Managing the whole enchilada
I had the good fortune of being asked to participate in Manhattan Associates’ recent customer event, Momentum as an influencer to help spread their news of new solutions and existing ones. This was the first time for me doing something like this and I have to admit I was a bit hesitant because I’ve always prided myself in being unbiased in this crazy world of way too much content. But, I decided to do it because Manhattan is based here in Atlanta and I know some of the Manhattan folks - they are smart and know what they are doing. But, most importantly, their focus on retailers was the big reason that I agreed to do this.
The retail industry has been struggling for years to catch up with e-commerce giants such as Amazon, changing shopping habits, rethinking the physical store and more but the COVID-19 pandemic finally kicked the industry in the seat of its pants forcing retailers to either do something asap or completely shut down.
So, here are some of my thoughts about the conference.
The evolution of the retail industry took a sudden sharp turn when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred last year. Instead of focusing on physical stores, the focus shifted to e-commerce as consumers remained home and spent money on goods instead of services.
Those retailers that invested in omnichannel technologies prior to the pandemic such as Target and Walmart, fared better than other retailers who found themselves quickly investing in technologies in order to fulfill online orders in stores, offer curbside pickup, and manage last-mile deliveries.
As COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available, how will the ‘new retail industry’ look?
Many analysts expect e-commerce to continue to play a large role as will physical stores – but a bit differently.
Chris Walton, CEO of Omni Talks, highlighted a few trends at Manhattan Associates’ Momentum conference that will shape the retail industry moving forward including:
· Growth of hyperlocal microfulfillment
· Redefining stores
· Growth of social commerce
· Expanding omnichannel capabilities
An interesting point that Chris made was that omnichannel retail is about separating buying from shopping. Physical locations will be about experiences and touching products. Fulfillment will then be done in any way the consumer wants.
These trends and more will/are being accomplished through technology.
Momentum
During Manhattan Associates’ Momentum conference, Manhattan Active Transportation Management solution (TMS) was introduced. According to the press release, it is a multi-modal cloud-native solution and self-configuring and self-tuning system that has up to 80% faster solve times.
Companies like FourKites, Project44, Loadsmart, and others are integrated into the TMS. However, I was more interested in the system’s last-mile capabilities and sat in several Momentum sessions to learn more.
I found out that Logistyx is a Manhattan Associates partner. Logistyx is a TMS provider focused on parcel shipping and fulfillment technology so combined with Logistyx capabilities, Manhattan’s TMS offers transportation management solutions from the first mile to the last mile of supply chains.
For more on TMS, check out an earlier story.
My a-ha moment came when I sat in on a presentation of Manhattan’s Active Omni solution. This solution helps retailers with order fulfillment, point of sale, store inventory and fulfillment management, and more. This solution alone, I imagine, saved a number of retailers last year as they looked for a quick, reliable solution to connect fulfillment with stores, introduce curbside pickups and manage inventory across stores and online.
The a-ha part is basically me realizing that Manhattan customers can either pick individual components such as TMS or the Omni solution, mix and match or go for the whole enchilada…
Along with the introduction of Manhattan Active Transportation Management, Manhattan also introduced the Manhattan Active Supply chain, a single user experience across all supply chain functions – no need for separate TMS and WMS (warehouse management system) applications. The system is configurable, adaptable and always up to date.
That’s the whole enchilada. A single system that manages the entire supply chain. Today’s retailer is burdened with stiff competition and the need to keep a sharp eye on the finances. The management of the backend of the business, the supply chain, needs to be easy and intuitive. Manhattan achieves the ease in use that retailers need in a single platform.
Concluding thoughts…..
Keep in mind, Manhattan Associates is certainly not the only provider of such services so as a retailer, trying to figure out the best solution for your business, be sure to understand and know what you need and compare solutions providers.
I’ve always told folks who are going through a tech evaluation process to consider it a search for a supply chain partner, not just another supply chain vendor. I know, that may sound a bit corny but I firmly believe this - businesses that are comfortable working with other businesses will be more successful and in this ‘new environment’, partnerships are needed more than ever to maneuver through capacity constraints, delays, high transportation costs, raw material shortages and more.
Manhattan Associates knows retailers - they have a lot of retail customers so, as a retailer, it would be well worth adding them to your shortlist of solutions providers to explore. 😉
Thank you, James Ashe and the Manhattan Associates team for inviting me to participate and share my thoughts. I had a blast in not only watching the conference and sharing thoughts on social media but the separate group chats with the other influencers - Miya Knights, Chris Walton, Dez Blanchfield, Martijn Graat - were an added bonus. 🙌
As always, thanks to all for reading. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@cmroberson06) and on my LinkedIn page for daily thoughts and shares.
- Cathy