Among the priorities for the new system were ease of use by salespeople, an easy-to-manage centralized customer database for lookup and validation, and the use of broadband connectivity. Maintaining access to proprietary applications that supported nonsales functions was also required.

Datavantage Store21, a fully integrated store management system from Datavantage Corporation, met Mayors' software requirements. "If you can read, you can use the system," says Jack Meehan, IT project manager. "It's that simple. Everything salespeople have to do with the system is prompted on screen. You don't even need a mouse."