House of Fraser DataSync Community Update

Spring Newsletter

The snow is long gone and Spring seems to have sprung with blooms lining our streets, sunny days and longer evenings - enough to put a smile on your face despite the doom and gloom in the news!

The House of Fraser Product Data Synchronisation project, initiated in 2008, is now well underway and continues to grow each week. This has been helped in recent weeks by detailed DataSync meetings held at the Baker Street offices. This wave of meetings attended by more than 40 members of the buying teams, across all divisions, was very successful. It gave us the opportunity to discuss in detail the long list of suppliers that have now uploaded their data and how that data is available electronically to those buying teams.

Whilst we heard how much more information could be useful to the buying teams during those discussions, all agree that asking suppliers for less at this stage confirms the partnership approach we are all taking.

Inovis has now been instructed by House of Fraser to send details of all suppliers not participating in this program for review. These reviews will take the form of smaller lists of suppliers and the DataSync terms of trade being discussed with the buyers/assistant buyers. We understand that a number of packs and order forms have only just been received by the right contacts so please fill those in and send them back by return. If you've had your form for a while and just haven't had time to complete it, please take some time now. It will save the DataSync teams chasing you up.

Suppliers who continue to send product data and prices manually - therefore creating an unnecessary administration requirement for their buying and merchandising teams - will need to be handled separately from the core suppliers to House of Fraser.

Take a look at the three-minute DataSync video if you need a quick program reminder, www.inovis.co.uk/datasync_video.html

DataSync Demonstrations

Suppliers who would like to see exactly how the programme works are still more than welcome to book a 10-minute demo slot with the Enablement Team. This will highlight the benefits of the programme and clarify the next steps for you.

Selection Code List

Retailer Update

Discussions continue very positively with UK retailers such John Lewis, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Amazon. Some of those retailers in particular are working through this year's calendar for project start dates.
Remember, it's your product data that you are loading to DataSync and you have control. Tell us who else you'd like to use the data and decrease those customer administration costs for good. You can grant access to new retailers simply by pressing a button at your end.
Remember also that you are constantly connected to your retail customers using DataSync. When you upload any product data, like a price change for instance, every retailer can be automatically informed electronically without any further interaction.

Frequently Asked Question: Is Inovis DataSync Mandatory?

Frequently Asked Questions

Data Synchronisation is an efficient, automated, electronic way to share product data between trading partners. Although suppliers and retailers have increasing sophisticated information, systems product information is still largely exchanged manually. Consequently, data synchronisation does become a mandatory condition of trade for House of Fraser suppliers.

If you have not uploaded your data already and have overlooked the required compliance of this new condition of trade with House of Fraser, please move quickly to contact Inovis by email on or via telephone on 01772 646017 and start the process.

This Is Not A New Concept!

House of Fraser has seen how effective the Inovis DataSync system is (and has been) in the USA for the past 20 years and is excited about being the first retailer to implement it to the UK. Inovis currently synchronises nearly 115 million items between 6,000 suppliers and 250 retailers around the world and those retailers also synchronise products from European suppliers as well. This is a collaborative platform and suppliers have found this to be a cost-effective and simple method of storing and sending product data.

DataSync - Five Most Recent:

To have joined the program	To have finished enablement
Vivienne Westwood	Adidas
Kaufmann	Philip Treacy Ltd
Fragrance Factory	Rockport
Calvin Klein	Just Sheepskin
Seafolly PTY Ltd	Lyle & Scott