Thinking About an ERP? You Need to Read This

Our full collection of content from the ERP team...

Introduction

At Commerce Thinking, we’ve sat in the boardrooms and the tech teams of some of the fastest-growing retail brands. We’ve seen ERPs drive scale, and we’ve seen them wreck businesses that underestimated the task.

This collection isn’t another “10 ways an ERP can make your life easier” listicle. It’s a guided set of perspectives drawn from years of experience; covering the politics, the technology, the people, and the messy decisions that actually decide whether ERP becomes your competitive edge or your Achilles’ heel.

Every article in this series matters. Skip one, and you’ll miss a nuance that could cost your business millions.

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1. ERP Demands Commitment

• Why You Should Go All-In on ERP
  ERP isn’t the kind of thing you can half-do. This piece sets the tone: if you don’t commit properly, you’re building fragility into the core of your business.

• The Classic Case of a Brand With an ERP Problem
  Nothing drives the point home like a brand story. Here’s what happens when ambition collides with a scattered ERP approach - spoiler: it’s expensive, painful, and avoidable.

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2. Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story

• Your KPIs Are Bullshit (Because No One Believes Them)
  Everyone loves KPIs until they’re exposed as hollow. This piece digs into the reality of how ERP data only works when people actually trust it.

• Why Context Matters More Than Configuration
  It’s not enough to configure the system correctly. The context of your brand, the stage you’re at, the way your teams operate, matters more than any vendor sales deck.

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3. Facing ERP’s Ugly Side

• Why Your ERP Is Slacking During Peak
  ERP isn’t tested in steady state; it’s tested at Black Friday. This article shows what happens when you learn that the hard way.

• Why You Shouldn’t Let Your ERP Vendor Run the Show
  Vendors love control because it’s profitable for them. This piece explains why giving it up is the quickest way to lose your grip on costs, complexity, and future flexibility.

• The RFP Is Dead, Long Live the Lean RFP
  Bloated RFPs don’t protect you, they slow you down. Here’s how to cut through the noise with a leaner, sharper approach.

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4. Designing ERP That Won’t Break on You Later

• Why You Should Move Complexity Into ERP (and Not Your Frontend)
  Shoving complexity into your storefront is a shortcut that costs you later. This piece makes the case for letting ERP do what it’s built for.

• How to Choose the Right ERP Architecture
  Monolith or modular? Integrated suite or best-of-breed? These aren’t theoretical debates, they’re architectural decisions that define how fast you can scale.

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5. People Decide Whether ERP Works or Fails

• Skills to Look for in an ERP Expert
  ERPs don’t run themselves. You need people with the right skills; technical, yes, but also political. This article breaks down what to actually look for.

• How to Hire an Internal ERP Expert
  Hiring the right ERP lead isn’t a checkbox exercise. It’s about picking someone who can bridge tech, operations, and the boardroom. This guide explains how to get it right.

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Conclusion

ERP is one of the most consequential decisions a retail brand will ever make. It’s not just software, it’s how your business breathes.

This chapter pulls together the critical perspectives: why you need to commit, how to see past bullshit KPIs, what happens when vendors dictate the game, and why the right people matter as much as the right architecture.

Read each piece. Take the time. Let it challenge how you think about ERP.

And if you’re serious about getting this right, let’s talk. We’ve been in the boardrooms, the tech teams, and the late-night war rooms when ERPs break under pressure. We know the nuances, and we’ll help you avoid the mistakes most brands only see once it’s too late.