Case Study: Global Retail IT Modernisation Across 350+ Stores
Company: US-Based Global Luxury Fashion Brand
Timeline: 2013–2024
Role: Senior Regional IT Manager / Senior Program Manager
Regions: US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Hong Kong, China, Macau, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Taiwan
Overview
Led multi-year regional and global IT programmes to modernise, standardise and strengthen retail technology across 350+ stores worldwide. Delivered large-scale platform upgrades, compliance projects, data integrations, and new customer-engagement capabilities to support business expansion and operational efficiency.
Key initiative areas included:
Point-of-Sale (POS)
Vendor selection and rollout for China POS platform (100+ stores)
POS database migration to new cloud platform in China (50+ stores)
Global POS release upgrades and Windows Server upgrades across 12 countries (250+ stores)
Fiscal compliance enhancements for Germany
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Integrated customer data with marketing systems across major APAC markets (Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Australia – 20+ stores)
Implemented WeChat customer-capture solution in China (50+ stores)
Rolled out clienteling applications across Europe and Asia-Pacific (30+ stores)
Scope and Responsibilities
Worked with global and regional leadership to prioritise projects and secure budget approval
Created and managed project planning, timelines, risk registers, status reporting, and stakeholder communication
Led vendor evaluation, procurement and contract negotiation
Coordinated delivery with vendors and internal IT teams
Defined scope and requirements with business stakeholders and retail operations
Managed SIT, UAT, training, pilot deployment and country rollouts
Led go-live support and handover to BAU / Support team
Tools & Technologies
POS: Oracle Retail, Aptos, Raymark
CRM & Clienteling: Aptos CRM, Raymark CRM, Tulip, MDM, WeChat
Platforms: Windows, SQL Server, GCP, API integrations, SFTP/FTP
PM Tools: Microsoft Teams, Jira, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Key Challenges & Solutions
Multi-region coordination and prioritisation: Provided business cases, ROI and sizing to support investment decisions across regions and business units
Global time zone differences: Scheduled split meetings, early morning/late evening sessions to keep stakeholders aligned
Localisation requirements: Used pilot rollouts and limited local customisation to build stakeholder confidence before large-scale deployment
Complex regression testing: Structured release testing across multiple countries to ensure new changes did not break local configurations
Result and Business Impact
Enabled fast business growth in China with scalable and compliant retail systems
Improved stability and reliability of store systems to support daily operations and sales performance
Enhanced CRM capabilities for customer acquisition and loyalty, contributing to growth KPIs
Achieved fiscal and regulatory compliance in multiple markets
Reduced security risks and operational incidents by keeping systems up-to-date
Improved data visibility and marketing integration across regions
