To streamline the ordering process, the retailing giant has deployed software by SupplyWorks in all of its Barnes & Noble and B. Dalton stores nationwide. The Web-based supplier relationship management (SRM) system has been integrated with Barnes & Noble's intranet and Oracle-based financial systems, SupplyWorks said, enabling automated ordering of supplies for stores and more effective management of transactions with suppliers.

Replacement for Faxes, Phones

"We have provided a browser interface for all of the Barnes & Noble stores that works with the company's supplier system and makes it much easier for them to monitor ordering at each store," Brian Hodgson, director of product management at SupplyWorks, told CRMDaily.com. "Each store can enter the quantities of supplies they need, and the orders are sent directly to the suppliers. Prior to this, all of Barnes & Noble's ordering was paper-based, using faxes and phone calls to contact the suppliers."

Beyond store management, the software provides greater administrative control and reporting of ordering at company headquarters, SupplyWorks said. Hodgson noted that the company-wide deployment took less than six months, including a trial run with 45 stores conducted last summer. "Rapid implementation of the system is particularly attractive to large companies like Barnes & Noble," he said.

Quick Turnaround

"It was imperative that we develop and implement a streamlined online supply ordering solution quickly and efficiently," said Jack Kelleher, vice president of operations at Barnes & Noble. "The smooth transition from our manual procedures to the SupplyWorks SRM software allowed us to complete the project on time for the fall selling season."

Barnes & Noble stores now use the system for regular monthly supply replenishment, including routine restocking of common items with templates that provide communications across multiple vendors.

Change of Pace for SupplyWorks

While SupplyWorks traditionally has focused on discrete manufacturing companies, providing software for tracking the supplies of individual parts for products, Hodgson said, Barnes & Noble wanted to apply the same technology to create a management list of supplies for its large number of individual stores that could be controlled by company headquarters. "We felt our software was a good match for their needs," he said.

Barnes & Noble operates 569 Barnes & Noble and 331 B. Dalton bookstores, as well as GameStop, a video game and entertainment software chain with 990 stores. The company said its online catalog includes more than 3 million titles.