Driven by DataWith its solution platforms and a focus on collaboration, Inmar

helps clients be more responsive and successful. By Eric Slack

Supply Chain World SUMMER 2013

solutions inmar

www.inmar.com / HQ: Winston-Salem, N.C. / Specialty: Intelligent commerce networks for promotion, supply chain and healthcare / David Mounts, CEO: “Our setup

helps our clients by making commerce data-driven and ensuring that tools in each network are as functional, useable and effective as possible.”

Inmar started more than threedecades ago when its founders sawthey could improve the waycouponing was handled andprocessed, saving retailers andmanufacturers money. Since thattime, Inmar has branched out intoother spaces and handled $38 billionin commercial transactions.

“Whenever you use a coupon, geta prescription filled or engage in aproduct return, chances are thatInmar platforms are somewhere inthere, handling decisions andmoney flows and sometimes physi-cal goods,” CEO David Mounts says.

Inmar has more than 1,500 retailand manufacturing clients, 60 sup-ply chain retail clients, and it servesmore than 20,000 retail pharma-

cies and 60 independent pharma-cies and health systems. Inmar’sphysical footprint tends to fluctu-ate, but at any one time the compa-ny operates around 30 facilities inNorth America.

Building Trust

The company develops technology-driven, real-time commerce plat-forms that connect retailers, manu-facturers and service providers.Inmar has established itself as atrusted third party between retail-ing and manufacturing trading part-ners thanks to its reliance on a sim-ple principle. The company strivesto deliver value and apply its insightto complex transactions, operatingalongside customers as though they

are all one company and enablingtrading partners to be more respon-sive and effective.

“An essential theme of our brandis building trust through mutualcollaboration,” says Steve Dollase,president of Inmar Supply ChainNetwork. “In our supply chain net-work, the sources of value disrup-tion are where companies may notshare the same data. We have helpedour partners to streamline process-es, take out waste and create valuefor both parties.”

Inmar is organized into three net-works: Inmar Promotion Network,Inmar Supply Chain Network andInmar Healthcare Network. InmarPromotion Network offers solu-tions for coupons, digital promo-

Inmar is dedicated to developingtechnology-driven, real-timecommerce platforms that con-nect retailers, manufacturersand service providers.

SUMMER 2013 May / June 2013

solutions@inmar.com866-440-6917

tions and rebates to help with thedevelopment, execution and analysisof shopper-engagement vehicles.

Inmar Supply Chain Network’ssolutions combine returns transac-tion processing with real-time ana-lytics and facilitate reverse logis-tics. Inmar Healthcare Networkhandles the complexity, volume andcompliance requirements of phar-maceutical returns and recalls, aswell as pharmacy receivables andcontract management.

“Our setup helps our customers bymaking commerce data-driven andensuring that tools in each networkare as functional, useable and effec-tive as possible,” Mounts says.

At the core of each network is anetwork-specific, cloud-based plat-form. These are real-time, big datafoundation platforms that handlethe information and provide cus-tomers with value.

“The platforms accumulate thedata and from that data we can drawvast insight into what is going on andwhere there are opportunities formanufacturers and retailers toimprove their business,” Dollasesays. “We leverage advanced analyt-ics and consulting teams in each net-

work to take those big data insightsand drive business value.”

Improve and Enhance

Inmar is constantly looking for waysto improve and enhance its offer-ings, and regularly makes invest-ments to expand its platforms.

“That determines how we addfunctionality,” Mounts says. “Welook at all platforms, which arecloud-based and data-centricbecause we want data to be accessi-ble and to activate new learning.We’ve invested more than $100 mil-lion into our platforms over the lastfour years. We want them to havemultiple redundancies and a highlevel of security, to be able to facili-tate all needs that physical retailersand manufacturers have and to han-dle money management and shopperexperience management.”

In addition to adding to its solu-tions internally, Inmar looks to workwith outside strategic partners tobuild on its offerings.

“We have coordinated the coreplatform, and as external apps andideas can bring value, we attach themto our core platform after we’ve vet-ted them,” he says. “We realized the

market needed a trusted intermedi-ary to vet the technologies, make sureit was trustworthy and bring the goodones to our platform. We repurposedour mission to do that based on cus-tomer feedback.”

Inmar knows it must help clientsunderstand the importance of cus-tomer-centric, one-to-one market-ing, teaching them how to use it inconjunction with mass marketing. Italso will be helping clients drive effi-ciency in the way they run their busi-nesses and make smarter decisions,and to do it at a discreet level that istransactional and real-time in nature.

Fortunately, Inmar has shown itsability to recognize where problemslie and to devise innovative solutions.That is what it was founded on morethan 30 years ago, and that is whatcontinues to drive its evolution.

“We started in the coupon space,but as we built trust between retailersand brands, they pulled us into otherspaces,” Dollase says. “That is how wegot into supply chain for reverselogistics, pharmacy claims reconcilia-tion and other areas. Our partnerstrust us and know that we will deter-mine their needs and find opportuni-ties to create more value.”

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Published by Phoenix Media Corporation Tel: 312.676.1101 Fax: 312.676.1280On behalf of Inmar © 2013 Phoenix Media Corporation. All rights reserved.