HBC, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates approximately 600 retail stores in Canada. The stores sell a range of merchandise, including men's, women's, and children's apparel, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and housewares. Senior management has decided that HBC needs to tailor merchandise more to local tastes, that the colours, sizes, brands, and styles of clothing and other merchandise should be based on the sales patterns in each individual HBC store. For example, stores in Newfoundland might stock clothing in smaller sizes or brighter colours than those in Regina, or the HBC in Vancouver's Oakbridge Centre might include a greater variety of makeup shades to attract trendier shoppers.
a) How could information systems help HBC's management implement this new strategy?
b) What pieces of data should these systems collect to help management make merchandising decisions that support this strategy?