A sure-shot way to bolster business is to adapt to the times. A significant tech upgrade can catapult retail operations into the future with style and finesse. It gives a competitive edge, strengthens the brand, and transforms the customer experience. Oracle Retail has been helping retailers do this with ease.   

Oracle Retail’s dedication to creating a cutting-edge POS solution for retailers has gained notable recognition. The prestigious 2023 IDC Worldwide MarketScape report on Point-of-Sale Software for Large Apparel and Softlines crowned Oracle Retail as the Leader. This achievement solidifies Oracle’s commitment to delivering innovative and future-ready solutions that empower retailers in the industry’s ever-evolving landscape. 

However, embarking on a significant technology upgrade can take time and effort, requiring careful planning and execution. Not to mention, it often diverts valuable resources from other important company initiatives. Fret not! Upgrading to Oracle Xstore version 22 doesn’t have to be lengthy or exorbitantly expensive. 

While businesses prepare to embark on a journey that will transform stores, a trusted ally is critical to brace for the technological roller coaster to polishing your data like a diamond in the rough and everything else needed for a smooth transition to Xstore version 22. With its expertise in partnering with several retailers across sectors, Aspire Systems offers end-to-end support for your transition needs. This article breaks down the steps involving an Xstore upgrade, giving a glimpse to retailers of what to expect. But first, delve into how Xstore version 22 can level up your retail game. 

Why Xstore Version 22 is Worth the Effort?  

In a bid to keep evolving, they release upgrades annually, but not all retailers feel the need to adopt them. When talking about an upgrade, the critical question is what it brings to the table and what it means to a retailer. Is it a new feature or an enhancement of customer experience? And the big question is, what is the return on investment that a retailer can expect from it? Xstore version 22 promises to be faster, bigger, and smarter. Here are the features: 

• Advanced tech for centralized systems 

Oracle’s upgraded Xstore office cloud service introduces Next Generation SaaS Architecture, a cloud-native and container-based framework that guarantees heightened security, scalability, and availability. Centralized management and monitoring of numerous physical stores minimize downtime and maximize overall throughput and processing times. In addition, the improved XOCS solution prioritizes security, offering a streamlined user interface, granular access controls, and multiple support tools to ensure a secure and customized experience for users at various access levels. IT teams can proactively safeguard installations, maintaining their security and integrity. 

• User-friendly interface 

The redesigned Self-Checkout User Interface (UI) in Xstore version 22 optimizes usability. This streamlined UI ensures a quick and seamless shopping experience for customers. However, for retailers who prefer the classic Self-Checkout Mode, it will remain available until its retirement. This flexibility allows retailers to choose the interface that best suits their needs, whether sticking with the familiar or exploring the exciting new UI options. 

• Promotional engine  

Tackle the challenge of efficiently managing promotions across multiple channels, thanks to the Oracle Retail Promotion Engine (ORPE) in Xstore version 22. Operating headlessly, ORPE ensures consistent offers by creating a single promotion rule for physical and online stores. Seamlessly calculate discounts based on customer purchases, eliminating the need for separate deal engines. Achieve unified promotion management across channels with ORPE integration in Xstore. 

•  Advantage of Microservices  

Unlock enhanced scalability with microservices in Xstore version 22. The new upgrade is designed to handle specific tasks, these modular components provide increased flexibility, scalability, and resilience. Seamlessly integrate new features without system disruption and independently scale microservices to meet business demands, optimizing performance and minimizing downtime. 

Why Choose Aspire? 

As a software upgrade partner, Aspire Systems is a trusty aid on your side every step of the way. Aspire assists organizations throughout the upgrade process, leveraging its vast expertise and decades-long experience in implementing and integrating software solutions. 

Aspire’s proprietary accelerators are used in different phases of the upgrade journey, influencing the timeline, quality, ease of upgrade, and ensuring quality. As an advisor and implementation specialist, Aspire collaborates with businesses to continuously release updates for payments, order journeys, loyalties, and more. This approach allows business users to test each component and provide feedback. 

Using the foundation of agile methodology, topped with Aspire’s expertise and experience, the delivery of any upgrades usually happens within 16 to 20 weeks, depending on the project size and customizations. Some of the key processes include: 

• Assessment and Planning: Aspire collaborates with the organization to assess the current system, identify upgrade requirements, and create a comprehensive plan. The experts analyze the existing infrastructure, identify potential risks, and develop a roadmap for a successful upgrade. 
   
• System Configuration and Enhancements: Investigate the organization’s needs, ensuring that configurations align with the retailer’s business processes. Aspire also handles any customization requirements to accommodate unique business requirements. 
   
