At the same time, the online retailer has migrated to an open source enterprise resource planning (ERP) system called Apache OfBiz to improve competitiveness. I Want One Of Those can freely make modifications to the system to suit its needs because it has access to the ERP software source code.
The ERP system was rolled out in just four months. I Want One Of Those programme director Angus Gow explained that new functionality can be added in weeks or even days. The system can respond to what the business wants and provides real-time data at a fraction of the cost of a packaged application.
Gow said: “Some people have said that you can’t implement ERP without a big supplier, because if anything goes wrong, you need someone to kick. I could have spent£1 million on an ERP system and it would have been no guarantee of success.”
The flexibility created by running the new ERP system on Suse Linux means that, for instance, the retailer will be able to set up additional computers for the extra staff it employs in its call centre during the Christmas peak without having to pay additional software licensing charges.
Cheaper manpower will also cut costs. Gow said: “We have found that Linux skills are cheaper, because people coming out of university have already spent three or four years working with Linux. It means we get a good mix of skills at a good price.”
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