Achieving digital transformation in retail through the adoption of PLM tools

The Challenges of Digital Transformation in Retail

The retail sector has been facing major transformations for several years.

Companies must notably address several challenges:

• accelerate the time-to-market of products
• improve collaboration throughout the value chain
• meet increasing demands for sustainability and environmental compliance
• reduce risks related to global supply chains

The COVID-19 crisis has greatly accelerated these transformations, forcing companies to rapidly deploy new digital solutions.

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

Why PLM solutions have become essential in retail

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

They play a key role in:

• coordinating product teams
• accelerating innovation
• improving quality and compliance
• strengthening collaboration among different stakeholders

In retail, PLM solutions enable the orchestration of the entire product process:

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

However, the success of these projects heavily depends 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 failure causes are related to human factors

The main obstacles identified are:

Resistance to change

Users must change their work habits and adopt new processes.

Adoption difficulties

User profiles are very diverse (age, experience, technical level), which makes adoption more complex.

Ineffective training

Traditional training is often:

• too theoretical
• disconnected from the business context
• unengaging for users

These factors can compromise the success of a digital project, even when the technology is high-performing.

A comprehensive approach to successful tool adoption

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

1. A change management strategy

Change management must support the entire project:

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

2. Creation of tailored educational content

This includes:

• process documentation
• user guides
• contextualized training materials

3. Certified training programs

The training programs ensure:

• user upskilling
• validation of acquired knowledge
• continuous improvement of practices

The Role of Digital Adoption Platforms

To support users in their daily tasks, many companies are now adopting Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP).

These solutions allow for direct integration of learning into business applications.

Knowmore notably offers two complementary solutions:

K-Studio: Simulation for User Training

K-STUDIO enables you to replicate business application screens to create realistic training environments.

Users can therefore:

• practice without impacting real data
• complete practical exercises
• learn at their own pace

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

K-NOW: Contextual Assistance within Applications

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

It enables you to:

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

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

Measurable results for businesses

Organizations using digital adoption platforms see significant gains:

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

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

Conclusion: successful digital transformation relies on user adoption

The success of a digital transformation project doesn't solely depend on technology.

It relies on organizations' ability to support users in adopting new tools.

By combining:

• change management
• Tailored training
• digital adoption platforms

companies can accelerate the adoption of PLM solutions and maximize the value of their technological investments.