RedPrairie Corporation, a global supply chain and retail technology provider, has announced that its Merchandise Management and Direct Commerce applications are now available as on-demand, hosted offerings through the cloud. The introduction of cloud-based versions of Merchandise Management and Direct Commerce is part of RedPrairie's overall cloud platform strategy of making access to its cost-saving, efficiency-improving solutions easier and more affordable for small and medium businesses (SMBs).

"Merchandise Management and Direct Commerce have proven their value to large enterprises over the last decade," said Tom Kozenski, vice president, Product Marketing at RedPrairie. "But the upfront cost of servers, infrastructure, and licensing has traditionally made it cost-prohibitive for SMBs to gain that same value. By offering hosted, cloud-based versions of these solutions, we are able to replace the huge up-front investment with a subscription-based model that allows SMBs to realize the return on investment from their RedPrairie solutions more quickly."

While the cloud-based solutions make sense for any SMB, they are particularly valuable for retailers with seasonal businesses. With an on-premise solution, retailers must build up their computing capacity to handle peak periods during the height of their busy season or risk customer dissatisfaction. That means at off-peak times of the year, they have excess computing capacity sitting idle for which they are still paying.

With RedPrairie's on-demand offerings, retailers can turn the volume up and down as needed, only paying for the capacity they are using at that time. They can also greatly reduce their maintenance costs, since all the hardware is managed by RedPrairie in its hosting facilities, allowing RedPrairie customers' IT resources to be devoted to more value-added projects. Additionally, moving to RedPrairie's hosted model ensures SMBs that the desired levels of disaster recovery and downtime prevention provisions are in place.

Each of the new on-demand solutions solves current market needs. RedPrairie Merchandise Management helps big-ticket retailers such as furniture and large appliance stores optimize core business operations, including merchandising, inventory management, customer service, warehouse management, point of sale and more. By leveraging RedPrairie Merchandise Management, RedPrairie customers are able to make more informed decisions to optimize inventory, employee productivity, and vendor relationships, while improving customer relationships and margins.

RedPrairie Direct Commerce seamlessly integrates all buyer and transaction data for retailers to deliver a 360-degree view of the customer. Whether a buyer shops online, in store, through a call center, or via a mobile device, RedPrairie Direct Commerce enables more personal and relevant interactions through a high-volume suite of business applications including e-commerce, order management, order fulfillment, call center, customer service, and payment processing. Buyers enjoy an unparalleled shopping experience, consistent and proactive communications, real-time order status, and the flexibility to do business when and how they choose.

"In today's fast-paced environment, retailers of every size need first-class technology to keep up with customer demands and expectations," Kozenski said. "Our hosted, on-demand platform removes a major barrier to entry for this technology, while taking advantage of RedPrairie's proven retail expertise, helping them keep their commerce in motion."

RedPrairie's all-channel commerce, enterprise workforce management, warehouse management and transportation management solutions are all available in an on-demand, hosted model. For more information please visit this link.