SaaS offers "rapid ROI"

Software as a Serivce (SaaS) can help companies to cut costs during the economic downturn, one expert has said.

Paula Rosenblum, managing partner of Retail Systems Research (RSR), has suggested that combined products such as SaaS can offer a "rapid return on ROI" during the current climate.

"Over the short term, capital may be hard to come by. SaaS allows a company to buy only the number of transactions and horsepower it needs," she explained.

"Non-intrusive optimisation technologies can often bring rapid ROI by taking sales and order information and spitting out better assortment and pricing plans."

She was offering advice to retailers after recent forecasts for a slower than usual festive trading period.

As well as investing in SaaS Ms Rosenblum suggested that retailers need to "price sensibly and focus on value" to maintain customer loyalty and attract a new audience.