RedBlack, the York-based software developer, has revealed it will launch new software aimed at improving ordering efficiency between bakeries and retail stores.

Called CyBake InStore, the software uses data, including historical sales figures, to generate each store’s orders, so store managers don’t need to be involved in the ordering process.

The company said InStore’s analytics are more accurate at picking out trends and patterns from customer behaviour than shop managers. It said food waste would be reduced, as orders would be bespoke to each shop’s requirements – this would reduce man hours used on administrative tasks, and money wasted on spoiled food.

InStore is currently being used by two undisclosed bakery chains, and will launch on general release once RedBlack has ensured it is “bulletproof”, expected to be before the middle of April.

The software is web-based, which means it can be easily adapted to work alongside other software. It is hosted on the Microsoft Azure platform, which is also used by Skype, Office 365 and Xbox.

RedBlack recently posted a food waste calculator on the CyBake InStore website to draw attention to the new software. The calculator allows retail bakeries to quickly and simply estimate the cost of food wastage to their businesses.

Jane Tyler, managing director at RedBlack, said: “Our work with Marks & Spencer and some of Britain’s bigger independent retail bakers definitely informed much of the logic in our forthcoming InStore sales-based ordering application.

“Better ordering means less waste, pure and simple. The waste calculator we’ve posted to the InStore site is a good way for bakers to see how much money they can save. Put it this way, the figures involved can be very compelling indeed.”

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