Case Study: Urban Outfitters achieves faster, actionable customer insights with Fortra’s Sequel

Data Analysis Software Helps Urban Outfitters Analyze Customer Behavior

Urban Outfitters, a Philadelphia-based retailer with more than 130 stores and the parent company of Anthropologie, Free People, and Terrain, needed a faster way to understand customer behavior—who was buying, who was returning items, and whether returns led to other purchases. Their existing reporting approach couldn’t surface trends quickly enough, preventing timely, data-driven decisions.

They implemented HelpSystems’ Sequel Data Access, which integrated with their IBM i and Island Pacific ERP plus MySQL and SQL Server systems. Sequel’s intuitive GUI and training let non‑SQL users create accurate, drill‑down reports without manual programming, producing executive dashboards and detailed analyses (for example, return transactions with associated sales). The result: faster insights into customer behavior and better-informed business decisions.

Urban Outfitters

Tom Gould

IT Business Analyst