• Speed up with Accelerators: Aspire has recognized the minutest gaps or knee-jerks that bother digital transformations and has developed accelerators that can ease processes. With the accelerator DevOps for Xstore Suite, Aspire ensures a 30% reduction in the implementation timeline. Aspire Systems’ Base Test Scripts are reliable in ensuring that all standard features remain unaffected by new upgrades. Aspire consistently gets the fundamentals right with over 1,000 ready-base test scripts. 

• Data Migration: Aspire’s accelerator Xmigrator facilitates the smooth data transition from the existing system to the upgraded software. Aspire experts ensure that transactional data is available for any returns that might happen during the upgrade process. It cuts down migration time by up to a month. 
    
• Testing and Quality Assurance: Aspire comprehensively tests the upgraded software to detect bugs or problems. These tests include functional and integration testing to ensure smooth work integration. We also implement quality assurance processes to create a stable and dependable software environment. 
   
• Training and Support: Aspire helps familiarize users with the upgraded software, ensuring a smooth transition and maximizing user adoption. It also offers ongoing support and assistance to address any post-upgrade issues or queries that may arise. 

Preparing for the upgrade 

The extent of cost, complexity, time, and resources needed for a software upgrade depends on the customizations and priority of a retailer. Organizations, however, follow some general steps to ensure a successful upgrade. When working with a system integration (SI) partner like Aspire Systems, the approach is methodical and begins with a complete picture of the discovery and design. Here is a broad idea of the upgrade process: 

Here is a broad idea of the upgrade process: 

Step 1: Business and technical analysis 

First, Aspire conducts a business impact analysis for the retailer to understand the possible impact and changes in their existing system and how to prepare for it. The retailer’s team and Aspire’s team of experts exchange information and insights before work begins. After the business impact (BI) analysis as part of the initial product backlog phase, experts perform a design and discovery. It pertains to analyzing the need to upgrade and prioritize requirements. What are the benefits Xstore version 22 contributes as an independent product? Whether it adds some business value? Will other teams have to tweak their way of working? Aspire conducts all technical analyses to determine whether the existing system needs infrastructural updates to accommodate the upgrade. 

For retailers who have skipped a couple of version upgrades, Aspire helps analyze the features they have missed out on and how to leap ahead without missing any updates. Once a retailer agrees, the experts dive into the development stage. 

Step 2: Continuous delivery 

Every time Aspire completes development, we pass it on to the application for testing. This way, business users can get a glimpse of the product instead of waiting till the end of the project. It also helps the retailer prepare for training for store associates. 

As part of development sprints, Aspire upgrades all the codes correctly, confirms they don’t impact existing functionalities, and ensures they have developed all the newly accepted user stories. 

Step 3: Final testing 

Although Aspire performs quality analysis and testing at each stage of development, they conduct a final round of testing to ensure that the software’s existing features still work correctly after any changes or additions. This process, known as regression testing, guarantees that no new modifications have negatively affected the software’s existing functionality. Before the final launch, business users can test the entire upgrade and make any necessary adjustments during dry runs.  

This stage also involves a pilot with limited stores, where Aspire experts ensure everything functions correctly. Moreover, Aspire considers a cooling period to guarantee that all integrations are working correctly. 

Step 4: Launching rollouts 

The final launch needs careful planning and execution as the aim is to have no or minimal effect on the business. To do that inactive hours are identified for system upgrades of the store. Usually, done overnight, the deployment is seamless for stores across wide geographical areas.  

Deploying for 24×7 stores is slightly complex. Deployment is done during lean business hours and in phases at the store. To ensure minimal disruption, one of the three counters will continue to utilize the old system while they upgrade the other two. 

Step 5: Warranty support 

Going live brings with it the treacherous terrain of unforeseen technical complexities. With expert support, retailers can confidently upgrade, minimizing downtime and ensuring a seamless transition. Depending on the agreement, Aspire has a kit for 4 to 8 weeks to check for defects and fix any troubleshooting. 

Aspire experts proactively hand out a checklist of potential issues that might crop up and how to handle them. 

Transition is here; Embrace it.

Embarking on a transition to a new software upgrade may seem daunting, but proper planning, support, and a clear understanding of the benefits can be a game-changing move for your business. Xstore version 22, with its slick features, is bound to attract customers and positively impact your ROI. And with Aspire Systems by your side, you have little to worry about. The key lies in embracing the upgrade’s possibilities, such as improved security, enhanced features, and increased efficiency. So, take the leap, embrace the change, and unlock new opportunities in your retail journey. Your business will thank you for it!