Ann Summers is to transform its planning process with software from Island Pacific.

The system will be used to support merchandise, store, in-season and assortment planning across all of its channels.

The first stage will go live at the end of May, with assortment planning the last function to be introduced, by the end of August.

Ann Summers commercial director Tony Indyk said the decision to move from the company’s Excel-based planning processes was to increase its data-analysis capability.

He said that the software implementation will allow staff to spend 80 per cent of their time analysing data output and only 20 per cent collating data, reversing the present scenario.

“It will lead to better-quality decisions and allow us to do what we do now better,” he explained. This includes better analysis of seasonality of products.

Indyk added that the system is relatively simple to use and staff should be up and running on it within a few weeks of training.