Retail, like virtually all other industries, is awash with stories about the emergence of cloud computing. Much has been written about the ability to remove cost or to greatly speed up implementations. However, the retail executive tends to be very sceptical of such claims. Early wins for SaaS initiatives are largely based on BI and analytics initiatives. However, these early efforts were not so much about developing a transformational approach to software as they were a way of getting proofs of concepts launched. Many of these proofs of concepts have now emerged as fully operational projects, while still operating in a SaaS model. From this small base, the industry could potentially greatly expand its use of the cloud, thereby creating opportunities for T&SPs and rattling longstanding software dynasties based on classic software licensing models.