For any retailing business to be successful it needs sufficient information tools and techniques. Small businesses cannot afford to buy these high cost tools. Therefore, for such businesses SaaS applications are the best solutions to solve IT problems. Software as a service can also be called as software on demand, in which the software can be accessed by the company through the internet and the payment can be made as per the use. In this process, Software as a Service vendors maintain enterprise software on servers within their own company data center and the customers can access the software via the Internet.
For the retailers who use SaaS applications, it becomes easy and affordable to gain competitive advantage over the rivals. SaaS for the retailing industry reduces the capital investment and implementation requirements, it also minimizes in house resource requirements and overall Total Cost of Ownership. SaaS also provides services and infrastructure, from implementation and training to maintenance, data security, hardware and support for the retailers. Saas also improves the security of the network for retailers and it also gives high rate of returns which requires minimal setting up costs and no ongoing costs for in house IT resources.
SaaS also addresses the issues involved in retailing aspects like merchandizing, stores management, audit and operations management, planning, financial and customer relationship management.
Retailers have to innovate, differentiate products and find profitable and sustainable niches for them to grow in this ever changing and dynamic industry and this can be done by implementing SaaS as it provides latest technologies required by the retailers.