Centric Software warns fragmented product data hurts retail margins

Jason Lee, VP of APAC sales at Centric Software, said that many retailers still manage products with disconnected systems despite shoppers buying across channels. The resulting data gaps increase costs, delay decisions and compress margins. Lee highlighted that AI can help integrate product data across departments, geographies and time zones, allowing faster responses to events such as the 10.10 and 11.11 online shopping festivals.

A separate analysis of retail software architecture notes that building a scalable multi‑store platform requires a centralized data model, real‑time inventory synchronization and robust transaction processing. Challenges include keeping inventory accurate across stores, warehouses and e‑commerce sites, and ensuring performance during peak shopping periods. Solutions focus on unified databases, replication strategies and conflict‑resolution mechanisms to support thousands of concurrent transactions.