Hickory Farms is “a multi-million dollar business that operates like a billion-dollar business for 12 weeks of the year,” according to Director of Information Technology Gordon Jaquay. During the holidays, Hickory Farms opens 500 to 600 pop-up stores across North America, creating a hyperseasonal bump in addition to its year-round wholesale and direct businesses. In an interview with Retail TouchPoints, Jaquay revealed that the retailer is in the midst of a digital transformation using Microsoft Dynamics 365 that will centralize key internal databases. Additionally, beginning with holiday 2017, retail customers seeking items that aren’t in-stock at a kiosk will be able to get them delivered direct from the warehouse. “The associate will now be empowered to provide that experience to the customer, so it will be better for customer retention, provide a better experience in general, and keep Hickory Farms top of mind, because we’ll be completing the sale when the customer is ready to buy,” said Jaquay.
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