North Face 1999 Annual Report Download - page 16

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Back to the Future
Because VF has always recognized the value of
business intelligence – and has led the develop-
ment of systems and processes to obtain it –
we’re well ahead of the curve in preparing for
tomorrow’s challenges.
We’ve been collecting and analyzing in-depth
information about consumers for years. Our
Consumer Response System (CRS) is designed
specifically to ensure that our products and
marketing communications respond accurately
to consumers’ diverse needs. This tool is helping
us bring a greater variety of products to market
faster and more cost effectively than ever before.
Going forward, we plan to build on our leader-
ship in providing consumer knowledge to
our retail partners.
Our micromarketing program positions us as
the first apparel manufacturer able to replenish
inventory assortments customized by store loca-
tion. Beginning with information about who
shops at which stores, it determines how best to
appeal to each type of consumer. It then addresses
everything from store layout to merchandising
and presentation. We’ve also pioneered solutions
for many of our retail partners through flow
replenishment and retail floor space management
to make sure shoppers never hear the words
“out of stock.”
The recent launch of i2 Technologies’
SoftgoodsMatrix, with VF as its strategic partner,
will usher in a new era of collaborative, web-based
relationships among industry participants. Over
time, this on-line marketplace should enable
VF and other softgoods companies to conduct
business in a faster, more consumer-responsive
manner – and with significantly lower costs.
The most important principle for our busi-
ness is that we’ve chosen to compete on the basis
of knowledge. At VF, we’re not just envisioning
the future, we’re helping to build it.
The next big challenge:
to manage a constant
stream of consumer and
retail information to
fulfill store needs rapidly.
Flexible, quick response
manufacturing and
sophisticated flow replen-
ishment systems will
ensure that retail product
assortments match
consumer requirements
exactly.
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