ECRS Releases Feature-Packed Supplier Gateway 4.0

BOONE, N.C., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading provider of retail automation solutions, ECR Software Corporation (ECRS) today announced the release of its highly-anticipated Supplier Gateway™ 4.0. The latest version of ECRS's LogicSync™-fueled supply chain automation service opens new communication channels allowing retailers to connect their CATAPULT™ inventory management software with all of their suppliers for electronic order placement.  Other LogicSync additions introduced in this version include automated handling of new inventory items and advanced price update alerts triggered by changes to supplier-managed Suggested Retail Prices (SRP).  

Supplier Gateway 4.0 opens the door for all vendors to join the fastest-growing e-commerce network in the independent retail market.  Proprietary LogicSync business rules intelligently route electronic orders to any supplier, eliminating hours of time-consuming, manual order processing for both retailers and suppliers.  Combined with CATAPULT Order Assist™ technology, retailers can now generate, and place, their orders in a matter of minutes and make out-of-stock situations a thing of the past. Suppliers of all sizes can now be connected to the thousands of retailers managing their inventory with ECRS CATAPULT and can receive their orders electronically, reducing costly order entry mistakes.

"We order from more than fifty vendors to keep our two stores stocked with the inventory our customers expect when they shop," said Mike Asher with Rollin' Oats Market & Cafe.   "In the past we've used three different ordering systems to transmit our orders to suppliers.  With the Gateway 4.0 enhancements, we can finally consolidate all of our inventory replenishment on the ECRS platform.  I estimate this will reduce ordering time by 75% and ordering costs by 50% and remove a lot of headaches and frustration.  We're very excited about this advancement."

In a highly competitive market, successful independent retailers are constantly experimenting with new products to find the optimal merchandise mix and keep customers coming back.  This continuous cycle of new items can exact a toll on store staff to keep their inventory systems up-to-date and accurate.  The revolutionary New Item Insert eliminates this data entry burden and frees retailers to focus on their business. LogicSync rules intuitively detect new items received and insert them into the CATAPULT database automatically along with acquisition cost and SRP.  This dramatically reduces manual item entry and potential scanning and pricing errors at the point-of-sale.

"The new item insert enhancement is huge for us," said Joel Patterson of Nature's Green Grocer. "In the Natural Products industry, new items are an especially important part of serving our customers and succeeding in a market full of change. Last week alone we received 120 new items from our main supplier; automating the manual entry of these items provides significant time savings and prevents costly mistakes."

In addition to current support for price update alerts based on changes in acquisition cost, expanded LogicSync functionality now also offers alerts for retailers who let their suppliers manage shelf prices for them.  When changes in SRP are detected, Supplier Gateway identifies them and dynamically creates price change worksheets for those items in the CATAPULT system.  This insures maximum margins are always maintained and items always scan at the right price.

"The new version of Supplier Gateway will help our customers and supplier partners conduct business in a dramatically more efficient and cost effective manner," said Andy Voso, Director of Business Development and Supplier Relations. "Using LogicSync technology, we have found innovative ways to automate the supply chain, effectively changing the way our customers do business with their suppliers."

These new enhancements add to the already impressive line-up of functionality available with the Supplier Gateway service which seamlessly connects retailers to their suppliers for order delivery, order acknowledgement, promotion management, price updates, and invoice delivery.

About ECR Software Corporation

ECRS has been providing complete retail automation solutions since 1989. The ECRS solutions suite includes: Point-of-sale, self-checkout, back office management, mobile reporting and analytics, automated inventory management, supplier integration, video surveillance, self-hosted gift card, customer loyalty, membership management, dedicated store server, POS electronic advertising, signature capture, and pharmacy management system integration. ECRS CATAPULT is National Weights and Measures Certified and is also PA-DSS certified for retailer PCI DSS compliance.

www.ecrs.com

SOURCE ECR Software Corporation