January 25, 2008
By Lauren McKay,

Infor Markets a New Marketing Module

Infor, the global enterprise software company, recently released its new outbound marketing application, Infor CRM Epiphany Outbound Marketing 7.1. The updated software solution offers a retail-specific platform, capitalizing on real-time, event-based marketing. With multichannel performance and event-triggered campaigns, retailers will now be able to communicate with and target consumers when the timing is most critical: at the moment most likely to result in profit.

Infor CRM Epiphany Outbound targets the gap between customer database information and scheduled marketing campaigns, providing retailers with tools to take advantage of potential consumer buying opportunities. With the real-time software, retailers can rapidly disperse campaigns aimed at consumers. For example, when an online shopper suddenly abandons a shopping cart with multiple high-priced items, the retailer will be able to message the consumer via email or through the Web site with an additional offer or discount in order to maintain consumer patronage.

According to Dr. Patric Timmermans, director of industry and CRM product marketing for Infor, what's becoming important in retail marketing is personalizing the interaction and consumer experience -- something Infor CRM Epiphany Outbound makes possible. "Customer loyalty is a big issue," Timmermans says, "If [marketing] is based on [consumers'] real behavior, people like that and come back. It increases brand loyalty and shopping loyalty."

The 7.1 release also provides marketers the ability to easily schedule and track campaigns across multiple channels, and execute campaigns and reports at specific times. For instance, when a shopper spends a large amount of money in a retail store, the vendor can instantly send an email or SMS message to thank the shopper -- and provide a new offer for the next retail experience. This puts the consumer at the center and markets when timing is most advantageous. The goal, as Timmermans says, is transforming marketing into a means of servicing the consumer.

Timmermans adds that, going forward, Infor is optimizing all its marketing platforms, but focusing on integrating mobile solutions with sales and service. "It's about creating a 360-degree view of the customer and leveraging all information," he says, hitting a pair of the industry's favorite notes in a single sentence. While an Infor spokesperson confirms that the 7.1 module was made generally available in mid-December as intended, the product was only formally announced at last week's National Retail Federation conference in New York.

Infor is one of the most-complete suite vendors of retail CRM, according to Rob Bois, analyst for AMR Research. Bois says that the Georgia-based company is leading the way with the full suite of CRM applications, and predicts that, since retail marketing has become a more appealing industry in recent years, other vendors will soon follow with retail-oriented products.

"Infor has always been strong in inbound and outbound marketing," he notes. "There's a particularly appealing and germane category for retail right now. Those are probably their strongest competitive weapons."

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