Elaine Watson Nisa-Today's is embarking on a major systems overhaul to pave the way for a full-blown online ordering system by the end of next year. Speaking at Nisa-Today's 25th anniversary exhibition at Stoneleigh, Today's head of IT Wayne Swallow said: "We want to move everything online, from ordering goods to transferring documents such as delivery notes, invoices and price lists. "The major advantage of the new system will be to remove bottlenecks and let an unlimited number of members order whenever they want." At the moment, only a certain amount of orders can be handled at one time, and there are restrictions as to when you can order. The move was prompted by the success of the clearance deals section at nisa-todays.com, which allows members to shift surplus stock at reduced prices on a daily basis. Volumes going through site have vastly exceeded expectations since its February launch and it was clear the next logical step was to extend it across the business, said Swallow. "This is just part of an ongoing process to shift communications between head office and Nisa-Today's members on to the web." The system will be seamlessly linked to order capture and warehouse management systems which will give members a more accurate picture of stock availability. Things will happen on a "drip by drip basis" between next Easter and autumn, with the old and new ordering systems running in parallel. As most stores already send in orders electronically via a simplified EDI system, switching to web ordering will not be a major cultural shift for most members, said Swallow. A satellite based vehicle tracking system will let retailers log on to the web site, key in an order number and find out exactly when deliveries are scheduled to arrive. The system should be in place by the end of the year. {{NEWS }}

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