops
Create a global system of retail technology standards through a series of common interfaces.

To date, ARTS has developed four standards of significance: the Retail Data Model , Unified Point of Service (UnifiedPOS), IXRetail XML schemas to integrate applications within the retail enterprise and standard Requests for Proposal (RFP’s) to guide retailer selection of applications and provide a development guide for vendors.

The standard Data Model contains all the data definitions required to develop the computer applications required to operate a modern retailing business. The Model ranges from POS transaction processing through Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM). The Model was developed in four layers.

Scope Document - describes in business language the retailing enterprise and the functions that have to be supported by computerized applications to achieve success.
Business Process Relationships - relates data requirements to the specific retailing applications.
Logical Data Relationships - explains through diagrams the relationships between business functions and the data components. These relationship diagrams save thousands of hours in developing applications.
Data Definitions - of the more than 2,500 elements of data to ensure that the developers whether vendor or your internal staff completely understand the business application.

Benefits of the ARTS Data Model

The Model has saved retailers a significant amount of time and dollars in developing their computer based applications. Marks and Spencer, Toys-r-Us and Boscov's have achieved excellent using the ARTS data model. The original purpose of the Model was to allow retailers to select applications from vendors whose applications were developed using the Model. This enabled best of breed selection with greatly reduced interface costs and rapid implementation. Unlimited Solutions, H B International and PEC are examples of POS vendors that have developed to the Model allowing their retail customers to benefit from best of breed selection. For more information on the Data Model, click here: Explore our Standards.

Benefits of IXRetail:

IXRetail XML schema greatly reduce the time and cost of integrating applications. IXRetail schemas are developed from the Data Model permitting it to be used as the repository for consuming and publishing these XML schemas. Some of the currently available schemas are: POSlog, Customer, Price, Stored Value, and Digital Asset Management.

Benefits of Standard RFP’s:

Standard RFP’s developed by a committee of retailers, vendors and consultant from previously used retail RFP’s greatly reduce the cost of develop RFP’s and ensure the retailer review all the potential application features and functions to select the “right” application for their business. The RFP’s also include a Master Agreement to guide retailer in negotiating the best contract conditions.

Benefits of UnifiedPOS

UnifiedPOS, Unified Point of Service is a device interface standard that allows retailers to add new devices to sales floor terminals with minimal, if any, program change. UnifiedPOS links together two specific vendor implementations, JavaPOS and OPOS under one common API specification creating one architectural structure. UnifiedPOS allows retailers choice and provides vendors increased sales opportunities. Products that are compliant with UnifiedPOS, whether JavaPOS or OPOS can be combined within the same application.