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A few people have asked why we have started working on this project. The short answer is: we can’t find the information online or in print anywhere. As a result we decided to get the information ourselves. We would like your help to compile the information.
No two companies are alike, regardless of whether they sell software or consulting services or both. The development course the company takes, the features making release cuts – they are never the same. Also consider there is real innovation out there which is never highlighted or revealed because the company is technically focused and there is sometimes not much if any budget allocated to marketing efforts. This includes consulting shops starting out as one or two highly capable retail gurus. With few exceptions, companies in this space start out as small startups focusing on technical capability and grow from there. The lean, boot strap mentality means Marketing is often at the bottom of the priorities list. Even when the CEO looks up and realize there is some success, they don’t often prioritize Marketing to where it should be.
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Starting with a curious post on a favorite user group: “Open a can of worms” we and others tried to make comparisons from one EDI solution vs. another. I think one of the primary concerns in the posting was around .Net, but there are so many features or attributes we become concerned with when investing in software or services. Committing your company to one method or technology ties your reputation, capital and in many instances your company’s ability to live up to obligations.
Following the post we have tried to ascertain the rough placement of one company vs. another. You can see the results in the graph below.
We stopped the poll after about two weeks and 2,200 votes. The results are interesting given the "Cloud" we all hear so much about. This in many instances can be attributed to the number of larger companies both manufacturing and retail which visit our site. We received almost 200 e-mails from people asking why the translator they used wasn’t represented or their hosted system wasn’t on the poll. There isn’t enough room for every company. There are hundreds of companies in this space and we had a space limitation.
Drawing the line at companies who take in X.12 and translate to another format within the Retail/CPG supply chain doesn’t seem right. Doing so leaves too much value off the table. The people and additional software which help orchestrate our supply chains – the elegance of some systems and the rubber bands we are sometimes forced to use. From translation, system architecture to integration or analysis – I believe they all need to be mentioned.
In compiling this information, we hope to create a document which people can refer to continually. Whether you are in marketing, a developer or a buyer looking for a software or process requirement to invest in, I think we will all gain some insight.
There are two surveys going out. The first can be found here: http://ow.ly/Qxcw. The second will be made available soon. If you are in the industry please forward this off to your solution providers or your marketing manager. If you Twitter, then tweet it. If live on Facebook, throw it up on the wall. Mention it on Linkedin. Give us a hand, whatever your preferred method and pass it around.
- as mentioned in our newsletter sent out yesterday: we will be providing some free advertising to the first companies (And others) who participate and send in their surveys. It's like getting double exposure for the few minutes required to click through some questions...
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