Sears Expands QRS` Tradeweave Message Exchange Services to Serve all Sears Retail Formats and Vendors
RICHMOND, Calif., April 10 -- QRS Corporation (Nasdaq: QRSI),
a leading worldwide provider of collaborative business-to-business e-commerce
solutions for the retail industry, announced today that Sears, Roebuck and Co.
(NYSE: S) has chosen to use QRS` Tradeweave(TM) Message Exchange for all its
retail formats and vendors. Sears began using QRS` electronic commerce
services to exchange procurement information between its retail department
stores and vendors in 1999.
"For retailers, getting the right merchandise into the store at the right
time is critical to customer satisfaction and our success," said
Dave Giometti, vice president of vendor relations for Sears. "Tools like
Tradeweave Message Exchange significantly improve the buy-sell process with
our vendors. The other benefit is that it doesn`t require a significant
investment or lengthy implementation to get vendors up and running."
"For more than a decade, QRS has been working with retailers and their
vendors to help them move from paper to electronic commerce," said
Candy Smith, senior vice president of electronic commerce for QRS. "We are
pleased that a retailer such as Sears has recognized the benefits of
electronic commerce and entrusts QRS with this critical portion of its
business."
Vendors, large and small, can fulfill merchandise orders electronically
with QRS` Tradeweave(TM) Message Exchange, an Internet-based forms package.
Tradeweave Message Exchange is part of the QRS Tradeweave Retail Network, a
supply chain management platform for collaboration and commerce for the retail
community.
Tradeweave Message Exchange is created based on a retailer`s specific
e-commerce requirements. QRS works with each vendor to ensure compliance so
vendors can avoid costly charge-backs and concentrate on manufacturing and
delivering merchandise. Using the Internet, vendors can view and print
retailer purchase orders and then respond with turnaround documents including
shipment case labels, shipment manifests, advance ship notices (ASN) and
invoices, immediately without having to re-key information. QRS handles all
data translation, moving information from a retailer`s EDI document to the
vendor Web form application. Tradeweave Message Exchange is used by several
of the largest retailers in the United States.
Tradeweave Message Exchange provides benefits for both the retailer and
vendor:
-- Vendors can meet e-commerce requirements at a fraction of the time and
financial investment required by traditional solutions. Start-up costs
are reduced from thousands to a few hundred dollars. EC/EDI
translation software usually requires an investment of $3,000 to
$100,000. Tradeweave Message Exchange eliminates the need for EC/EDI
translation software. Implementation time is reduced from weeks or
months to a few hours.
-- Partners can significantly reduce order cycle time. Orders are
received by the vendor within hours after the retailer initiates a
purchase order. Tradeweave Message Exchange will create the shipping
manifest and case labels (per retailer`s requirements), eliminating the
need for manual labor.
-- Tradeweave Message Exchange eliminates errors by reducing the re-keying
of information. The information on the manifest and the case labels is
pulled from the purchase order. When the vendor ships the products,
Tradeweave Message Exchange will create an ASN and deliver it to the
retailer. The products flow through the distribution center (DC) and
are on the store shelves in the shortest time frame possible.
Shipments that are received without an ASN can take days or even weeks
to be manually processed through the DC. Shipments with the ASN will
process through the DC in a few hours.
-- Vendors may use Tradeweave Message Exchange to invoice retailers
immediately. Invoices are delivered to the retailer within hours,
eliminating mail time and data entry requirements at the retailer.
Invoices are prepared accurately based on the products shipped,
eliminating errors and reducing manual labor requirements. A manual
invoice costs an average of $25 per document. The average invoice cost
with Tradeweave Message Exchange is $4.
About Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and
automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than
$40 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through
approximately 860 department stores, approximately 2,100 specialized retail
locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company`s
website, http://www.sears.com.
About QRS
QRS is a leading worldwide provider of collaborative business-to-business
e-commerce solutions for the retail industry. The company delivers value to
thousands of customers by providing tools that enable retailers, manufacturers
and their business partners to source, track and deliver the right product to
the right place while reducing costs and cycle times. Through the
QRS Tradeweave Retail Network, the company delivers an integrated suite of
products and services for collaborative and effective supply chain management.
For 13 years, QRS has been an innovator in the technological evolution of the
retail industry and has helped its customers build profitable relationships
with their supply chain partners. For additional information visit
http://www.qrs.com.
Cautionary Language
Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts
are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties as discussed
more fully in QRS Corporation`s filings with the SEC, including its most
recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.
NOTE: QRS is a registered trademark and Tradeweave is a trademark of
QRS Corporation. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
CONTACT:
Maureen Collins of QRS Corporation, 978-283-9505, ormcollins@qrs.com;
or Nicole Peters of Stanton-CrenshawCommunications, 646-336-9414, or nicole@stanton-crenshaw.com, forQRS Corporation
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