By Jim Lewis, CEO Enhanced Retail Solutions LLC

I’m a big fan of Independence Day week. Besides being able to satiate my carnivorous habit (we miss you J.B.), it’s also the anniversary of ERS. It’s a time to reflect on our accomplishments, challenges and think about the road ahead. Most importantly though, it’s a time to thank everyone who has helped us evolve over the last 22 years.

There is nothing greater as a leader than to have your customers tell you how happy they are with your service and the people who provide it. ERS has the best people in the industry. While we have diverse backgrounds, we all share a common goal. Why be good when you can be excellent? It’s a mantra we live by.

We Change With The Ever Changing Retail World

The world around us continues to change, especially retail. Adapting to it is the key to surviving. Reporting and visualization tools have commoditized retail analytics. This is great for manufacturers and smaller retailers who don’t have the resources to invest in large-scale systems. That said, without expertise and the ability to curate a tool set to optimize inventory productivity, companies are limiting their growth opportunity. That is a key reason ERS operates a hybrid business model– offering both software and consulting services.

Innovation

We have innovated just as much in the last 2 years as we did in our first 2 years. Switching platforms enabled us to leap forward and take advantage of more powerful technologies including AI. We were early 8 years ago when we created Retail Narrative, which uses augmented intelligence to automatically analyze your business and recommend action. We are in the process of updating it to make it even more powerful and easier to use.

Our BI Forecast strikes the perfect balance between actionable data and ease of use. Everything you need to improve your inventory planning is at your fingertips. It has won us many accolades and new customer engagements. I think about how long it used to take to put together a VMI order a few years ago and now it’s done in seconds- amazing!

Thank You!

To our clients, employees and partners across the globe, thank you. I truly appreciate your support, friendship and collaboration throughout the years. Without you, we would not have the success we do.