Sybase SA has announced the establishment of AVATAR, a dedicated retail Sybase practice, which will distribute its locally developed point of sale (POS) and retail management solution.
Its flagship product, also known as AVATAR, formerly known as RTS (Retail Trade System), is currently being introduced under its new name.
"AVATAR is a leading solution for retailers, offering visionary and modern point of sale technology with comprehensive head office and back-office systems which consolidate and manage all retail functions," says Steve Mallaby, GM of Sybase SA's AVATAR division.
He says the formation of a separately focused division is testimony to the commitment being made to AVATAR's retail customers to deliver world-class retail expertise combined with a management system tailored to meet individual client challenges.
"The mandate of AVATAR is to assist retailers in achieving their business potential, by helping to increase turnover, margins and customer satisfaction, while reducing stock shrinkage and tightening cash controls," explains Mallaby.
"The name AVATAR means transformation and we felt that this best describes our pledge to transcend every challenge and enable a better business for our retail clients with greater returns."
The AVATAR team has a wealth of experience in the retail space. "It is this specialist knowledge, coupled with best-of-breed technology from Sybase and its mobile business subsidiary, iAnywhere, that has provided AVATAR with the opportunity to provide its customers with a complete retail solution," he adds.
Technology areas that will be incorporated into the AVATAR product include mobile POS solutions, RFID capabilities and remote device management with assistance from Sybase SA's iAnywhere division. "This will enable retailers to mobilise information onto wireless devices and get managers out of the back office and onto the shop floor."
AVATAR is also able to offer proven business intelligence functionality from the BI Practice, another Sybase SA division.
Solutions in the business intelligence space include data quality, a query engine and analytics or reporting for monitoring the state of the total business.
"AVATAR is ready to ensure that its customers are ahead of the game with leading-edge technology, keeping them abreast of retail trends through regular technology updates to enable them to remain competitive," says Mallaby.
AVATAR has also implemented a dedicated support desk with a call logging system, to facilitate and better manage customer issues and ensure acceptable response times and resolutions.
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Sybase SA is the sole African representative of Sybase Inc, the largest global enterprise software company exclusively focused on managing and mobilising information from the data centre to the point of action. Sybase provides open, cross-platform solutions that securely deliver information anytime, anywhere, enabling customers to create an information edge. The world's most critical data in commerce, finance, government, healthcare and defence runs on Sybase. For more information, visit the Sybase Web site at www.sybase.com or www.sybase.co.za.
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