ARTS Update articles appearing in StORES Magazine
 
2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
 
2008  
May Cut Costs, Not Service, Richard Mader, ARTS

A challenging economy presents the class challenge to retailers: how to cut expenses without losing customers or competitive edge by undermining service.  ARTS has released three new standards offering opportunities for savings as well as the potential to increase sales through better service.

April

ARTS a Big Winner at Euroshop, Richard Mader, ARTS

ARTS vendor members won two of the three Retail Technology Awards Europe (RETA) presented last month at EHI’s EuroShop Conference. Awards are presented to the retailers implementing the best application for customer experience, enterprise solution and in-store operation.

March

Big Ideas for 2008, Richard Mader, ARTS

During ARTS' BIG !deas Session at NRF's Annual Convention & EXPO, RIS and IHL Consulting discussed the findings of their fifth annual store systems survey.

February

At the Pavilion, State of the ARTS, Richard Mader, ARTS

I could write another glowing review of what may have been the best NRF Annual Convention ever, but so many others have already done so and ARTS never follows --- we prefer to lead. So let's talk standards and how they can benefit your retail business in what is shaping up to be a challenging year.

2007

 

December

ARTS and PCI, Richard Mader, ARTS

No question about it, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is currently a hot topic in the retail IT world. Since the card-issuers launched this audit program in December 2004, it has been the principal topic at NRF CIO Council meetings and a main focus of retail IT shops.

November

Premium Customer Service with SOA Simplicity, Richard Mader, ARTS

One of the showcase presentations at the fifth annual NRF-ARTS Retail Technology Summit last month in Brussels was by Galeries Lafayette, one of the world’s destination fashion department stores.

October

The Lowdown on SOA, Richard Mader, ARTS

Have you heard just about enough about SOA (service-oriented architecture)? If you are a store manager, advertising executive or merchant, the answer is almost certainly “Yes!” In your view, this is technical stuff: “Let the IT people worry about it, all I want is a new POS function or an automated calculation of co-op advertising money.”

September

Global Standards Propel Retail, Richard Mader, ARTS

Technology has dramatically changed how retailers conduct their business. Today, via the Internet, you can buy and sell anything, anywhere. Of course, retailers must still apply the same golden rules that were required for retail success long before there was a personal computer.

August

From Video Surveillance to Video Analytics, Richard Mader, ARTS

Video surveillance, long used as a loss prevention tool, is expanding its scope to improve the customer shopping experience — and the retailer’s bottom line. Video equipment is used to scan the parking lot for customer safety, observe customers throughout the store to identify shopping habits, identify potential accidents, and send alerts on fixtures and displays that require attention and long lines or suspicious activities at POS.

July

The Case for Conformance, Richard Mader, ARTS

Most retailers now purchase applications from a multitude of vendors, in contrast with the recent past when retailers were more likely to purchase everything from one vendor. These days, it is estimated that implementation costs can be five to 10 times the purchase price of an application, largely due to the costs associated with its integration into the existing architecture.

June

One Step Closer to Truly Global Standards, Richard Mader ARTS

ARTS was established in 1995 with the goal of defining standards for application and hardware integration that would be useful to all retailers and their vendors worldwide. While there are regional differences in retail practices, the data and processes required to support them are largely the same.

May

SCM A Critical Tool, Richard Mader ARTS

I recently had the pleasure of moderating the Excellence in Supply Chain Management session at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona. In preparing to moderate a panel on Excellence in Supply Chain Management with speakers from DHL, Inditex (Zara), Metro Cash and Carry International and KSA, I felt compelled to do some research to update my supply chain knowledge.

March

The Value of ARTS Standards, Richard Mader ARTS

I am often asked if there is value in ARTS standards and whether we can provide case studies of dollars saved through implementation of our standards. As we all know, retailers do not share details as they once did, because competition is too intense. So let me answer the “value” question in the following manner:

February

Updates from the NRF Annual Convention, Richard Mader ARTS

On the supercenter-sized exhibit floor of the NRF Annual Convention last month, I realized that in 23 years of attending the BIG Show, I’ve never failed to find practical new ideas applicable to my day-to-day operations. The Expo Hall seemed literally abuzz, and the only problem the average visitor may have encountered was having enough time to see and do everything.

January

ARTS Standards: Building Blocks for SOA, Richard Mader ARTS

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is gaining traction as a strategy for maximizing investment in retailers’ existing IT architecture while simultaneously reducing the complexity of integration. According to a recent survey published in Information Week, more than 55 percent of U.S. businesses have begun projects employing SOA.

 

2006

 

November

ARTS Launches Project to Support Business Intelligence, Richard Mader ARTS

ARTS plans to release the Standard Data Warehouse by spring, 2007 so retailers can request ARTS-conformant warehouses and benefit from easy data loads via integrated XML schemas.

 

October

Real-Time Store Management is NEAR, Richard Mader, ARTS

Smart retailers use their information systems to provide real-time data to support their business processes.  The new ARTS standard XML schema NEAR makes it easier to exchange information between applications.

 

September

From SOA to Multichannel Agility, Richard Mader, ARTS

Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) is a a hot topic these days.  There is a lot of talk but not a lot of information about how it can support the retail enterprise or which companies have implemented it.  Learn how Harrods is using it to reduce systems complexity and anticipate customers' needs.

