Achieving Digital Transformation in Retail Through the Adoption of PLM Tools

The Challenges of Digital Transformation in Retail

The retail sector has been undergoing major changes for several years.

In particular, companies face several challenges:

• speed up product time-to-market
• improve collaboration throughout the value chain
• meet growing demands for sustainability and environmental compliance
• reduce risks associated with global supply chains

The COVID-19 crisis has significantly accelerated these changes, forcing companies to quickly roll out new digital solutions.

In this context, digital transformation has become essential to remaining competitive.

Why PLM solutions have become essential in retail

PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) systems enable the centralization and structuring of a product’s entire lifecycle.

They play a key role in:

• coordinate the product teams
• accelerate innovation
• improve quality and compliance
• strengthen collaboration among the various stakeholders

In the retail sector, PLM solutions enable the coordination of the entire product lifecycle:

• design
• development
• manufacturing
• packaging
• logistics
• distribution

However, the success of these projects depends heavily on actual adoption by business users.

Why Digital Transformation Projects Fail

Digital transformation projects still have a high failure rate.

According to the analyses presented in this webinar:

• 65% of ERP projects fail
• More than 80% of the causes of failure are related to human factors

The main obstacles identified are:

Resistance to change

Users need to change their work habits and adopt new processes.

Challenges in Adoption

User profiles vary widely (in terms of age, experience, and technical proficiency), which makes adoption more challenging.

Ineffective training

Traditional training programs often include:

• too theoretical
• out of touch with the business context
• not very user-friendly

These factors can jeopardize the success of a digital project, even when the technology is effective.

A comprehensive approach to successfully implementing tools

To address these challenges, Cristal Optimisations offers an approach based on three pillars:

1. A change management strategy

Change management must be integrated throughout the entire project:

• from the design phase onward
• during deployment
• after going live

2. The creation of appropriate educational content

This includes:

• process documentation
• user guides
• contextualized training materials

3. Certified training programs

The training programs ensure:

• user skill development
• recognition of prior learning
• continuous improvement of practices

The Role of Digital Adoption Platforms

To support users in their day-to-day work, many companies are now adopting Digital Adoption Platforms (DAPs).

These solutions make it possible to integrate learning directly into business tools.

Knowmore offers two complementary solutions, among others:

K-Studio: Simulation for User Training

K-STUDIO enables the reproduction of business application screens to create realistic training environments.

Users can therefore:

• train without affecting production data
• complete practical exercises
• learn at their own pace

The solution is compatible with SCORM standards for integration into LMSs.

K-NOW: Context-Aware Assistance in Apps

K-NOW is a support solution directly integrated into business software.

It allows you to:

• guide users step by step
• display alerts and announcements
• explain the business rules
• improve data quality

Users can also share their feedback to help continuously improve the guides and processes.

Measurable results for businesses

Organizations that use digital adoption platforms are seeing significant benefits:

• 50% reduction in training costs and time
• 30% reduction in data entry errors
• 50% discount on support tickets
• up to 3 months of savings in tool adoption

For example, Airbus saw a 70% reduction in support tickets after implementing the K-NOW solution.

Conclusion: Successful digital transformation depends on user adoption

The success of a digital transformation project does not depend solely on technology.

It depends on organizations' ability to help users adopt new tools.

By combining:

• change management
• appropriate training
• digital adoption platforms

Companies can accelerate the adoption of PLM solutions and maximize the value of their technology investments.