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Retail

ISG advises retailers on the sourcing, technology and operating model decisions that protect margin, lower cost and shorten time to value. 
Retail

Margin is Now the Constraint on Retail Growth

Retailers are growing against real resistance. Tariff exposure, borrowing costs and shifting consumer spend have made price sensitivity permanent, while supply chain volatility and labor regulation keep pushing cost back into the business. The analytics and AI systems behind merchandising, forecasting and store operations are being rebuilt at the same time, moving from reporting toward decisions that run inside the workflow. Performance depends on how much cost you can take out of technology spend and how fast you can act on your own data.

This is where ISG steps in. We assess your operating model, build the sourcing strategy behind it and shape the agreements that follow, priced against cost and performance data drawn from hundreds of thousands of enterprise contracts. Our work runs across cost optimization, ERP and SAP transformation, cloud and network, data and analytics, cybersecurity and the change management that makes new systems stick. The result is a lower cost to serve and funding released for the customer-facing work that builds share.

ISG helps Retailers: 

  • Lower operating costs through sourcing strategy, competitive bidding and tail spend consolidation

  • Modernize software, hardware and cloud agreements, including license optimization, application rationalization and network cost reduction

  • Evaluate analytics, AI and retail platform software with independent research covering thousands of products

  • Govern agreements after signature so the savings and service levels you contracted for are the ones you get

  • Benchmark what you pay for IT, network and business process services against current market rates

  • Plan and source ERP and SAP transformation, including S/4HANA options and total cost of ownership

  • Design the operating model, including captive and shared capability centers

  • Prepare people for new systems through organizational change management, training and onboarding

Meet Our Team

John Cawyer

John Cawyer

Director

John Cawyer

John Cawyer

John Cawyer, a director in ISG’s advisory organization, has over 25 years of experience in the Information Technology industry as both a supplier and an advisor, including 15 years with TPI/ISG. His strong analytical, communication and evaluation skills produce quick understandings of his clients’ needs and effective direction and recommendations. John offers expertise in all aspects of the sourcing evaluation lifecycle ranging from front-end internal cost analysis, strategy and assessments, contract structuring and negotiation, service transition management, contract financial management, and contract restructuring and renegotiations, John has assisted over 40 global and regional clients spanning across North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Industries have included financial services, retail, commercial goods & services, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and travel.

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Rajib Datta

Rajib Datta

Partner

Rajib Datta

Rajib Datta

Rajib Datta is a senior leader at ISG and a member of ISG’s America’s Leadership Team responsible for ISG’s Consumer & Enterprise Services Business. As one of ISG's leading digital experts with over 25 years of experience in technology and over a decade as an ISG Partner, Rajib has been an advisor to G2000 enterprises driving operational and business transformation with core expertise in Strategy Development, Negotiations, Cost/Benefit evaluation, Operating Model Design, Technology Modernization, Transformation Management, and Governance. In his tenure at ISG, Rajib has held leadership roles across Delivery, Sales, and Business Management including leading ISG’s Digital, Strategy, Benchmarking, and Enterprise Research practices as well as roles as an Americas Market Leader and LATAM Regional Leader. 

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Sunder Pillai

Sunder Pillai

Director

Sunder Pillai

Sunder Pillai

Sunder Pillai is based in Dallas, Texas and leads the Retail, CPG and Enterprise Practice for ISG with more than 21 years of experience.1He is an experienced Strategy and IT Consulting Executive with deep experience and expertise throughout the ITO sourcing process. He offers 21 plus years of results-driven IT outsourcing, consulting, digital business strategy and technology services industry leadership experience helping clients, within several industries, achieve their desired business outcomes.

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Megan Walling

Megan Walling

Partner

Megan Walling

Megan Walling

Megan is a Partner at ISG. She oversees the firm’s Enterprise Market, inclusive of companies with up to $10B in revenue across the Americas. Megan and her team help guide clients to drive cost savings, achieve operational excellence, grow and transform.

Megan has also been a key leader on ISG’s internal corporate strategy team for the past three years where she has led a variety of key strategic initiatives and aids in setting the direction for the firm.

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