DECEMBER 20199delivery of new solutions. Also, competition between technology companies is equally fierce and they too are looking for ways to contain costs. Finally, an increasing number of companies appear to be reluctant to invest in new ideas unless they have a partner who will fund the research and development.At Retail Business Services (RBS), an Ahold Delhaize company that supports its businesses in the US, we have been able to fill the void created by this reluctance to innovate on the part of software developers by creat-ing our own small innovation teams. These teams are staffed primarily by partnering with educational insti-tutions in our communities and offering student intern-ships. These internships provide the students with real world experience, and it provides us with fresh talent and updated skills to develop customized solutions at a reasonable cost. Our experience has shown that we are able to bring innovative solutions to division stores we support, which are relevant and customized to their unique needs more quickly than most software com-panies. This is also true in the infrastructure space. At Ahold USA brands, investments in areas such as the net-work were overdue. Ahold USA partnered with its net-work provider and used them to facilitate the journey to modernize the in-store networks within these stores. While the network provider had the technology and had done other large implementations, the supermarket retail space brought its own set of nuances and chal-lenges. So, we traveled with them on the journey which resulted in a successful implementation-with each of us learning from the other. A definite win-win, in this case.In closing, the retail industry needs to foster a tight-er relationship with key technology partners. The rela-tionship needs to be such that both parties are invest-ed in each other's growth and success. Instead of the retailer telling vendors what they need and the vendor then building the solution, it would be better if a vendor came to me and said, "we are going to invest in a solu-tion we believe will help grow your business. What we need from you is to partner with us to test, pilot and then use the solution in stores, so we can showcase it to other customers". That is the type of interaction and relationship we need with our vendors and it is up to all of us to help foster these partnerships. The ability of retailers to capitalize on the potential use of these new capabilities can be the key to attracting new customers, which translates to increasing market shareMalcolm D'Souza, Sr. Director, I.T. Transformation
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