Crate and Barrel Selects and Deploys Firstlogic's Information Quality Suite to Manage Data Quality in Its New Customer Management System

Market Wire, July, 2005

Firstlogic, Inc., a global provider of enterprise information quality solutions, announced today that Crate and Barrel, one of the most respected and influential housewares retailers in the U.S., has selected and successfully deployed Firstlogic's Information Quality Suite, the company's comprehensive software solution, to manage the data quality in its new customer management system initiative.

Crate and Barrel, headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, has grown from a single storefront in 1962 to an operation that spans over 100 stores in 23 markets. The company is using Firstlogic's software suite to achieve data quality across the enterprise -- in all aspects of its sales and communications channels where customer and product data flows.

Single View of Each Customer

Using Firstlogic's Information Quality Suite, Crate and Barrel is creating and maintaining a single view of each customer, enabling the company to better analyze sales data, market more effectively, and promote life-long relationships with its most valuable customers. Crate and Barrel's new customer management system is enabling business users to perform advanced customer behavioral analysis, modeling, geographic analysis, data mining, campaign management, as well as reliable customer segmentation within and across sales channels (store, Web, catalog).

The Firstlogic solution is being utilized in both real-time and batch across the sales channels, as well as the company's extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) process flow. All customer data is passing through Firstlogic's Information Quality Suite before being loaded into Crate and Barrel's IBM AS/400-based customer management system.

"Like many leading retailers, we have shifted from a very product-centric to a more customer-centric focus," said Crate and Barrel CIO and VP of MIS, Ed Rennemann. "Firstlogic's Information Quality Suite is enabling us to analyze, cleanse, standardize and consolidate data before it is loaded into our customer management system. In addition, we are using Firstlogic to help us build complete 'household' views of our data so we can better analyze our sales patterns," Rennemann said.

Rennemann added that with a significant portion of Crate and Barrel's revenues generated via catalog and Web sales, data quality plays a key role in the operational side of Crate and Barrel's business as well. "If we don't get an address correct, there are significant charges that are billed back to us for corrections from shipping providers," Rennemann said. "Even though our percentage of address errors is actually quite low, with our high volumes, the costs become significant. Due to this fact alone, we expect the Firstlogic software to pay for itself very quickly."

Data Quality Costs Businesses $600 Billion Annually

The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI), a leading provider of education and research in the business intelligence and data warehousing industry, has estimated that data quality problems cost U.S. businesses more than $600 billion annually. According to TDWI's Director of Research Wayne Eckerson, more injurious than the unnecessary printing, postage and staffing costs is the slow but steady erosion of an organization's credibility among customers and suppliers, as well as its inability to make sound decisions based on accurate information.

"Crate and Barrel clearly recognizes that data is a vital resource of any retailer," Eckerson said. "It is critical for organizations to sustain a commitment to managing data quality over time and adjust monitoring and cleansing processes to changes in the business and underlying systems. Companies that invest proportionally in the quality of their data stand a stronger chance of succeeding in today's global economy," Eckerson said.

"We are delighted to welcome Crate and Barrel -- long recognized as a model retailer in terms of product quality and exceptional customer service -- to the Firstlogic family of customers," added Eric Lieberman, Firstlogic president. "Firstlogic's information quality solutions provide retailers with the software needed to maintain accurate customer information, regardless of whether they're tracking point-of-sale data, implementing a CRM system for loyalty programs or ensuring address validation to get the right products delivered to the right location," Lieberman said.

About Crate and Barrel

Crate and Barrel (www.crateandbarrel.com) was founded in 1962, and is now a leader in America's home furnishings industry. In 1973 the company entered the catalog business and in 1999 its Internet site was launched.

About Firstlogic

Firstlogic specializes in enterprise-wide data quality and analysis solutions for e-business, data warehousing, and print and mail applications. Founded in 1984, Firstlogic today serves more than 6,000 customers, including Fortune 1000 companies and leaders in government, finance, insurance, healthcare, manufacturing, direct marketing, and telecommunications. In addition to developing commercial solutions, Firstlogic partners with many systems integrators, consultants, and original equipment manufacturers to provide its unique technology to their end-user customers Founded in 1984 Firstlogic provides advanced software systems as well as a proven methodology and strategic consulting services to help start, enhance, and continually monitor data quality initiatives. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.firstlogic.com.