Case Study: Retail Apparel Group

RAG unifies, streamlines and automates data with Comestri

Walk into any major shopping centre in Australia and you’re likely to come across most (if not all) of Retail Apparel Group’s 5 brands. Tarocash, yd., Conner, Johnny Bigg and Rockwear are renowned for their consistently inspired product ranges, mid-market appeal, strong in-store service and positive team spirit.

When customer experience is your number one priority, you need the systems and processes in place that put the customer at the heart of everything you do. RAG Head of Digital, Peter Ratcliffe, didn’t waste time looking for alternative solutions. Having previously worked with the Comestri team on a similar project, Peter knew who to turn to.

“I knew the team and their solution matched all of RAG’s data transformation needs, at the right price. Their in-depth knowledge of the online retail industry, data integration, complex platforms and complete understanding of business requirements is second to none,” said Peter.

The fundamental need for the business was to explore more efficient ways to integrate, streamline and manage complex product data between its POS system, eCommerce platform, multiple brand websites, online sales channels and 3PL service providers. They had the added challenge of managing data inadequacies within their backend systems; it needed to be transformed, enriched and eCommerce-ready.

Consistent pricing was an issue. With so many SKUs, brands and channels, managing the data and ensuring its consistency wasn’t just important, it was vital. When promotions end, pricing needed to be updated and consistent across all channels – an absolute nightmare for the RAG team.

“Our business is now streamlined and automated, making it easy to integrate data across multiple systems and sell across as many online channels as RAG requires.

Comestri exceeded all our expectations with our implementation; from the functionality of the solution, the ease of configuration and ongoing support.”

Peter Ratcliffe, Head of Digital

“With Comestri, we now have a centralised solution to manage the data for our five iconic brands. This also includes managing our variable sale price adjustments, previously handled manually in the POS system. We now have uniform pricing between our bricks and mortar and online sales channels, all in one system.”

The implementation of Comestri has solved RAG’s immediate needs – unifying, streamlining and automating their data. By providing an exceptional online experience and making the shopping journey easier, RAG have seen an increase in repeat purchases and a large uplift in online sales.

“It allows us to talk to different systems… we can sell our product in other marketplaces as well as our own stores and online, and bring those orders inhouse and process them as a normal delivery for dropship.

Comestri simplifies our data integration needs and improves operational efficiency.”

01

Data is now unified, streamlined and automated

02

Time to integrate new systems, partners and channels has halved

03

Confidence to innovate with new technology

But it doesn’t end there.

Working with a partner you can trust implicitly is vital to your success. Peter is completely confident with Comestri; as he plans for the future, he knows any data or integration requirements won’t be a problem. He approaches new technology with a level of comfort, knowing that RAG can continue to innovate and use their data to its full potential, wherever or however it’s needed. Peter considers the Comestri team as an extension of his own, and knows he can rely on them, no matter what.

“Comestri exceeded all our expectations with our implementation—from the functionality of the solution, the ease of configuration and ongoing support.”

Peter Ratcliff, Head of Digital