Crosstalk once again exceeded my expectations, improving upon last year's conference in terms of venue, knowledge sharing, and entertainment.  Its great to see the Oracle Retail family continues to grow, especially outside the US.  I had a great time talking to retailers, analysts, press, and colleagues from around the world.

Because the economy, demographics, technology, etc. are constantly changing, retailers must always be evolving their business to capture the next market.  But it takes guts to change something that appears to be working, and it takes a bit of luck to get the timing right.  To a large extent, innovation is about "guts and luck."

To help retailers innovate, Oracle Retail provides all the necessary software to create Your Experience Platform.  There is no "Oracle Experience Platform" as each retailer needs something different to deliver on their brand promise.  We provide the actionable insight, optimized operations, and connected interactions, but its still up to the retailer to make it theirs.

One such retailer is Masters, a home improvement retailer in Australia formed through a partnership between Woolworths and Lowes.  Woolworths is an established retailer in Australia, so they are already close to their customers and able to understand their needs.  In Australia 74% of dwellings are detached houses and the population is continues to "move up" into bigger and bigger homes.

Masters is using Oracle Retail's software to create their experience platform that will deliver on their brand promise, which includes everyday low prices, wide range of products, smarter self-service, and an inviting store environment.  The Oracle Retail software provides the foundation that allows them to rapidly deliver on this promise -- Masters is engineered for success.