Fujitsu Unveils Pervasive Retailing Framework at NRF 2006; Minimizes the Time, Cost and Risk of Making Real-time Retailing Interoperability a Reality

Business Wire, Jan 16, 2006

NEW YORK -- Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. today announced its Pervasive Retailing(TM) Framework that enables companies to minimize the time, cost and risk of creating real-time interoperability between disparate applications and devices that support a multitude of retailing interactions.

Fujitsu foresees an explosion of consumer-facing devices in and out of the store creating a pervasive retailing environment, where consumers expect tailored interactions on the device of their choice anywhere, any time and every time. Meeting this demand is an enormous challenge for retailers, but it also creates the opportunity to differentiate the shopping experience, improve operations and drive increased sales.

"Realizing interoperability among numerous real-time devices and applications from multiple vendors can be a complex and daunting task, especially when integrating legacy systems," said Austen Mulinder, president and chief executive officer, Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. "Fujitsu's Pervasive Retailing Framework leverages prior investments in legacy systems while enabling retailers to take advantage of new opportunities to enrich and expedite the shopping experience. This significantly reduces their time-to-market for generating new business across multiple sales channels and increases the return on their overall technology investment."

Fujitsu's Pervasive Retailing Framework (PRF) is based on the same architectural foundation as Fujitsu's GlobalSTORE point-of-sale application. It leverages the GlobalSTORE application set, enabling execution of a service oriented architecture (SOA) for retailing store operations. This reduces the time, risk and cost of interoperability between disparate applications and devices from multiple vendors on multiple platforms.

The Pervasive Retailing Toolkit (PRT) includes each of the components of the framework, which are available discretely. PRT allows Fujitsu to quickly extend and integrate a wide range of applications -- from Fujitsu and others -- across multi-vendor retail technology environments. This same toolkit can be used to extend the life of legacy store systems by adding new functionality with less risk and at a much lower cost.

Fujitsu's Pervasive Retailing SOA is the open infrastructure built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, the programming model for building XML Web services and applications that makes the Pervasive Retailing Toolkit possible. It includes dynamic messaging and services to separate the functions, data and screen formats associated with interoperability in the store -- including interaction with other service-oriented platforms.

Retailers are clearly expressing the need for a solution to address the challenge of multi-vendor, multi-platform interoperability. For the past four years, Fujitsu has been developing the Pervasive Retailing Toolkit, with customers and partners, that enables this capability. All of the components of the toolkit are live and adding value in retailing environments today. These environments include: Nordstrom, OfficeMax, Danier Leather and Sonae.

Engineering Capabilities

The Pervasive Retailing Framework is as much about Fujitsu's breadth of execution capabilities as it is about architecture and tools. Realizing the promise of pervasive interoperability demands mastery of the full range of engineering disciplines (software, hardware, mobile devices, networking and managed services). Fujitsu's core competency in each of these disciplines is proven in reference clients across the retailing market.

Microsoft Smarter Retailing Benefits

Fujitsu's Pervasive Retailing vision is consistent with Microsoft's Smarter Retailing, an initiative designed to help retailers dramatically improve how they sell and operate through better access to customer and product information, further advancing the reality of smarter shopping, selling and operations in and out of the store. Microsoft's breakthrough approach closes the loop between a retailer's strategy, its in-store execution and familiar technologies already in the consumer's hands. Smarter Retailing empowers retailers -- and ultimately, shoppers -- providing the tools to significantly transform and differentiate the shopping experience. Learn more about Smarter Retailing at www.microsoft.com/smartretail.> "Fujitsu's Pervasive Retailing Framework is a natural compliment to Microsoft Smarter Retailing," said Brian Scott, vice president, Retail & Hospitality Industry Unit, Microsoft. "We have been working closely with Fujitsu on the realization of its Pervasive Retailing Framework. This is a significant step in the path to full interoperability in the retailing market."

Extending the benefits of Innovative Intel Technology

Intel has developed and continues to bring new innovations to market to meet the evolving needs of the retailing industry. These technologies are already paving the way for a new generation of cost-effective solutions that promise to transform the shopping experience, empower employees and streamline operations. Fujitsu's PRF will enable retailers to quickly realize the benefits of the broad range of innovative Intel(R) technology-based solutions throughout the "store system." Seamlessly connecting these technologies to multiple store and enterprise applications and devices accelerates adoption and the return on investment (ROI).