Is Whole Foods Market on its way to being a tech trailblazer?

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market and a key technology partner are creating a new retail platform that the retailer promises will be unlike anything on the market.



In a partnership that Whole Foods said will “redefine retail management software,” the supermarket company is partnering with cloud-based business application provider Infor to develop a new enterprise platform called Infor Cloudsuite Retail. The retailer hopes to make a profit of the comprehensive, cloud-based retail suite by selling it to other retailers.



The platform, which is being designed enable the grocer to operate faster and more efficiently while enhancing the customer experience, will offer a combination of cloud-based automation and advanced, efficient processes for a range of strategic merchandising and supply chain management functions. Whole Foods expects the new platform's advanced analytics to provide insights that will drive business performance and operational efficiencies.

 

The platform's advanced IT infrastructure is also expected to deliver more in-depth information and an enhanced shopping experiences for in-store and digital Whole Foods customers.



"With Infor, Whole Foods Market has found a partner ideally suited to help us co-create a new retail platform that enables a more efficient, connected enterprise with greater visibility, flexibility, insight, and ease-of-use for our team members -- all while delivering a better end-to-end shopping experience for our customers,” said Jason Buechel, executive VP and CIO, Whole Foods Market.

 

Through the partnership, Whole Foods will become a working lab for Infor development engineers and designers from Hook & Loop, Infor's Manhattan-based internal design agency. Infor teams will work alongside Whole Foods Market team members to identify critical process improvements and develop a purpose-built software suite.

 

Whole Foods is not releasing a lot of details about the specifics of Infor Cloudsuite Retail, or when it may be implemented internally or become available on the market. Forbes reports the platform will eventually be able to capture hundreds or even thousands of product attributes, potentially including factors such as water used in creating a product. Clearly, Whole Foods wants to participate in the cloud-based retail enterprise space currently dominated by software giants such as Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and JDA.

 

Amazon.com has long provided a variety of cloud-based enterprise solutions for other companies, and a number of smaller retailers such as In The Pink also serve as IT vendors. However, it is not common for a major chain with large physical presence such as Whole Foods to enter the technology provider marketplace.

 

Whole Foods has been testing other partnerships that expand its business model, such as the opening of Mendocino Farms outlets in select store locations and a home delivery deal with Instacart. The new Infor deal takes the idea of extending your core business a major step forward.