 

July

New CSE Standard to Increase Internet Sales, Richard Mader, ARTS

Retailers and Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs) struggle with exchanging information about products and clicks.  ARTS is working with Shop.org members to develop product data feed and error message standards to improve the online shopping experience.

 

June

Innovation from Standardization in Retail, Bob Ganley, Sun Microsystems

The adoption and deployment of standards enables cost-effective integration, allowing retailers to focus their organizations on providing the brand experience that attracts and keeps customers.

 

April

It's Tax Season, and ARTS Can Help, Richard Mader, ARTS

Tax calculation, collection and reporting to multiple taxing authorities is complex task supported by the ARTS Data Model, UnifiedPOS and the POSlog schema.

 

March

Data Model? It's Easier than You Think, Richard Mader, ARTS

Many retailers such as Circuit City are running a patchwork of legacy systems and now find it difficult - if not impossible - to share data among these systems.  Learn how they are using the ARTS data model as a data repository to provide accurate and consistent information throughout the organization.

 

January

Business Agility, Powered by ARTS, Richard Mader, ARTS

Retailing is a fast-paced industry to which the expression, "The quick and the dead" may indeed apply. The business agility to implement new strategies depends in part on a flexible, standards-based architecture.

 

 

 

2005

 

December

Why ARTS? Understanding the Value of Vertical Standards, Dean Sleeper, AccessVia

This is the retail industry.  Technology is here to enable retail innovation, not the other way around.

 

March

Purchasing New IT Applications? ARTS Can Help, Richard Mader, ARTS

ARTS-NRF Standard Requests for Proposal (RFPs) can reduce the time and cost of preparing a comprehensive RFP and reduce the risks of purchasing.

 

January

ARTS Gives Retailers the Power of Choice, Richard Mader, ARTS

Retailers are looking for new IT applications to operate their businesses efficiently and inexpensively.  Selecting ARTS-compliant applications from multiple vendors creates an almost-seamless operation at reduced cost.

 

 

 

2004

 

July

Not in Conformance

 

June

Didn't Go? Maybe That Was a Mistake, Richard Mader, ARTS

ARTS Committee meetings provide informal interaction with the top talent that allows retailers to discover the "real knowledge" behind the proposed application and ongoing support to those new to ARTS standards.

 

April

The Marketing Content Supply Chain, Richard Mader, ARTS and Brian Meek, MediaBin

Introducing the ARTS Digital Asset Management (DAM) Schema, which enables retailers and their suppliers to manage and publish digital assets such as product images.

 

March

Even More in 2004, Richard Mader, ARTS

The ARTS development plan for 2004 to support the expected increase in technology spending by providing support for application selection, purchase and implementation.

 

February

Standard RFP Program Highlights ARTS activities at The BIG Show, Richard Mader, ARTS

Technological overview of ARTS activities at the 2004 NRF Annual Convention & EXPO.

 

January

Standards in Action at the ARTS Pavilion, Robert A. Graham, Smart & Final

Demanding customers will require that stores be part of a seamless retail enterprise, delivering products and services to them on their terms anywhere, anytime. ARTS is the foundation that will help deliver real-time flexible computing.

 

 

 

2003  

December

A Successful Year in Review, Richard Mader, ARTS

A recap of 2003, one of the most productive in ARTS history.

 

November

Standing Room Only at ARTS-NRF Retail Standards Summit, Richard Mader, ARTS

Report on the first Retail Standards Summit, October 2003 in London.

 

October

History is a Guide to the Future of ARTS Standards, Richard Mader, ARTS

How ARTS standards have evolved to take advantage of new technologies to develop quality products through industry consensus.

 

September

ARTS and the POS Selection Process, Richard Mader, ARTS

How retailers can select new POS hardware and software while creating an architecture that allows maximum flexibility for future change with a minimum of programming changes and cost.

 

August

ARTS Launches new Standards Projects with NRF CIO Council, Richard Mader, ARTS

The trend to purchase software packages rather than build them in-house has created a significant new function for retail IT departments, researching and developing RFPs.  Read about the new Standard RFP project to reduce the time and expense of this process.

 

July

ARTS, NRF Expand Benefits, Richard Mader, ARTS

Report on the annual ARTS Member Meeting

 

June

Will RFID Replace the UPC, Boyd Dimmock, IBM

What is ARTS doing to prepare the retail industry for RFID?

 

May

ARTS Standards Focus on POS, Richard Mader, ARTS

A majority of the POS market is equipped to operate on ARTS standards, allowing cost-effective technology updates and extending the life of existing terminals.

 

April

Support Store Operations: Demand the ARTS POSlog, Richard Mader, ARTS

How adoption of POSlog will enable CIOs to make rapid changes to their applications to satisfy store executives and better serve customers.

 

March

NRF CIO Council, ARTS and UCC Cooperate on Tech Issues, Richard Mader, ARTS

How the combined strength of ARTS, along with the CIO Council's setting of an overall strategic direction, make NRF a full-scale technology support organization.

 

February

ARTS Announces New Standards Implementations, Richard Mader, ARTS

Report on the ARTS Update session at NRF's 92nd Annual Convention & EXPO

 

January

ARTS Standards Pavilion Highlights Activities at NRF Annual Convention, Richard Mader, ARTS

Preview of ARTS activities at NRF's 92nd Annual Convention & EXPO

 

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